by Stephanie Morrill
Stephanie writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet (Playlist). You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out samples of her work on her author website.
Your main character’s best friend is a very important character, one who I often overlooked in my early writing days. I think many books under utilize the best friend. Here are some thoughts on how to make the most of this character:
This is done beautifully in the Harry Potter series with Harry and Ron. Ron’s upbringing and family life are totally different than Harry’s. Where Harry is ignorant of the magical world, Ron is from an old wizard family. Harry is rich and Ron is poor. Harry is famous and Ron hasn’t made a name for himself yet. This creates a depth to the storyworld.
Another great example is Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas from Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth is relatively young and beautiful whereas Charlotte, at age 27, is an old maid. At best, Charlotte is described as being plain. Even though the modern reader might not fully grasp how brave Elizabeth is in turning down the proposal of Mr. Collins, we applaud her choice and we’re proud of her. But when Jane Austen then has Charlotte accept Mr. Collins’s proposal, she forces her reader to consider the situation from another angle. Because in the society Charlotte lives in, this is her only chance she has to move on with her life.
Over the weekend, I finished Dark Halo by Shannon Dittemore. It’s a beautifully written and creative book. The main character, Brielle, is up against very heavy, dark forces and the book could have easily had a heavy, dark feel to it. But Shannon balances this with Brielle’s best friend, Kaylee. Kaylee is tough, but she’s also funny, quirky, and cheerful. She helps to give the reader a break from the intense storyline.