By Korina Moss
I love writing the Cheese Shop Mystery series. Having more than one book allows me to keep the mystery at the forefront, while also growing my characters and their relationships. As the series progresses, I also get to introduce readers to more people and places in my fictional Sonoma Valley town of Yarrow Glen. I love populating Yarrow Glen with new shops and fun side characters. However, this is where it gets tricky.
Those who have been reading my series from the beginning know my core four characters who make up the Team Cheese sleuthing group: my cheesemonger/cheese shop owner protagonist, Willa; her best friend and neighbor, Baz; and her Curds & Whey cheese shop crew, Archie and Mrs. Schultz. They appear in every book. When new characters and possible suspects are introduced with each book, some of them stick around as “regulars”: Roman from the Meadery, the octogenarian Melon sisters, Lou from the market and his dad, Cyrus (who Daisy Melon has the hots for), Sharice and Ginger from the used bookstore, Hope from the bakery… and on and on. Most of these characters played an important role in the plot in whichever book they were first introduced, but I like to bring them back in subsequent books so the town feels alive and real.
While this might be great for series readers who’ve been slowly introduced to more and more side characters with each book, for a reader whose first introduction to my series is, for example, Case of the Bleus (book 4), each character is a brand-new person they have to visualize, remember, and understand how they’re connected to the others. It’s easy for a TV series (think Gilmore Girls) to throw in your favorites for a scene or two, but in a book, a reader can get confused or frustrated by too many characters.
As I was outlining the book, this setup worked great. I had my victim and the six suspects, and all four Team Cheese members had reason to be at Dairy Days. But I also had new peripheral characters from Lockwood, pageant characters, plus a new chief of police. Uh oh, the character list was already bulging at the seams! When I started to sprinkle in our Yarrow Glen regulars who were attending the festival, well, my list pretty much burst. It wasn’t until after I finished writing the book that I fully realized it would be way too many characters for readers to keep track of.
A lot of writers enjoy “killing off their darlings.” Luckily, none of my beloved regulars ever get killed off, but I did have to get tough with who made the cut for Fondue or Die. It all came down to whether they were essential to advancing the plot. Of course, all four members of Team Cheese are there. Detective Heath and Shep help out, as does A. J., the editor of the Glen Gazette. And I introduce a new Yarrow Glen shopkeeper and another character who might become a regular. (I can’t help myself!) It was tough to do, but it streamlined the mystery, concentrated on our Team Cheese sleuthing group, and gave Detective Heath more time on the page (and with Willa) than he’s ever had before. Overall, it was definitely necessary and made for a better book.
As I’m writing book 6, we’re back in Yarrow Glen, and I’ve brought in some important people from Willa’s past. Of course, there’s a murder and new characters who become suspects. I think it’s inevitable for your character list to grow with the number of books in your series. I’m keeping an eye on how many characters make an appearance in this one, so I can make the changes as I’m drafting it instead of after the book is written. Being ruthless about which ones get a place in each book is still hard for me. (I love the folks in Yarrow Glen!) But I know it’s a necessary lesson learned.
Readers: Are you disappointed when your personal favorites from a series are omitted in some of the books? Writers: Have you had to wrestle with too many characters?
KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series (St. Martin’s Press) set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead and the Agatha Award finalist for Best Contemporary Novel, Case of the Bleus. Her books have been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction. To learn more, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.
When I was writing my first book, Maze in Blue, I thought all the suspects had to be in the first chapter. In a way, that meant introducing all characters in that chapter. A beta reader complained about trying to remember the names. That’s when I consolidated characters and eased them over a few chapters. Maze, when published, went on to win an IPPY award. So I guess I got the message.
ReplyDeleteIndeed!! Great to learn that lesson early on.
DeleteI do miss background characters when they don't show up. But I get it. If they are just there to be there, I feel it slows down the mystery. And when we are out of town, it becomes really hard to realistically work them in.
ReplyDeleteSo basically, I am disappointed, but I understand for all the reasons you've stated.
I hear ya, Mark! I was disappointed too! I'm even thinking that after the book comes out, I'll make the passages/chapters that I had to cut available to series readers and let them know where they were in the book, so you can at least enjoy "seeing" them that way. Too bad they can't publish an extended version!
DeleteOr do a novella with the extra scenes if it works
DeleteAfter thirteen books in my series, that's easy. YES.
ReplyDeleteHa!! I bet!
DeleteI know readers have favorites, but as you say, unless the story needs them for that story, the best they can get is a cameo or reference by another character.
ReplyDeleteYes. It's tough because I have favorites too!
DeleteWe have to be careful about hw we name our characters, keeping in mind how some readers' minds will work (or not work, as the case may be.)
ReplyDeleteHaving a Joshua and a Johana can be a problem, since both are the same length, start with a "J" and end with an "a.". In fact, we should think long and hard about having more than one character's name start with a the same letter unless we want them viewed as a team. "Beavis and Butt-head." "Nick and Nora."
Minor characters don't have to be named. "The same waitress we always got." "The observant lady on her front porch." That allows the character to be present but not require the reader to remember who they are, since they are nameless and described by their function."
As someone who often skims over names, both of characters & places, I am grateful to authors whose works don't send me flipping back to find out who or what this is. Especially if I'm reading on Kindle!
That's a great observation, KM.
DeleteAll very good points!
DeleteIt's so tricky deciding who makes the cut. I like to bring everyone together for a celebration at the end, even if it's just a quick cameo from some series regulars.
ReplyDeleteGood idea!
DeleteWhat a great behind the scenes glimpse into series writing! Thanks Korina
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I have so many readers think it must get easier after the first book, which I have to confess, I also thought would be the case. Alas, each one seems to get harder! Ack!
DeletePerforming character-ectomies is painful but necessary. I like your idea of making the deleted bits available, Korina.
ReplyDeleteI have a huge stable of characters, many of whom don't make it past the short stories they populate. In my second book, I added new characters and a new law enforcement connection and made only a brief mention of the main character's next-door neighbors or shop employees. It all works.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. My problem is trying to remember all of my characters!
ReplyDeleteIt really gives you a whole new respect for very long-running series like Cleo Coyle's or Joanne Fluke's!
ReplyDelete