DramaOnDisplay's Discount Drama Diorama

28. California. Loves Rammstein, Disneyland, cute stuff, creepy stuff, funny stuff, hot dudes, Final Fantasy.

[studyingisfortheweekend-blog]

Alternatives for 25 overused words in writing

1. Interesting- note worthy; thought-provoking; fascinating; attracting; appealing; attention-grabbing; captivating; gripping; invigorating; engrossing; engaging; electrifying.  

2. Beautiful- striking; stunning; magnificent; lovely; charming; gorgeous; radiant; dazzling.

3. Good- acceptable, wonderful, exceptional; positive; brilliant; first-rate; notable; stellar; favorable; superb; marvellous; prime.

4. Bad- awful; lousy; poor; unacceptable; crummy; dreadful; rough; inferior; substandard; atrocious; appalling; dreadful; defective.

5. Look- glance; fixate; observe; stare; gaze; peer; scan; watch; study; browse; eye; glimpse; review; inspect.

6. Nice- lovely; superior; pleasant; satisfying; delightful; likeable; agreeable; correct; adequate; swell; fair; okay; approved.

7. Very- extremely; exceedingly; exceptionally; immensely; tremendously; abundantly; particularly; remarkably.

8. Fine- satisfactory; worthy; respectable; exquisite; suitable; well; imposing; decent; admirable; praise-worthy; decent.

9. Happy- cheerful; delighted; pleased; content; amused; thrilled; elated; thrilled; ecstatic; on cloud 9. 

10. Really- genuinely; truly; honestly; actually; undoubtedly; certainly; remarkably; incredibly; downright; unquestionably; extremely.

11. Sad- miserable; gloomy; devastated; down at heard; distraught; distressed; dispirited; sorrowful; downcast; feeling blue; desolate.

12. Big- massive; huge; giant; gigantic; enormous; large; colossal; immense; bulky; tremendous; hefty; sizable; extensive; great; substantial. 

13. Shocked- taken aback; lost for words; flabbergasted; staggered; outraged; astonished; astounded; stunned; speechless; appalled.

14. Small- tiny; petite; mini; miniature; microscopic; minuscule; compact; pocket-sized; cramped; puny; undersized; limited; meager; modest; minute; pint-sized. 

15. Angry- irate; enraged; touchy; cross; resentful; indignant; infuriated; wound-up; worked-up; seething; raging; heated; bitter; bad-tempered; offended; frustrated. 

16. Know- understand; comprehend; realize; learn; perceive; recognize; grasp; sense.

17. Change- alter; transform; replace; diversify; adjust; adapt; modify; remodel; vary; evolve; transfigure; redesign; refashion; advance; transition; shift; adjustment.

18. Old- aged; ancient; matured; elderly; senior; veteran; decrepit; seasoned; venerable; past one’s prime; doddering; senile.

19. Think- ponder; reflect; conceive; imagine; contemplate; consider; determine; realize; visualize; guess/assume; conclude; envision. 

20. Funny- comical; ludicrous; amusing; droll; entertaining; absurd; hilarious; silly; whimsical; hysterical; joking; witty; facetious; slapstick; side-splitting; knee-slapping.

21. Go- move; proceed; advance; progress; travel; walk; journey; depart; exit; flee; make one’s way; clear out; get underway.

22. Give- grant; donate; hand-out; present; provide; deliver; hand over; offer; award; bestow; supply with; contribute to; send; entrust.

23. Get- acquire; obtain; receive; gain; earn; gather; collect; buy; purchase; attain; score; secure; take possession of; grab.

24. Easy- effortless; simple; clear; smooth; straightforward; uncomplicated; painless; accessible; apparent; basic; plain; child’s play; facile; elementary; cinch. 

25. Fast- agile; brisk; rapid; nimble; swift; accelerated; fleeting; high-speed; active; dashing; winged; hurried; turbo. 

