Subplots And Secondary Characters And Underlying Themes, Oh My!

Now that my chapter outlines, character summaries and some of the bigger "chunks" of planning for "What Lies Inside" are finalized, I'm really enjoying moving on to the finer details of the book. I can't wait for my readers to meet my secondary characters (they will be an interesting crew) and to become immersed in their lives as well. While the star of my book will be Tessa, there are many other people within it to love, laugh with, and even dislike a little bit -- well maybe a lot. Since the book is based in Atlanta, a city known now for lots of diversity, I have so much to work with. Having lived there, I have some fabulous locations in which I will have some of my "scenes" take place, and I also have in my memory bank plenty of visuals for my secondary characters. I always like to pair a real person, whether a celebrity or someone I actually know, with each character to really bring them to life. Tessa is an amalgam of myself, a former coworker, and another redhead who is a celebrity. My secondary characters are also similar amalgams, and I have already designated a "face" and an overall personality with each person. The lives of my secondary characters will at times run parallel to Tessa's but will also intersect pretty frequently. Rest assured, they will not be boring at all. Not this bunch from "Hotlanta."

As for underlying themes, I never thought ahead to what mine would be. I remember the days in literature classes and how we were encouraged to seek out these themes within the books we were reading. I wondered if the writer thought this out ahead of time. For example, I remember when reading "Huckleberry Finn," my English teacher talked about how the river was always a calming force for Tom and that when he was on the river, life was slightly different than when he was not floating along. I'm not sure whether our greatest writers planned their "underlying themes" or let them happen organically. My method is to let them happen. And I do have a few that are already making themselves known. Even though my book is a thriller, expect some fairly deep themes to it. After all, my background is in psychology. And, "What Lies Inside" is a psychological thriller. But already, this novel is ending up with some themes that have surprised me. Since I don't want to spoil any one's fun, you'll just have to wait until I've published to find out exactly what they are.

I do have a long way to go on the book. But it's a delightful journey thus far. I look forward to sharing Tessa's story with my faithful blog followers and the world. But only when she's ready.