The heroine may be the star of every novel, but sidekicks just wanna have fun, too!
So I’m in the midst of plotting a new series of mid-length (30K word) romance novels, and one of the elements I’m focusing on is the sidekick characters, ‘cause I adore them.
I love giving my romance heroine a buddy who’s always there for her to bounce ideas off of and to lend an ear when our girl needs to vent about the gorgeous but infuriating guy she’s fallen in love with.
I do put a lot of energy into each heroine, of course, but I also spend a lot of time making sure her sidekick is real, relatable and fun. I enjoy writing secondary characters because I have more freedom designing them. They don’t have to fit the usual mold of the romantic heroine, so they can be weird, audacious, quirky, smart-alecky or downright pushy.
They’re always good for a laugh; I mean, the things that come out of their mouths! Often, they turn out to have a unique ability that can be invaluable to our heroine, helping her along on her journey. The sidekick brings news, good or bad, spies shamelessly on the hero, and is the voice of reason, convincing the heroine to give that rat bastard a second chance. I also get a huge kick out writing them into my B-story.
And who knows, maybe one day the sidekick will get a book of her own, just like Ruby Red in CRAZY FOR YOU. She turned out to be one of my favorite characters!
Best sidekicks everrr!!!
Hermione Granger in all the Harry Potter movies. Loyal to Harry to the bitter end, but easily the smartest, most level-headed and bravest of the bunch. Without her, would the world have been saved?
Hit-Girl from Kick-ass. At first glance she looks like some sweet little kid who should be crushing on middle-school boys and painting her toenails pink, but daddy’s little girl was more badass than he was! When I first saw the movie, I became an instant fangirl!
Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. She’s got black-belt level martial arts skills, green skin, and her hair stays fabulous no matter the fight. What more could you want?
Tai in Clueless. I identified with Tai the moment I saw her: goofy and grungy and chubby and eager to fit in. She was so happy to be taken under Cher’s wing and welcomed into her circle that it hurt.
Quick! Quick! Who’s your favorite female sidekick! Comment and let me know.