[genderoutlaws]

holy shit i just started season 1 and didnt realize how much extra side stuff there was so thank you. do you have links for the other books too?

yeah!!

secret diary of laura palmer - i have not been able to find a PDF or EPUB, however! sheryl lee, laura's actress, recorded an audio book version in the 2010s that is amazingly performed and available for free here.

diane... audio is free here

dale cooper autobiography free to borrow on internet archive

access guide free pdf download

secret history free in browser

final dossier free pdf download

[sosuperawesome]

Xin Yingzong on Instagram

[linecoveredinjellyfish]

my favorite romance trope is like. you dont want to hurt me but i am asking you to hurt me. i need you to stab me. i need you to carve this out of me. i need you to cut something off of me. this will hurt both of us in incredible ways. yours are the only hands i trust enough to weild this knife. you do not want to hurt me. i am asking you to hurt me.

[softbadass]

as a mexican i can’t help but laugh at how wrong some americans writing mexican characters get the way our name system works so lemme explain so you can get it right!

so most mexicans (remarking MOST because i do mean 99% of us) have TWO last names that come from our parents. it’s basically like this:

name / paternal last name (dad’s first last name) / maternal last name (mum’s first last name).

the first last name is ALWAYS the paternal last name, it always comes from the dad side of the family. there are some exceptions though. in 3 states of the country it’s already legal to put the maternal last name first but it’s very rare and usually only in special cases, like when the father is absent for example.

there are also cases where the person has only one last name but this is not only extremely rare but it can cause a lot of hardships with legal documentation like school, banks, etc. this can happen for some reasons:

1- they’re the child of a single parent (however, to avoid the difficulties that come with having one single last name some end up being registered with the same last names as the parent, but inverted)

2- they were registered in another country where they only have one last name (for example USA, a friend of mine was registered there and for that reason they only have one last name in their documents)

it’s important to mention that unlike american last names, the two last names are not separated by “-” they’re only separated by a space.

the last names are not necessarily one word, some have two or three. for example last names like “de la rosa” or “del olmo”

also, there’s no such thing as married name here. women don’t change their last names nor mix them with their husbands last names.

as i am aware, last names tend to work like this in all latin america but many specific details may be different depending on the country and i am not that well informed.

either way, i hope this helps anyone who’s developing a mexican character!

[annarts05]

Making smart characters interesting

There’s more to smart characters than just being…smart. They have personalities, and I want to explore some ideas and feelings I had ;-;

Smart character personality ideas:

The self-absorbed smart character. Actually smart, and definitely knows it. Everyone refuses to acknowledge the good ideas because it’ll only add to their ego.

The goofy, passionate smart character. Nerd. Knows a lot of stuff and wants to share it with others. 

The quiet smart character. Has a lot of good ideas, but doesn’t say a lot of them. When they do, everyone is really impressed and since the ideas usually work, they go with their suggestions. 

The smart character that can’t articulate their thoughts. How do you get the idea in your brain out into the brains of others??? So no one really gets it, and their intelligence feels like it’s wasted. Might talk a lot or only a little. 

The quick-thinking smart character that only seems to come up with good ideas when put under a lot of pressure. 

Combine them, or give them additional traits. 

For example, that goofy and passionate character who wants to share facts might be really shy and terrified of judgement, so doesn’t share. 

That self-absorbed character might have a truly good heart, and gets frustrated when no one sides with them because they’re seemingly ego-driven when, in reality, they want to help. 

Maybe a smart character with the ability to learn and remember new things doesn’t want to learn because they’re lazy. 

Totally up to you. Be creative and combine weird ideas. 

Different ways to be intelligent:

Creative and innovative. Thinks outside the box. Loves to explore new ideas, abstract concepts, and weird scenarios. Others might judge or think the ideas are unbelievable. Might not notice the little things that could make one of their ideas go horribly wrong because they’re too focused on the big picture and on the uniqueness. 

Analytical. Good at analyzing patterns, numbers, and the little details in a scenario. Very detail-oriented. Often extremely organized. They…well, analyze things. Might not be very creative at all. Jigsaw puzzles and math?

Quick-thinking, especially under pressure. When put in a situation of life-or-death, or maybe under a lot of stress due to that upcoming exam, can push through and make calm, smart decisions. 

Good memories and lots of “brain space.” A character could have a really good memory, and recall the details of a memory that no one else recalls. They have plenty of room in their brain for seemingly useless things that just might come in handy. 

Musically intelligent. Rhythm, notes, tone, etc. come easily to them, and they might even be able to pick up on sounds and beats that no else can.

