Monday, June 23, 2014

Monday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts


By: Amanda Patterson

Sidekick (noun) - A person’s assistant or close associate, especially one who has less authority than that person. (oxforddictionaries.com)

Where does it come from? The term, ‘Sidekick’ was used by gamblers testing their luck at cards in the 1600s. It meant an ‘ace in the hole’, or a power card held in reserve.

Why do we need sidekicks?
A sidekick is not the same as a confidant, or friend, in novel-writing terminology. He or she is most often employed when the protagonist is isolated or an anti-hero or a maverick. Protagonists in stories with sidekicks are often called upon to be heroes, or to be in charge, and they need support. 

We often have characters thrown together in tense situations and they develop a relationship where a sidekick is needed to get a job done. A sidekick may have knowledge or skills that the protagonist needs. He or she may be able to gather information. A sidekick’s role is to help the protagonist move the story forward and achieve the story goal.

The sidekick is generally used in quests, thrillers, police procedurals, military or espionage novels, adventure stories, and capers.

Three Ways a Sidekick Adds to a Story

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

~*~

If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:
  1. Facebook Ads: Should Indie Authors Buy Them? by Frances Caballo — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/yj9aP
  2. How to Build A Contact List To Grow A Relationship With Your Readers | Digital Book World http://ow.ly/yj9cs
  3. The Writers Alley: HELP! My family hates when I write.... http://ow.ly/yj9dp
  4. Six Subtle Ways to Increase Tension in Your Writing | WordServe Water Cooler http://ow.ly/yj9f4
  5. Writer Beware®: The Blog: Bait-and-Switch for Self-Published Authors http://ow.ly/yj9LY
  6. How to Write Female and Male Characters | Words, Words, Words http://ow.ly/yj9Pk
  7. Things Beta Readers Should Know | Words, Words, Words http://ow.ly/yj9Sq
  8. Book launch checklist - Kelsye Nelson http://ow.ly/yj9Vt
  9. Mythcreants » Five Ways to Add Conflict to Your Story http://ow.ly/yj9X7
  10. Quick Tips: Adverbial Dialogue Tags - Write Divas http://ow.ly/yja0k
  11. Mythcreants » Six Types of Character Flaws http://ow.ly/yj9XR
  12. Fiction University: A Trick for Keeping Your Plot (and Story) on Target http://ow.ly/yja23
  13. The Emotion of Changing Your Mind http://ow.ly/yja6F
  14. 5 Ways to Create Conflict in Your Story | ScreenCraft http://ow.ly/yja7c
  15. 5 Mistakes You'll Make on the Way to Publishing Success http://ow.ly/yja8G
  16. Are you in danger of losing your readers’ suspension of disbelief? http://ow.ly/yja9m
  17. 7 simple steps to create a professional author Facebook page http://ow.ly/yjaeR
  18. » 3 Things to Know About Exposition & Telling | A. Victoria Mixon, Editor http://ow.ly/yjagC
  19. Is Instagram Effective for Writers? | Indies Unlimited http://ow.ly/yjaiM
  20. Three reasons why you need a sidekick in your novel - Writers Write http://ow.ly/yjanW
  21. Insecure Writer's Support Group: Utilizing DEEP POV http://ow.ly/yjav5
  22. 8 Tips for Writers Using Pinterest - Social Media Just for Writers http://ow.ly/yjaA1
  23. Invaluable Advice From Seth Godin Every Writer Needs to Know | Positive Writer http://ow.ly/yjaEb
  24. The Kill Zone: Tips for Loosening up Your Writing http://ow.ly/yjaFv
  25. 4 Pieces of Facebook Advice You Can Ignore | Writers In The Storm Blog http://ow.ly/yjaZv
  26. Nine Ways to Make Readers Care for an Amoral Protagonist - Writers Write http://ow.ly/yjbhz
Happy writing and running, Kathy 

No comments: