Characters to die for…

I went undercover. My name was “Barbie Doll”.

(Okay so I had to borrow my daughter’s Helen of Troy wig from

Halloween. I tried.)

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. My partner in crime was “T.Redd”.

(The rapper medallion around his neck is really my son’s

soccer jamboree medal. You’ve got to realize the nearest

iparty is like 45 minutes away.)

     Our job?

     Solve a murder.

     I took on the persona of a ditzy  blonde popstar/

aspiring actress. I told fibs. I eavesdropped.

I followed leads. But the night of mystery left me

befuddled. I was a minor character without a big role

to play. A smoke screen. A red herring. A disappointment.

     So, the morning after (with the perp caught and

arrested) I sipped my coffee while comparing a story’s characters

to the character I played. Even if a character or

subplot is a redherring or a humorous sidekick, we still

want that character to have a purpose.

     So, if you pulled a character, combined two characters,

or pulled a subplot from your story–would it affect the main

storyline?

     I say it should. If not? Why have it in your story? Can you give

that character or subplot more meaning? More of a

connection to the main plot? Try it. You might be surprised.

     How did my night as a ditzy blonde/undercover sleuth

turn out?

     I had fun with friends. I celebrated a close friend’s

milestone 30th birthday. And once I realized I didn’t

play a big part, I flirted with my rapper bad guy husband.

(And, hey, I even convinced a couple people that I was

the murderer.)

     Are your characters pulling their weight? Are they to die for?