Philosophical. Comes up with big questions that others normally wouldn’t. Also outside-the-box thinkers and might get some weird looks.

Language. Linguistics are their own branch of intelligence. Might be very quick at picking up new languages and learning new words, and also is good at communicating ideas through words.

[writingquestionsanswered]

So I’m floundering. I’ve been writing for years and I can’t seem to properly lead up to OR follow through with kiss/make-out scenes. It’s too abrupt, I can’t get past the first kiss, going off on tangents, etc.

Any tips for how I can really nail down those scenes and bring them to a close properly?

Struggling with Kissing/Make-out Scenes

And How to Close Them...

If your make-out scenes feel too abrupt, and you're having trouble leading up to them in the moment, it's almost certainly because you haven't created enough chemistry between the two characters.

Creating chemistry between two characters is all about showing how the sparks fly when they're together. How much those sparks fly, or exactly when they start flying, might be different for both characters. But, ultimately, it needs to happen for both of them--over and over again--if you want any traction for an a kiss or make-out scene.

The following posts will help you to lay that groundwork:

Guide: Creating Romantic Chemistry Guide: Characters Falling in Love Guide: Writing a Slow Burn Romance The Subtle Signs of Romantic Interest and Love

When you've done the work of creating chemistry between the characters, it's going to be so much easier to write the lead up immediately before that big moment, whether it's a kiss or a make-out session. Because all of that chemistry leads to romantic tension, and these two will be ready to pop if they don't get to kiss or make-out soon. You'll have trouble keeping their hands off one another until you actually want them to go for it.

As for writing the actual scenes:

Writing a Kissing Scene Adding Surprise to a Slow Burn First Kiss Avoiding Cringe in a Love Scene Bringing a kiss scene to a close is easy, because if it's just a kiss, it's not meant to be more. They don't expect there to be more. They just pull apart and deal with their feelings about it. The question is whether they deal with those feelings together (like if they're in the middle of a date), or apart, like if the kiss happened at the end of a date or when they had to part ways. Let's say they're hanging out, though... they kiss, and they're a little smiley and bashful about that, but they go back to watching their movie, or playing their game, or enjoying the scenery. On the other hand, let's say the kiss happens and then one of them has to run off to class. The other one is left to be smiley and bashful, and maybe think about it a little, and then they pull it together and go on their own merry way.

Closing out a make-out session properly is a little more complicated, but here are some ways to tackle it:

Have Them Cool Their Jets - This is the most common way to tie up a make-out session that doesn't go "all the way." At some point, one or both realize that if they keep going, they're going to keep going, and if they don't want to do that for some reason, they know they just have to stop. This may be awkward in a giggly/fun sort of way, where they laugh about it and start playing a video game or something to distract them. Or it can be awkward in a frustrating sort of way, that sort of "I should really go" kind of moment, where they part ways for the night and are maybe a little frustrated that they went as far as they did or that they wished they could go further but couldn't yet.

Have Them Be Interrupted - This is another common one. They're about to kiss, or the make-out session is dropping into the next gear, and... someone calls or texts, or rings the doorbell, or walks in, or the oven timer goes off, or it's time to leave for the soiree... Whatever it is, they are forced to stop because this other thing is like a giant record scratch in the romantic momentum they had going, giving the chance for clearer heads to prevail, and also whatever it is distracts them or has to be dealt with, or otherwise takes precedence.

Have Them Snuggle it Out - Sometimes they stop making-out because they're just ready to. They got their fill, they super enjoyed it, but now they just want to cuddle and talk, maybe listen to some music or watch a movie.

Fade to Black - We tend to think of "fade to black" as being reserved for sex scenes, but you can use them in a make-out scene, too. They work the same way, you just have to be careful not to imply that more is going on than is. So, for example, maybe Jonas kissed Todd, and he kissed back, and they keep kissing, and then you do something like, "That was how they spent the afternoon: lips locked together, hands locked in each other's hair, not even noticing as the sky around them turned golden."

