Writers in the Storm

by Laurie Schnebly Campbell

We’ve all met secondary characters who threatened to take over the entire story from the main characters. They were just so exciting, so intriguing, so compelling that we skimmed through scenes featuring solely the protagonist because we wanted to see more of the sidekick. Or the new partner. Or the feisty grandpa. Or the loyal dragon.

And okay, maybe the sidekick / partner / grandpa / dragon wasn’t actually the star of the book...but, boy, they were sure a treat to read about! Plus, according to most of their authors, a treat to write about as well.

Why ARE secondary characters such fun to write?

First, you can make them a lot more extreme without stretching the reader’s credulity. A protagonist who’s constantly pulling pranks, cracking jokes, turning cartwheels in every parking lot would get tiresome pretty quickly. But a sidekick or brother-in-law or first-grader next door who does that can be entertaining instead of annoying: “Wow, what’re they gonna do next?!”

Same thing with a protagonist who automatically goes by Standard Procedure in every thought, word and deed with never a moment of hesitation -- they’d get a bit boring after several chapters. But a boss or bodyguard or attorney who does that can be reassuring instead of discouraging: “Whew, we can always count on good old L.J.!”

What else makes secondary characters fun to write?

They’re not as much work in terms of a character arc. Their job isn’t to grow & learn & change and emerge a wiser / happier / stronger / better person. They CAN do that, sure, especially if they’ve got their own subplot, but they can also plod (or cartwheel) through the entire book without changing their personality one bit from beginning to end.

Think of series characters you’ve enjoyed. For every Han Solo, there’s a Chewbacca. For every Scarlett O’Hara, there’s a Melanie Wilkes. For every Sherlock Holmes, there’s a Dr. Watson. For every Eve Dallas, there’s a Roarke.

And, sure, Roarke and Hermione and Granny Weatherwax have evolved a bit as their series unfold. But they haven’t changed their fundamental core. Readers know they can depend on this secondary character to deliver what we expect from them, book after book after book. They’re crucial to the story, even though they’re not the primary character. Which leads to the question of:

What MAKES a character secondary?

Their job in the book is to support the main character, whether they’re this person’s best friend or worst enemy.

They could be the silver-tongued banker who’s concerned about the loan, or the adorable toddler who brings Teddy everywhere, or the savvy co-worker who always knows where to get the best coffee. They could even be the love interest, or the villain who must be defeated, or the quirky new housemate whom nobody can quite figure out. As long as they’re supporting the story, they’re doing their job.

How can you tell whether the love interest or the villain or the housemate is a primary or a secondary character?

Think about this book being made into a movie. Think of EACH character’s actor/actress being nominated for the Academy Awards...during a year which (very conveniently) allows for more than one Best Actor/Actress and more than one Best Supporting Actor/Actress winner.

Which award will they be nominated for?

Best Actor/Actress means they’re a primary character. Best Supporting means they’re secondary. But even if they’re secondary, they’re still so important that if they were removed from the story, it flat-out wouldn’t work.

If you COULD remove ‘em, like you could replace the waitress whose only function is to say “the robber had a mustache” or the neighbor whose only function is to accidentally block the driveway, they’re a tertiary character and don’t need any development. Slap a waitress uniform on ‘em, or drop ‘em in the house next door, and they’re as complete as they’ll ever need to be.

As somewhat better-developed secondary characters, though, they’ll help drive the plot. They’ll make the main characters’ lives easier or harder. They might offer someone for your protagonist/s to talk to. They might provide helpful or harmful advice. They might inspire an action that’ll make things better, or make things worse, for the main character and maybe for themselves as well.

In short, they’re a significant asset to the story.

Even if your main characters don’t appreciate everything these secondaries do, the readers will. Maybe not consciously -- after all, you don’t often hear people raving “didn’t you love how the butler moving that telegram turned the whole story upside down?!” -- but readers do value what they contribute.

Contributions like:

• Obstacles, well-intentioned or otherwise.
• A more credible story world.
• A contrast that highlights some quality of the protagonist.
• Suggestions that make things better or worse.
• Someone to worry about or fantasize about.
• Someone to provide comic relief or a sigh of relief.
• Someone to heighten a sense of danger or excitement.

Every reader (and every writer) has secondary characters they remember with a special fondness. Characters they enjoyed more than usual. Maybe someone who appeared just once, or someone who became a regular. Maybe a best friend, maybe a villain, maybe a mentor, maybe a relative, maybe a cute kid, maybe an animal...

