Well-drawn, diverse, complex secondary characters can add nuance, humor, and conflict to a novel or short story. This workshop will present different types of secondary characters—beyond merely friends, foes, and foils—and explore how to create them so they sing for themselves while also harmonizing with a main plotline. Using familiar books such as the Harry Potter series and The Queen’s Gambit as sample texts, we draw upon the psychologist Dan McAdams’s concept of the “personal myth” to examine economical ways to develop all three elements of the myth—backstory, world views, and desires—for secondary characters.
Referring to their current work-in-progress, participants will respond to several writing prompts and leave with exercises in hand.
Contact Karen for participation information.
Praise for Karen’s Workshops
“Karen outlined fifteen different types of secondary characters, fitting into three different “buckets” or categories: Characters that humanize the main character, ones that create animosity or confusion, and others that provide information, expertise, or guidance. This will add depth, humor, and conflict to your story. Her presentation kept my pen scribbling notes, and my mind scrambling to attach the personality types and functions to my own cast of characters. Some I had already crafted out of instinct, but her detailed analysis prompted me to inspect each one to decide whether they were fully rounded personalities with a specific goal in the story. A subplot I had been fumbling around with suddenly took on shape and emotional significance after listening to her presentation.” -Kathryn Helstrom, Vice President, Tulsa NightWriters
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About Karen
Karen Odden received her Ph.D. in English from New York University in 2001, writing her dissertation on Victorian literature. Subsequently, she taught at UW-Milwaukee and edited for the academic journal Victorian Literature and Culture. When she finally turned to writing fiction, she set all her novels in her beloved 1870s London. Her first mystery, A Lady in the Smoke, was a USA Today bestseller. Her fourth, Down a Dark River, was an Oprah Daily pick; and the sequel, Under a Veiled Moon was nominated for the Lefty, Agatha, and Anthony Awards for Best Historical Mystery. Her sixth novel, An Artful Dodge, about an all-women thieving gang in 1879 London, is forthcoming from Soho Crime in June 2026.
Since 2019, Karen has offered over 40 writing workshops for libraries, professional groups, and conferences, and she has received awards and grants for her work to promote literacy and support the writing community. Karen serves on the national board of Sisters in Crime, reviews books for Publishers Weekly, and divides her time between Arizona and Utah, where she loves to hike while plotting crimes. Read More