Have fun with your story! :)

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[s-n-arly]

Skip Google for Research

As Google has worked to overtake the internet, its search algorithm has not just gotten worse.  It has been designed to prioritize advertisers and popular pages often times excluding pages and content that better matches your search terms 

As a writer in need of information for my stories, I find this unacceptable.  As a proponent of availability of information so the populace can actually educate itself, it is unforgivable.

Below is a concise list of useful research sites compiled by Edward Clark over on Facebook. I was familiar with some, but not all of these.

⁂

Google is so powerful that it “hides” other search systems from us. We just don’t know the existence of most of them. Meanwhile, there are still a huge number of excellent searchers in the world who specialize in books, science, other smart information. Keep a list of sites you never heard of.

www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.

www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.

https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.

www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.

http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.

www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.

www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.

www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free

[noctivae]

friendly reminder that findtags is the best way to search tumblr’s absolutely destroyed tag system. it actually accurately looks through the tags without omitting results. it’s the only thing i use at this point because it’s the only thing that works

[seiya234]

i was today years old learning about this and it’s great!

[thebluebird]

[fictionwritingtips]

thebluebird:

A professional script reader read 300 screenplays for five different studios, all the while tracking the many recurring problems. The infographic he made with the collected data offers a glimpse at where screenwriting goes wrong.

[xekstrin]

pay attention to this

this is important even if you don’t write scripts

[mumblingsage]

This is exceedingly important to all storytellers

[coffeebeanwriting]

A Quick Tip: How to Introduce The Antagonist

While researching this topic, one piece of advice kept showing up:

Your antagonist needs to be affecting the story as soon as possible (even if they’re not physically shown yet). Introduce them as close to the start as possible, whether it’s physically, by name, rumors or an action they have done off-page.

• Consider introducing them passively before they physically enter the story.

If your antagonist doesn’t enter the story until later, introduce them in passive ways. This could be word of mouth, rumors, visions, dreams… something that builds up the idea of the villain before they walk into the plot. A little appetizer before the meal. Another way to do this is by having something the antagonist does off the page affect your protagonist directly. 

Example: In a murder mystery, the antagonist typically isn’t revealed until the end. However, he may be stealing evidence off-page, burning down houses, sabotaging the investigators, creating red herrings, planting traps, etc.

You could also give your antagonist henchmen who carry out their evil deeds for them until the antagonist steps in themselves. In Star Wars, the main antagonist is Darth Vader, who rules The Empire. The people who work for The Empire are always chasing Luke, giving him a constant struggle and conflict.

Examples:

Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Air Bender doesn’t enter the story until the final season. However, his atrocities are made known throughout the show and directly affect Aang and his friends. Voldemort’s character from the Harry Potter series receives a similar treatment. He is shown in flashbacks, brief scenes and through rumors/word of mouth before he and Harry clash wands later on.

• Have your antagonist crush an influential authority figure.

Establish a character whom your protagonist idolizes, trusts or views as unbeatable. This could be a trusted mentor, a minor antagonist, an idolized father/mother figure, etc. Then, have your antagonist crush them.

When the antagonist easily defeats this powerful authority figure, it shows the protagonist (and readers) an unfathomable strength.

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting

📖 ☕ Official Blog: www.byzoemay.com

[cedar-west-deactivated20230408]

If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...

Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?

Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?

Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?

Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?

Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?

[heywriters]

How do you write about something you have no experience with? For example, I have a scene that takes place in a pub and I've never even stepped foot into one.

Do some online research, inquire of people who have first-hand experience with the subject, and then once you have a working knowledge of the thing, just do your best. Anyone who corrects you may have a valid point, but you as the writer are also allowed creative license to "get things wrong on purpose for art reasons."

Those single scene or single sentence research projects are one of the many rabbit holes writers fall down. It's normal, if at times frustrating, but all part of the process. So learn a little about pubs!

---

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[matahariherself-deactivated2022]

One thing you can do is search for YouTube videos about the subject you have no experience with, in this case, pubs. There are lots of videos about the best pubs in certain areas, or pub etiquette!

Pay close attention to the background. Is it crowded? What would it sound like? What types of people are there? Old men? Young people? Is smoking allowed? (What year does your story take place? Would smoking have been allowed in the past?) What would the air smell like? What does the lighting look like? Is it bright? Dark? Are the windows clean or dirty? What sort of furnishings are there?