What secondary character do you enjoy remembering? Whether or not you remember the book title / author / character’s name, although by all means mention it if you do, what is it ABOUT this secondary character that’s stayed with you?

Opportunity:

Someone who answers will win free registration to Those Secondary Characters, my June 2-13 email class on creating those very people. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll have random-org draw a name and post it at the end of the comments -- so check back then, because class will start next Monday morning!

About Laurie:

After winning Romantic Times’ “Best Special Edition of the Year” over Nora Roberts, Laurie Schnebly Campbell discovered she loved teaching every bit as much as writing...if not more. Since then, she’s taught online and live workshops, including the upcoming Those Secondary Characters, and keeps a special section of her bookshelves for people who’ve developed that particular novel in her classes. With 50+ titles there so far, she’s always hoping for more.

Featured post photo (top) purchased from Depositphotos.

by Lisa Norman

In 2010, WordPress boldly declared its mission: the Democratization of Publishing. The idea was simple but powerful—give everyone the tools to share their voice with the world, affordably and without gatekeepers.

And for a long time, it worked.

Writers, bloggers, and creatives built entire careers on the promise that if they showed up, wrote their truth, and optimized for Google, readers would find them.

But now the online world looks different. That dream hasn’t died—it’s just changed hands.

When Your Website Starts to Feel Like a Second Job

Many of us remember when a simple WordPress blog was all you needed. But over the years, maintaining a site has gotten harder. Hosting costs are up. Themes are bloated. Security concerns have multiplied. What used to be empowering now feels… technical. Complicated. Expensive.

Instead of writing, we’re updating plugins, debugging contact forms, and trying to figure out why our newsletter signup widget isn’t showing up on mobile.

Platforms like Substack and Medium have stepped in with a fresh promise: streamlined, low-stress content sharing. They’re easy to use, cost little or nothing to maintain, and—bonus—can even generate revenue through reader support. For a writer who just wants to connect with an audience, they’re refreshingly simple.

Why Isn’t Google Bringing the Traffic Like It Used To?

Once upon a time, Google was the biggest driver of discoverability. We wrote blog posts, optimized keywords, and trusted the algorithm to do the rest.

But those days are fading fast.

As someone who regularly watches website stats, I’m seeing a trend: organic traffic is dropping—and not just by a little. More and more, writers find that even their best blog content isn’t showing up where it used to.

One reason? The rise of AI-driven search engines. Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience and other AI search tools are changing how people find content. Large content creating companies (often using AI to scrape and pull content from other places) are able to push or buy their way ahead of small blogs in the search results. It’s not personal. But it’s happening.

The Rise of Platforms with Built-In Audiences

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Platforms like Substack, Medium, and even Ko-fi have internal discovery systems. So does World Anvil. They’re not just places to post—they’re ecosystems. Built-in algorithms recommend your work to new readers. You’re not just shouting into the void; you’re being gently introduced to an audience that’s already interested.

And you don’t need to worry about hosting, security, or whether your theme still supports your mobile menu. You can just write.

But Wait—Do I Still Need an Email List?

Yes. Absolutely. Always.

While these new platforms help with discoverability, your email list is still your most valuable connection to the people who care about your work.

Readers who join your list are inviting you into their inbox. They’re your true fans—the ones who will click, comment, and recommend you to their friends. And that’s how real growth happens.

Do You Own Your Content?

It’s a good question—and one that deserves more time than we have here. I’ve written more about that in Owning Your Content: The Myth of Platform.

In short: using platforms is fine—as long as you’re thoughtful about how much you rely on them. Keep backups. Keep your list. And remember: accessibility doesn’t have to come at the expense of ownership.

What Writers Need to Ask Now

We don’t need to panic—but we do need to pause and think.

• Is your platform helping you reach readers… or just eating up your time?
• Are you trading hours of tech frustration for a trickle of visibility?
• Would a switch to a new platform simplify your life—or complicate it?
• What are you really paying (in time or money), and is it bringing the value you hoped for?

The tools have changed—but your ability to reach and connect with readers has never been more powerful. We just need to choose tools that work for us, not ones that work against us.

How has your approach to blogging, newsletters, or reader connection shifted in the past few years—and what tools or platforms are helping you stay visible and supported now?

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!

