I've been having a lot of fun with one of my characters from my Mark and Dr. Rob WiP. His name is Mel. Melvin Stillwater. He's. So. Much. Fun. I think some of the funniest moments I've written so far are between Mark, Mel, and Dr. Rob. And it's got me thinking...
Friendship. How big a part should it play in a romance? And while friendship between the two lovers is ideal IMO, I'm thinking more along the lines of secondary characters here.
I read a lot of m/m fiction where it's just two guys making it on a mountain (I'm not being literal here, although I can think of story I flippin loved about just that, only add in people looking for stolen money and bullets). I often wonder where the protags' friends are. Don't they have any besides each other?
Okay, I'm well aware that in shorter formats, a huge cast of characters is not possible. But in longer formats? I like to see an outside friend or two pop up in some way. It doesn't have to be a big deal or take up a lot of action, but it does help in making the character feel real if he has a full life.
Because here's the thing: it's all about characterization, and even the type of friend your character has and how he relates to them can reveal things about him to the reader. If he truly doesn't have any friends, that tells the reader something too.
So what's your feeling on friends as secondary characters? Anybody else working on something where a best friend is getting more than a cameo? Anybody read any m/m fiction lately that deals with this really well? For my part, I'd point you in the direction of Lee Benoit's work. Benoit could give instruction on how to create a full, in-depth cast of characters, usually defying the odds and doing it in a shorter format at that. Seriously. I adore how the theme of friendship runs through most of her stories. Really very special.
Talk to me, people.
- Location:on the hill
- Mood:
calm - Music:we're the best of friends
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dakotaflint- Dakota Flint
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I think the timescale of a novel is a big factor in whether or not friends can be added in to play a bigger role. A story taking place over a week or two, for example, can't always have the same amount of friend interaction as one that takes place over months or years.
Even if a novel's main plot is about the romance between two people, it's unrealistic to presume anyone in reality would be entirely consumed by a relationship 24/7 with no other outside factors. There needs to be a balance.
I'm about to take off but want to get a quick reply in first... Yes! Sometimes secondary characters practically make the story! With full length novels it's very helpful to have friendships helping to develop the characters. I'm sure there are situations where it's not overly feasible, but usually I think it's doable and helpful.
I agree that it's harder in short stories and in fact can make them confusing if too many are thrown at the reader. I had to change the names of a number of secondary characters during the editing process of Born to be Wild because I hadn't thought about how similar sounding some were (a lot of them started with the letter "B") and in such a short story it would make it difficult to keep track of who's who.
I'll try to check back in later with some examples of great side friendships in stories I've read, but for now I've gotta run. :)
Edited at 2008-10-09 03:28 pm (UTC)
If you have to spend a lot of time with this secondary character a lot of interaction between the main characters could be lost in a shorter story. This is just my perspective as a reader of a lot of different genres.
I think everything I've ever written, from grade school on up, has had as much emphasis on friendship as romantic love. So yes, please, give me titles that have friendship themes. Thanks for the recommendation of Lee Benoit's works.
It doesn't even have to be an m/m story (although friendship in an m/m story makes it even more wonderful). I love it in any kind of story, long or short.
I like to see friends in a story more involved than simply acting as soundingboard for the protag. I want the friend to matter to the storyline and I want to feel the love that's there between friends as well as the romantic love between the main characters. Friends are fun for complicating things, too.
While the Nightlife series by Rob Thurman is not m/m (although it does have a fantastic character who is open to all possibilities *g*), it has lovely friendship themes throughout (some bordering on slashy, which is always enjoyable).
Melvin Stillwater is a great name, btw.
So many writers seem to be focused on the romantic pair-up that they ignore friendships -- or family members for that matter. How many romance characters seem to have sprung full-grown from the forehead of Zeus, who apparently ignored them from that day on? It can give the story the feeling of an empty, echoing stage, like the main characters exist in an artificial and sterile universe, which feels manufactured rather than organic. It doesn't always smack one upside the head, but if one thinks about it, suddenly the sterile aloneness is there in a lot of books.
It can definitely be difficult to fully flesh-out a third or fourth or fifth character in a romance, just to be The Friend(s), but I don't think it's really necessary. The romantic characters can go out shopping together and one can pick up a thingy for their best bud's birthday, which is next week. Or Joe can suggest they go see Movie X, and Bob can say he already saw it with his friend Mike, how about Movie Y instead? Or dinner on Friday won't work 'cause I'm eating at Mom's that night -- how about Saturday? You don't have to fully flesh out every person your main characters have a relationship with, to let the readers know that there are other characters they have relationships with.
Angie
I also think the more dialogue the better (especially in the books I write, cause face it, I'm not Proust), and so the more people talking, granted they have something to say, the better.