The Luke Bright Series is made up of four books, and in those four books there are a total of 80 characters (I know because I counted!) Even though there’s just one main character and only a couple of very wonderful secondary characters, how can you keep track of 80? It’s like running a school or a very big family I suppose. This week’s blog is all about the other 75 or so (not by name don’t worry!) characters who are still in the books but aren’t always in the forefront.
With Luke, it’s very easy because I know him inside out (although at times he still surprises me), and with characters like Steve, James, Marco and newer ones you haven’t come across yet, I too know them very well. I can write them perfectly and understand their motives and emotions, but with some of the other characters it’s a bit trickier to get them to fully stand out. To make them different. After all, with 80 different people, it’s hard to give each one their own quirks and enough limelight for them to be unique. However, just like with real people, it’s something that can, and should, most definitely be done.
I’d say there’s four classes of character in the series:
- The main character
- The very close main/secondary characters
- Important/secondary characters
- The tertiary characters characters
Each one of these has a different layer to them and the way I treat them is different (even though that’s hard when most of your themes are about equality!) My main character of course is written from the first person so I can really get into his head and write as if I were him. The close secondary characters take up a big chunk of the books and have their own very defining stories, remaining throughout the books constantly. The third important yet secondary characters are the interesting ones because whilst they’re still so important, that importance is short lived at times – I’ll come back to that. Finally, my tertiary characters, who are important, but sadly don’t feature much in the story. However, they’re all there for a purpose and each of the 80 characters has their own reason to be around. Make sure to take the time to find each one out!
I’ll come back to number 3, the important/secondary characters. People who make a short and important impact which can’t last forever. I think we’ve all met a lot of these people in our lives. The people we think are going to be there forever but actually aren’t. People who make such a big impression on us once, but after a while they’re in the background and you only think about them very rarely, or their presence is felt heavily even if they’re not around. The people we used to know. Whether it be absent family or friends or people who just over time you drifted apart from, someone who was once a big deal no longer is. That’s the same with characters. After all, I can’t keep track of 80 people in one book, which is why it’s spread across 4. I reckon it’s probably an even split of 4×20 in each one (that bit I didn’t count!)
For Luke, it’s a different kind of story, because he is forced to keep moving between lives and he’s the one who’s leaving people behind. For him, though the memories are hard to forget, he doesn’t really have a choice, and in some ways, I suppose it makes it easier to comprehend that important people get slowly pushed into the background. This is a massive theme later in the series, so I hope you keep reading to find out when this rears itself. It’s hard for him, and it’s hard for us, but it’s just a fact of life that people do come and go. However, think about the people you haven’t met yet. Maybe a year ago you hadn’t met some really key people in your life today – think about what it’ll be like in a year’s time. For Luke, that’s part of the excitement – focusing on who he could meet rather than who he’ll be leaving behind. However, it depends on who you’re leaving behind I suppose.
In book 3, there’s a really great quote that sums this all up perfectly. I hope you give it a read when it comes out and find it. It shouldn’t be too much longer now…
Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, the first and second books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.
N.A.K.
Neil A. King 