Top image from depositphotos.

by Lynette M. Burrows

The point of view influences every scene in your story. Ideally, your choice of a particular point of view (POV) seamlessly draws your reader into the story for a transformation (through education, entertainment, connection with characters, etc.)

This is part two of a two-post series on POV. In the first post, Choosing a Powerful Foundation for Your Story, the definition of point of view boiled down to the position which experiences or evaluates all events, places, things, and people in a story. That first post identified five different POVs, how to express each POV, and what each POV represents in the balance of power within a story. Today, in part two, we’ll discuss the strengths and limitations of each of those five POVs and tips on how to decide what to use or avoid for your story.

Strengths & Limitations

First Person

In this point of view, the reader assumes the character’s identity.

Strengths

• Creates immediate intimacy and connection by allowing the reader to experience the story through the eyes and emotions of a character.
• Can create complex, multi-dimensional characters to generate more empathy and investment in the story's outcome.
• Thoughts, emotions, and experiences happen in “real-time,” making the narrative feel more authentic, grounded, and believable.
• Can deliver an unreliable narrator in a way that creates suspense and intrigue for the reader.
• First Person POV can create a scene of incredible details
• When a first-person narrator knows much less than both the reader and the other characters that it creates comedy. In this strategy, the reader is laughing at the narrator, rather than with him or her. 

Limitations

• This POV restricts the reader to one perspective in each scene.
• Requires the reader to “adopt” the voice and personality of the character.
• Can create reliability questions. First person POV is by nature subjective and potentially unreliable. An overly biased or untrustworthy character can alienate readers and undermine the story’s credibility.
• First person POV lends itself to introspection. Too much introspection will slow the pace of the story.
• Too much action can leave readers feeling disconnected from the character. Finding the right proportion will keep readers engaged and invested in the story.
• POV slips can be especially jarring for readers.
• Can lead to a repetitive and tiresome use of the pronoun “I.” The writer must vary their sentence structure without making sentences convoluted.

Books in First Person POV

The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Second Person

This POV assumes the reader is the character and addresses the reader directly.

Strengths

• The most intimate POV provides an immediacy that can thrust the reader into the role of the character.
• It creates a unique and engaging experience for readers.
• This POV can be used to explore themes of identity, self-reflection, and the relationship between the reader and the story.
• Make certain you choose this POV because it works better for your story (more than style and desire to be literary)

Limitations

• It is the hardest POV to write effectively.
• Can create a feeling of self-accusation which can lead to reader discomfort and disconnection.
• It can be a lot to ask of your reader and of you. Written in present tense, it’s a challenge to create a suspension of disbelief. 
• Works better in short stories than in novels, it can by wearying
• It can create an uncomfortable intimacy if it creates a sense of complicity.

Books in First Person POV

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin, Bright Lights, Big City by Jay Mcinerney, The Sound of My Voice by Ron Butlin, Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor, Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Third Person

The reader is in the mind and body of the character whose experiencing this scene.

With the advantage of versatility, this POV, both close and limited, can work well in most genres. It provides some emotional distance, which allows the reader to form their own opinions and emotional connections with the characters.

Close Third Person

Strengths

• Offers intimacy of the first person while providing greater narrative flexibility, allowing the “camera” to pull back for wider shots.
• Allows deeper character development. The writer can focus on a character’s inner world without the limitations of the First Person POV.
• Maintains a strong character voice.
• Gives writer more control over information flow. Some information can be withheld to increase mystery and suspense.

Limitations

• Writers can confuse what they know and what the character does not know. For example: the sentence identifies a character by name that the POV has not yet met.
• Cannot show other characters’ internal thoughts or feelings.
• Requires balance of showing vs. telling to maintain a good pace.

Books in Close Third Person POV

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin.

Limited Third Person

The reader doesn’t know everything that the character knows and often isn’t in the character’s body.

Strengths

• Offers intimacy of the first person while providing greater narrative flexibility, allowing the “camera” to pull back for wider shots.
• Gives writer more control over information flow.

Limitations

• It takes very skillful execution to avoid distancing the reader. 
• May create head hopping if shifts in POV aren’t clear.
• Requires balance of showing vs. telling.

