Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Crushes


Oh the crush. Remember in high school, that one particular person you kept dreaming about--you couldn't get them out of your mind. Yeah, those days. The thing about a crush is whoever it is they make an impression that's keeps you thinking about them. I've been thinking about this in relation to books. I'm not talking about those books that you would read over and over till your eyes bleed because the MC and story and writing were just that awesome. I'm talking about secondary characters, you know, those characters who make you crush on them (Patch (Hush, Hush) and Jay (The Body Finder) come to mind).

The thing is most books give me the whole package: great story, character arc, written well, voice, but some stories, especially second and third books in a series, tend to lose a little. Now, I'm not saying it's easy to write this so I'm not judging because I'm sure my stuff is probably not up to par, but I will read a second or third book just for a secondary character. I'm totally guilty of this. I find myself skipping parts just to find their name and read their scene.

Why does this happen?

Maybe it's a simple fantasy. Someone we might be attracted to in real life. Who knows. The author writes them with such precision, but doesn't keep the interest up with the main character, so we want to know more about the secondary character than the MC. Most of the time, I begin to find the main character boring and whiny and the "love" interest is more appealing. We also may not know what is going through the secondary character's head since we are seeing them through the MC's eyes, but hey, it's satisfying something.

My question to you fine folks is: Are you guilty of this?
Don't be shy, admit it.

Check out a new blog Writerly Rejects. Looks like it will be fun and informative. They're also having a giveaway so check it out.

Have a great day!