When I started writing Tapped – my science fiction about rogue super-soldiers inadvertently starting an underground railroad in space – the character named Seach Barlow was secondary. He was meant to be a complication on the road to happiness in Jorry’s life, a memory of who she had been in the war, and a reminder of what she had lost.
Their freedom had come from the sacrifice of one I thought was the other major character of the tale; Johnathan Relo. The man had given himself up so that Seach and Jorry could get away from the authorities; men who meant to trap them in a quasi-prison that would take away their autonomy. Relo is, in my estimation, a true hero; a man who was willing to lay down his life for his friends and the woman he loved.
With Relo casting such a shadow on the narrative, it was easy to put Seach into a little corner – at first. But Seach had other plans. As the story progressed, he began pushing himself to the front, proving that he was every bit as heroic as Relo when he rescued a man on Pluto. And then again, on Neptune, when Seach kept his cool under interrogation, inevitably aiding in their escape.
At every turn, Seach was there.
Midway through the rough draft I realized how much more interesting Seach was. He had spent too much time with Jorry not to have formed a profound bond, and since he knew about the romance between Relo and Jorry, it caused a great deal of inner turmoil for him. But more than that was the fact that he showed up every day. Perhaps he would have laid down his life the same way Relo did, but that’s not the way his story turned.
His sacrifice was of a more subtle manner, and as I came to understand it, a far more profound one.
And that is how Seach bumped himself up from Secondary character to a Main POV character, and one of my favorites. He will forever hold a special place in my heart, and in the books. Dealing with him has helped me broaden my focus when writing, forcing me to dig deeper whenever a character makes their way onto the page.
Interestingly enough, my current project has been nudging my character development skills as well. I am editing Castle of Three Kings and, in fickle writerly fashion, I decided to switch from Third Person Limited to First Person POV. This change has required me to focus more intently on how the secondary characters affect my POV character.
Given that we live in First Person POV, this shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. Every person I meet affects me somehow, even if only in passing, and it should be no different for my character Kevin. But in asking how these secondary characters affect Kevin, I am also having to question the motivations and machinations of these characters.
It’s been a journey, and a fun one at that. I’m looking forward to seeing how the finished product looks.
Take a minute to check out what my fellow authors have to say about Secondary Characters in this month’s Round Robin…
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1tC
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Rhobin L Courtright http://rhobincourtright.com/
AJMaguire 
A. J. — another interesting post. I like how you approached the topic only now you’ve left me concerned about Relo and if he ever escapes. Changing voices after the rough draft is a difficult process.
Since the second novel in that series is due to come out this year, I can’t tell you what happens with Relo. But, I can say that it’s complicated.
As to changing voices, I’m learning just how difficult that process is.