Books in Limited Third Person POV

London by Edward Rutherfurd, 1984 by George Orwell, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Omniscient

The reader sees the scene from above with a little knowledge about every character in that scene

Strengths

• Provides maximum flexibility in time and space. 
• Allows insights into multiple characters, providing insights into the inner worlds of multiple characters, and creating a comprehensive, multi-perspectival narrative.
• Creates opportunities for dramatic irony
• Ensure that you develop this character thoroughly, providing insights into their thoughts, emotions, and motivations.

Limitations

• Can create emotional distance because it’s more than one person’s thoughts and feelings. Readers are watching and listening more than feeling.
• Requires skillful handling to avoid confusion in time or character.
• This POV can reveal too much and diminish the tension in the story.
• Jumping from character to character can fatigue a reader with a continuous shifting in focus and perspective.

Books in Omniscient POV

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Objective

The reader knows nothing more than what the camera sees.

Strengths

• Provides impartiality.
• Creates suspense.
• Allows the reader to sift through the data and develop her own opinions.

Limitations

• Can only show actions and dialogue.
• Limits reader connection with emotional distance.
• Lacks character motivation and depth.
• Any interpretation by the author breaks the POV.

Books in Objective POV

Most of Hemingway’s work, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

Tips

How to Choose a POV

• Think about the level of intimacy and detachment you want to convey to your readers.
• Whose story is it? If one character’s journey clearly dominates, the first person or close third person POV may work best.
• What information access serves the story? If dramatic irony (reader knowing more than the characters) is important, omniscient may be preferable.
• What emotional experience do you want to create for your readers? For maximum identification & empathy, first person or close third person may work best.
• Experiment. Try different points of view to see which feels most natural to you and which serves the story best.
• Pick the POV that plays to your writing strengths. Typically, that will be the POV that is the quickest for you to write.

Maximize the Strengths of Your Chosen POV

• Consistency is key. Switching between the different variations in POV can cause confusion and weaken the narrative.
• Use vivid descriptions to allow the readers to visualize the scenes and immerse themselves in the narrative.
• Focus on character development. This will help readers form a strong connection with the character and become invested in their journey.
• Dialogue is crucial for revealing character traits, relationships, and plot developments. Pay attention to the way your character speaks and interacts. 
• Watch the balance of showing verse telling. The right balance will help the reader understanding.
• Remember that every time you switch POV, your reader must step out of the story of one character and re-orient to the new POV. Too many POVs and you’ll lose your reader. Not firmly re-establishing your POV in the first sentence or two may also lose or at least confuse your reader.

Things to Remember

• When drafting your story, it is incredibly easy to make word choices or give information that is out of your chosen point of view. This is not a sign that you’re bad at writing or bad at creating a POV. But it requires careful reading of what you’ve written in order to edit out those mistakes.
• If you are still having trouble identifying which point of view is which, do a google search for point of view worksheets. The most common worksheets are for school-aged children and have examples that may help you.
• As with all writing “rules,” these are not unbendable. There is no right or wrong choice. Writers not only choose the point of view, they choose how particular to get about the way they write that POV. Ultimately, it’s about what pleases the reader and the writer.

Build Your Story’s Foundation with its Point of View

POV determines where the protagonist is present, the tone, the information flow, the level of intimacy, and emotional connection. An appropriate POV feels invisible because it’s so well suited to the story the readers forget they are experiencing a story through carefully designed lens.

Choose wisely and your readers may never consciously notice the architecture you’ve constructed because they’re so immersed in your story.

What POV do you prefer to write in and why? Is there a POV you haven’t tried and would like to?

About Lynette

Lynette M. Burrows is an author, blogger, writing coach, and Yorkie wrangler. She survived moving seventeen times between kindergarten and her high school graduation. Her stories weave her experiences into speculative fiction stories that balance character growth with thrilling action and social themes. 

Her Fellowship Dystopia series is an alternate history dystopian tale of a young woman of privilege who faces losing control of her life. Her desperation to avoid her fate leads to an escape and learning her world is far darker and more dangerous than she knew. And she faces a choice: return to suffocate under the rules or fight for her country and her life. Book One, My Soul to Keep, and Book Two, If I Should Die, are available at your favorite online book seller. Book Three, And When I Wake, will be published in 2025.

When Lynette’s not writing she avoids housework and plays with her two yorkies. They live in Dorothy’s home state of Kansas. You can follow Lynette on her website or her Facebook page or Sign up for her newsletter. 

Image Credits

Featured image by Lynette M. Burrows

Second image  by Petra from Pixabay

Final image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay