Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

The Great Divide Commentary Part 3

By

The next several months will bring author commentaries on all six stories contained within the Tales from Portents collection. My hope is to offer insight into the decisions made in putting the project together and the challenges therein. It’s also fun to point out the little Easter eggs throughout. (I love that crap.) So, SPOILER WARNING is in effect for the duration.

The importance of minor characters

Protagonists stand or fall by the world around them. Depth comes from interactions with other characters. Perspectives comes from this interplay and each piece, each character, adds a little more to the overall feel of the work.

Minor characters bolster the leads. Each, with their own unique flair, offer new insights and perspectives into the drama unfolding both physically and emotionally for the leads.

The Great Divide, and Tales from Portents in general, was designed not only to inspire more depth in the backstories of the principle players of Greystone, but also introduce new minor characters to the mix or flesh out the smaller roles from Signs of Portents.

minor characters
Tales from Portents is only 99-cents right now!

Edgar Rusch

I know, I know, this seems like a cheat. Edgar Rusch isn’t even in the story! True, but by offering that small glimpse at Ruiz’s relationships including the unseen Mr. Rusch we learn how connected Ruiz is to his world. That short exchange with his wife ABOUT his friend, gave more insight into Ruiz than a 2,000 word scene WITH his old friend.

The bonus of introducing Edgar here is that it left less to be explained when he pops up in The Medusa Coin. Again, planning ahead helps incredibly when putting together a series. I cannot emphasize that enough!

Julian Harvey

I wrote about Harvey last time and the luck at his introduction to the series. With a tale like The Great Divide, I was able to have a situation where Ruiz wasn’t the elder statesman in the room. He’s the newbie, the immature member of the duo. Who would he turn to for help?

Enter Julian Harvey, old curmudgeon. (and how I see myself turning VERY soon…) If I could have fit in one more rant of his about young people and the lack of ambition or the dangers of acid reflux! (Maybe I’ll start a whole new series of him hating on millennials…)

Harvey, while lost in his own opinions, played a crucial role in ushering Ruiz into the world of Portents. The true city. How did he come by the knowledge? Oh, wouldn’t that be a fun story to tell. Hmmm….

Honestly though, Harvey is the most important first appearance in Tales. Keep a lookout for when he pops up again.

EASTER EGG – Did you catch who Harvey is related to at the Central Precinct? Check out the little snippet from Chapter 3 below:

“…Most of the grunts here remind me of my good-for-nothing nephew. Happy to sit and zone than think for himself. He’s actually thinking about applying to the academy but I’ll be damned if I see a Pratchett in this department in my lifetime.”

It was just a throwaway line I had tossed in there. I figured it would be fun to make a small connection to our favorite giant of an officer, John Pratchett. Little did I realize where we were headed….

Michelle Ruiz

When I was making my list for this entry, I almost forgot Ruiz’s wife. Shame on me. I forgot The Great Divide served as her first appearance. It took a long time to piece together who Michelle was as a person. Her role in The Medusa Coin helped (again!) and offered a vision for this strong-willed woman that basically became a single mother of three daughters since her husband is never home.

Here, she has a little more innocence, a little more joy, as the divide comes after. Another crucial player filling out the world and playing off Ruiz to create tension and support with each interaction.

minor charactersHady Ronne

Another vital component in The Medusa Coin, which is actually why she shows up here. How Ruiz sees her at this moment in their relationship is crucial to what happens down the line.

Hady also gives this creepy vibe every time she shows up. She’s so off-putting to be around the only way Loren can handle it is with sarcasm bordering on meanness. I wanted to see how Ruiz acted in Loren’s place.

EASTER EGG – There is a reason behind Hady Ronne’s name. You’ll find out why in September.

What’s next?

Next week I’ll be taking a closer look at Gremlins. Be sure to stop by on Thursday for some awesome FREE BOOKS!

Thanks for reading.

Minor Characters – Asset or Distraction

By

There is a balancing act when it comes to writing. It comes in many forms and can be handled in numerous ways. One of the main issues I have found while working on The Medusa Coin relates to minor characters vs their major counterparts and the juggling act therein.

The need for minor characters

Minor characters inhabit the world surrounding your principal players. From the man handing over a cup of coffee to Officer John Pratchett in the Greystone series they are a vitally integral component in fleshing out the world of your main characters.

They act as counterpoints for character arcs, offering opposing viewpoints or giving an outsider perspective to issues going on in the background of your story. They bring color to the black and white principles of the main character’s world. Their roles include love interests and foils put in place as obstacles to keep them from their goals.

Whatever the role they are necessary to the end result; a fully formed world for your reader to lose themselves in.

Where minor characters distract:

When minor characters become principal players in the novel it can be jarring for the reader. Unless the transition is gradual and accepted by the reading public, more often than not there will be fan outcry at the loss of visibility for their favorite hero or heroine.

There is an old Superman tale I always come back to when it comes to this issue. The story is called Panic in the Sky and deals with Brainiac invading Earth with his Warworld fortress. Superman leads the charge, commanding a cadre of heroes, against the forces of Brainiac.

The story is amazing. Well thought out with high stakes. Superman is put through a real test during the course of the piece. Then at the climax Superman DOESN’T save the day. Someone else does. A woman named Maxima.

MAXIMA? WTH?

Now, being a comic nerd I understood what the author, Dan Jurgens was doing here. He was setting up Maxima and Superman’s entrance into a new incarnation of the Justice League. However, for a Superman story to lose sight of the man of steel so completely at the finale of a long arc was a tragedy of the worst kind. It pulled me right out of the story and is painful to read even now. (Pretty to look at though.)

This would be akin to the Lone Gunmen showing up in The X-Files finale and ending the threat of the Cigarette Smoking Man once and for all. (If they had survived until the finale – stupid Season 9…)

Or Dean Thomas saving Hogwarts while Harry Potter slept one off at Hagrid’s. (WHO THE HELL IS DEAN THOMAS?!)

In the words of the Earl of Lemongrab from Adventure Time – UNACCEPTABLE.

How minor characters best serve a story:

Much of what I spoke about above are the ways a minor character best serves a story. A foil for the protagonist. A love interest. An obstacle. A counterpoint. Someone that brings humor to a dreary situation or brings conflict with an opposing perspective on a situation.

Someone that adds a layer that wasn’t there without them in the room.

The very best way to use a minor character is to give them A moment not EVERY moment. Maybe it is a one-off joke. That’s how Pratchett started off for me in Signs of Portents. Now I try to work him into the story more often in order to showcase that differing perspective.

The story remains centered around your principal players. Stay true to that, while allowing the minor roles to add depth to the plot and conflict to your character arcs.

Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Links throughout this site may be affiliate links. All commission earned through these links go to Eleven Ten Publishing to produce more books for your reading pleasure.

You can view our privacy policy here.

Recent Posts