You can probably get most of the information you need from a few videos.

[jinxquickfoot]

Fanfic Summary Cheat List

Summaries are hard. Here are some templates to help you out:  1) When [this event happens], [this person] takes [this action] until [antagonist threatens]

When a renowned surgeon ends up in a car crash that ruins his hands, he seeks to harness magical powers until an inter-dimensional entity threatens his reality. 

2) After [shocking backstory happens], a person or people pursue a difficult goal.

After a brilliant physicist is in a gamma radiation accident that causes him to turn into an angry beast, he goes on the run from the government in order to find a cure.

3) An interesting person pursues a familiar goal in an unexpected way.

A billionaire weapons designer decides to protect the world by building a powerful suit of armour. 

4) Driven by motivation, a person or people pursue a goal to do something completely unique.

When half of all life in the universe is destroyed, a group of heroes plan a time heist to retrieve the six magical stones needed to bring their loved ones back. 

5) Special circumstances in a main character’s world force that character to engage in morally ambiguous behaviour.

After her true love dies in battle, a powerful witch takes a small town hostage in order to live out her sit-com fantasies. 

6) A group of interesting people face a variety of obstacles as they pursue a collective goal.

A group of heroes with various talents need to overcome their differences in order to defeat a vengeful god who is determined to rule Earth. 

7) A group of interesting people must choose between their personal need and the collective good as they face a common enemy.

A group of space-based anti-heroes must overcome their selfish desires and join together in order to save the galaxy. 

8) An anti-hero makes it their mission to rise to power with a certain methodology.

After learning about his origins in the hidden land of Wakanda, a prince returns to take the throne and spread the kingdom’s wealth to those in need. 

9) Two opposite people with limited resources must unite to accomplish a ridiculous mission.

A retired entomologist teams up with a recently released ex-con in order to complete a heist using ants. 

10) A negatively changed world can only be fixed with the accomplishment of an impossible task performed by a unique person.

When a terrorist organisation designs an algorithm to eliminate all of their opponents at once, a man out of time with enhanced abilities must run from the law and his brainwashed best friend in order to save the world.  Logline templates are from the podcast ‘On the Page’ hosted by Pilar Alessandra. 

[deardragonbook]

Sad things you can do in a book other than killing of a character

Character death is sad, but it also has huge consequences on your plot that can’t be reversed. Not to mention, depending on your genre, character deaths are often reserved for later in the series as a way of telling the reader that things are getting serious. 

So, until that moment, here’s a quick list of things you can do to tug at your readers emotions: 

1.- Destruction of an item of value. For this to work you’re going to have to set this up early on, it could be a childhood toy they need to sleep at night, a necklace they swear gives them good luck, and old family trinket or any number of things. The important thing is you show just how important it is to the character, make them happy and excited just to talk about it. Later on your character will feel loss and so will the audience. 

2.- Arguing. Two characters with a strong bond arguing can be heartbreaking, even if you know the argument is going to resolve itself eventually, going from cuddles and banter to cold looks and the silent treatment, can easily hurt the audience just as much as the characters. 

3.- Betrayal. When well done, it’s worst than character death. When you as a reader fall head over heels in love with a character, only for them to betray the rest, it’s heartbreaking, especially if when you read back the foreshadowing was there. It was so obvious yet you were all so blind! As blind as the other characters. Also, unlike character death, they’re still there, there to taunt you with their mere existence. 

4.- Failure. We have probably all felt that emptiness, that feeling as the world crumbles around us, haplessness, when we failed an exam in school or just couldn’t get the house clean in time for that visit. Take that feeling and reflect it into your characters, it doesn’t have to be an exam, it can be anything, a task they’re parents asked them to do and they tried their best, a mission, anything. Just let them fail and feel the world crumble. 

5.- Being forced to stay behind. Following from point four, if a character is not good enough they can be left behind, perhaps it comes from a place of love, an attempt to protect them from enemies too strong, yet it still hurts. Perhaps they haven’t failed, perhaps they are left behind for another reason, because they are “too valuable”, or because they’ll be more useful back home. Either way, watching those close to you go of to fight for what you believe in, without you, can be painful. 

