When characters say me, me, me!

[John Dean]

As you may know from my previous blogs, I am fascinated by the way that characters evolve and that includes minor characters who elbow their way into a story in which they were only supposed to feature briefly.

Well, it’s happened again as I start work on the latest DCI Jack Harris novel for the good people at my publisher The Book Folks.

In this case, I had created a character whose only function was to answer the phone and make the tea for another character whose role in the story is much more important.

However, at 4.30am this morning (I suffer from bouts of insomnia) I was lying in bed trying to get back to sleep but failing because I had started to think about my novel. Such a scenario precludes further sleep so I got up, made a cup of tea and went into the living room with a notepad and paper.

The result? A minor character who will now play a significant part in the story and whose enhanced role has helped me solve some of the plotting difficulties that had been causing me problems. And no, I did not get back to sleep!