Happy Book Birthday to Summer!
She wrote a guest post for my blog to celebrate with us. Here it is:
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Developing Supporting Characters from a First Person Perspective
State of Emergency focused on two people: Cassidy Hart and Chris Young. Those were my two protagonists, and because of the plotline of the story, there was no need to bring in any supporting characters. Until book two.
With State of Chaos, Cassidy is forced to mature as a character and a human being, and one way to get that to happen was to put her in the path of people that would help her grow up. But sometimes it can be a challenge to develop supporting characters when you’re telling a story from a first person perspective, because you can only see and feel what that one character is seeing and feeling. Everybody else must be developed based on your main character’s emotions and perceptions. It can be tricky, and if it’s not done right, your supporting characters can come across as flat and stereotypical. So I came up with a plan!
Supporting characters are just as important as your protagonists, even if they don’t get as much “screen time.” A trick that I used to make sure my supporting characters were well-rounded and developed was to write out their entire backstories. Some of the characters in State of Chaos – Sophia, Alexander and Max – have long backstories that you as a reader may never even know about. But I know about it. They all have a story and a reason for their personalities and reactions to certain situations – because those personalities and reactions have been molded and shaped by their lives. It’s helpful to know your supporting characters and who they are well in advance if you’re going to be writing from a first person perspective. Your protagonist will then be able to pick up on personality traits and tidbits of information that will clue you in to those character’s likes and dislikes. Who they are. What they want. Why they are the way they are.
It’s all a part of the game we call storytelling!
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Thanks, Summer, and Congrats!
Cassidy Hart has had better days.
Her dad is missing. Her friends have been captured. And modern society is pretty much gone, thanks to an EMP that destroyed the technological infrastructure of the United States.
Surviving in the foothills of California is a challenge, but with the help of former Navy SEAL Chris Young, Cassidy’s been able to stay alive.
Until now. Omega, the shadow army arisen from the chaos, won’t stop until every single survivor is either under their control or dead. Taken by soldiers and forced into a labor camp, Cassidy must turn the tables on her captors. Escape means everything. Unfortunately, staying out of Omega’s crosshairs is easier said than done.
You can run.
But you can’t hide.
Cassidy’s about to learn that the hard way.
Collapse Series #2
Author Biography: 
Summer Lane is the author of the national bestselling YA/NA Contemporary Romantic Adventure, State of Emergency, the first installment in the Collapse Series. State of Chaos, the sequel, released June 28th, 2013. She is a freelance writer, publicist and lover of all things feline. Summer is also the author of Snappy Social Networking: How to Dominate the Blogosphere & Everything in Between. In her spare time, Summer is the creator of the online magazine/blog, Writing Belle, in addition to being a frequent contributor at NA Alley, a website dedicated to all things New Adult.
Summer began writing when she was 13 years old, due to the fact that the long afternoons after school were somewhat boring, and writing stories seemed to make the time pass a little quicker. Since then she has written many books about jungle cats, secret agents, princesses and spaceships. She is also a non-fiction writer, but her debut novel, State of Emergency, is her favorite book yet. Stay in the loop with all updates for the Collapse Series by liking STATE OF EMERGENCY – COLLAPSE SERIES on Facebook! Want to talk to Summer? Email her at: summerlane101@gmail.com
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Cheers,
Supporting characters are essential, glad to see a fellow tour buddy Julie. Congrats Summer on your latest book.
Thank you, Juliana! :)
I have a difficult enough time developing secondary characters while writing in third person.
Congratulations, Summer!