6.- Finding out something they believed in was a lie. It can be something relatively insignificant, an assumption they never bothered to question. Or something world shattering. Allow me to offer up an example with an unimportant spoiler from my second book (it’s not even out yet but oh well): in this book, while talking about some law, Henry realises his daughter believes he and her mother were married. This is an assumption Itazu made and never questioned. It affects nothing, nothing changes, yet finding out her mother and her father were not the happy married couple she’d always pictured, it’s painful. 

This could also be something huge, finding out you’re adopted for example. 

7.- History. Oh, history, how depressing it can be. And if you have a fantasy world you have many opportunities to go into this. From slaughters to slavery, finding out how society got to where it is, the base on which it is built. Well, it’s pretty depressing. Obviously be careful how much inspiration you take from real world history and always be respectful and do your research! 

8.- Scarring. An injury can be painful, it can be scary. And depending on what caused it, leave you with traumatising memories. Now add to that a physical visible reminder on your skin you can never remove. Well, that can be pretty horrible. Imagine the scar came from a battle the protagonist longs to forget, but can’t because every night before going to sleep they can’t help but glance at their arm where the nasty scars forever lies. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

This another post I could probably do a part two on someday. Can you think of any books where any of these are done effectively? Do any of these happen in your owns book? Please tell me! I love hearing from you all. 

[writingquestionsanswered]

Now I understand that you may not have able to give the right tips for this so I’m ok with recommending other tumblr users but I need help on how to write Mafia tropes and how to be a successful crime family and a potential master list of vocabulary and whatever else

Researching Mafia Story

I don't have a master list or tumblrs to recommend, but here are some other suggestions:

1 - Go to Google and type "mafia" or "crime families" to read articles, essays, and interviews.

2 - Go to YouTube and search "mafia" or "crime families" to see related documentaries and videos.

3 - Do a Google search for "mafia slang" or "crime family lingo" to see if you can find a list of related words/vocabulary.

4 - Research the slang and lingo of your story's time period and setting to learn more about the lingo and slang your characters would use.

5 - Go to TV Tropes or All the Tropes and search for "mafia" to learn the related tropes, how they're used, and examples of their usage.

Good luck with your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Visit my FAQ

Find answers fast on my Master List of Top Posts

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[em-dash-press-deactivated202410]

How to Improve Your Secondary Characters: 6 Fresh Ideas

Secondary characters make your stories stronger. You can have a fully developed protagonist, a vivid world, and a great series of plot twists, but it will all fall flat if your secondary characters are starkly underdeveloped.

There are a few ways you can improve those characters, even if you've already completed your story or novel.

Figure Out Their Life Story

turn your protagonist into a supporting character, map out your secondary character's life as if they're your next protagonist

Give Them Unique Characteristics

what are their hobbies? what is their physicality when they're nervous? are they obsessed with something? do they have a quirk, like talking in their sleep? Even if these details don't all make it into your story, just a few will make that character feel more real to you and your readers.

Assign Each Character a Purpose

Your secondary character will support the protagonist, but why else are they there? The best characters often fit into a particular story because they represent a secondary theme. Their purpose is to deepen your story or carry a theme as a B Plot to your main plot.

Make Your Character Unpredictable

People are never just one thing. Your characters shouldn't be either. The supportive best friend to the protagonist is boring if they don't do anything but make jokes and offer a word of advice occasionally. What happens to your plot if they purposefully make a bad decision? What if they can't fix a terrible mistake?

Include a Few Flaws

No one is perfect, just like no one is ever one thing. If your secondary characters never have flaws, they'll be unrealistic and take the reader out of the experience. Maybe they have a temper, they can't keep a secret, or they have a bad habit like self destructing serious relationships.

Plan a Future for Them

If you're writing long-form content like a series of short stories set in the same world or a novel, will your secondary character return? Deciding this will guide how you invest your time and energy into developing each character. Sometimes it's okay to forget characters. It's very likely that you don't remember every person who ever appeared in The Hunger Games books, but you do remember the ones who had the most influence on Katniss or the plot.

---

I know I have to remind myself to spend time with my secondary characters just like I spend with my protagonists. They make or break a novel or short story, so trying these ideas or any others that inspire you will be a worthy investment of your time.