  Action/Adventure
This week: Secondary Characters Edited by: Legerdemain  
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Secondary Characters
While it's great fun to have unique secondary characters running around in your story, it's important to make sure they help the plot line and not distract from it. While working your outline for your story, be sure your main characters have a solid line from beginning to end. Then when adding your secondary characters, use them to add details the main characters can't say or do for themselves.
While these characters make a great foil for the main action, you still have to be careful about how you bring them in and out of the story. They enrich your scenes and dialog but make sure they don't interrupt the main action. They also shouldn't start their own un-ended story line. Secondary characters are notorious for leaving loose ends and evaporating from scenes without mention.
A secondary character should only have as much back history as needed to move your main characters along. Detailing what they had for lunch or who their grandmother was can confuse your reader and set back the pace of the story in a few sentences. So when editing, be sure not only the details of what your secondary characters say and do are important, but that they're not a distraction.
This month's question: Have you ever had a secondary character create their own story?
Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
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Excerpt: I languish, alone and unwanted, upon the same blasted beach that I started out on for the rest of the film. I literally have no idea where the narrative has gone. Most likely somewhere ridiculous. Nobody bothers to tell me. I've served my purpose. Apparently, I'm supposed to be grateful I wasn't killed off.
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Excerpt: While they watched the quiet street below, Ainsley considered his assets one more time. He ran his inventory by the Chief, who incidentally had been with him during the meeting with Morgan. Actually, he had hoped the Chief might offer him a little guidance, but the Chief didn't talk much. Sometimes that really frustrated Ainsley. He gave some clues once in a while, but mostly, the Chief was kind of like moral support. He was there for inspiration, and other than imparting some occasional wisdom, Ainsley was expected to make his own decisions. So, when the Sergeant shared his thoughts, it was more like thinking out loud than talking things over.
Excerpt: Kaitlyn McKenna was the breath of fresh air that had blown away the repugnant angst of Michael's self-hatred. Her colorful attitude toward life, inherited from her quirky artist parents who had raised her to believe that each lifetime could be reduced to a series of lessons for the soul to learn, convinced him that painful events are Fate's way of teaching us to be stronger in the future. She loved him into believing it, and he'd slowly begun to heal.
Excerpt: Rich studied the man, lowered the pistol, and holstered it. Shorty was an old codger with white hair, a beard, and hunched as he walked. His right eye squinted as he spoke, and even in the flickering fire light he could tell Shorty was missing a couple of teeth. He donned a beat up blue engineer's hat, suspenders, a vest, and worn, dusty trousers.
Excerpt: "So, let me get this straight. You want me to spy on your wife. You think, maybe she's steppin' out on you, or something. I can do that, no problem. But, are you sure you want to go down that road?"
"I didn't say she is cheating, I said she's involved in something shady. I'm a cop; I can't have my wife mixed up in anything illegal. I could never live it down at the station, you know. I'm noticing she is skimming some money off the household budget lately."
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Excerpt: "Maybe you should go see a doctor," Cole said, automatically smiling at the tall blond waitress as she put their dishes in front of them. He was silent as she nodded curtly and walked away, not meeting his gaze, and only when she was out of earshot, added softly, "And for the future, it would be best if you avoid voicing such opinions. The walls have ears, you know."
Excerpt: I reached for my old Leica and looked at the children playing. I tried to focus, but the sun came directly through the lens. I squinted and turned the aperture down, making the glare less, wanting a shadow backdrop with the trees on the side. As I set my photo up, I was peripherally distracted. The tide was going out exposing brown rocks and pools. It was a very low tide and I put the camera down. Something wasn't right - it felt wrong. A slight trembling started in my hands, and I couldn't put the feeling in sync with my mind - it was a gut-driven anxiety. My eyes raked the shoreline, flitting from exposed marine life, to tires, bottles and refuse the natives used as a hidden aquatic dump. The once-bobbing boats were now beached on their sides like fallen whales. Within minutes, it was not just going out but racing towards the eastern sun, like an urgent summons. I put my hand on Charles' arm and gripped it firmly.
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Excerpt: From a blackhole of a doorway stepped a man with a gun. He said, "I would take another shot at you but I've heard too much about your prowess, I wouldn't want you riled up. And I know your friends would never forgive me if they could find me. I've been sent here to give you a message. Counter-terrorism in America is small potatoes, all the action is in the middle east, and it has been too long since 9/11. There is a new game in town, an artifact of priceless value. I am from a group of people who are after it but we need your help. Don't worry about Knopfler. The way we see it, you've got two choices. Either we blow your cover and every angry spy plus the justice department comes after you, or you give us what we need. So what's it gonna be?"
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This month's question: Have you ever had a secondary character create their own story?
Last month's question: What types of adventure are on your "bucket list"?
Zoe Graves  responded: Top of my bucket list: climb the stairs up to that one buddhist monastery from Ace Ventura 2.
scribbler replied: I'm an archaeologist so every dig is an adventure, but I'd love to go even farther off the grid some time, for an adventure in a place I don't know much about!
31245bob said: I am new to the wdc and my exploration of same is tremendous fun. One thing on my bucket list is to join my cousin on his creek claim and help him figure out a way to harvest flour gold without using the usual wash out procedure.
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Action/Adventure: February 09, 2011 Issue [#4231]
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