#WIPJoy July 5

I didn’t have Internet on July 5, but I really wanted to do this one:

Tell us about three side characters you love.

I’m going to go with Jeff, Jen, and Phil, all of who are probably about to be ruthlessly cut from the story. 😦 Jeff arrived from a sheep ranch a year prior to attend the college. He became friends with Jen, a fast-talking, energetic, sometimes rough around the edges girl. Jen was a childhood friend of MC Derek. Jeff and Jen wound up in the same training group with the MCs. There, Jeff met Phil, another rancher from a neighboring country.

Jen and Jeff

Jeff was such a calm, fun-loving guy until he joined the army. There, he became more serious and responsible, eventually becoming an officer in charge of his own troops. Phil was pretty relaxed, too, and he stayed more that way. His friendship with Jeff meant he became more responsible, but unlike Jeff, he retained his friendship with MC Derek. Jeff begun shunning Derek because of all Derek’s disciplinary action. Phil had to walk a fine line to retain his friendship with both. He understood that Derek’s discipline was unmerited. Originally, Phil was going to be cut out of training, but I realized he had more personality than the character I planned to keep in his place. So I cut the other guy. I really, really like Phil, and I’m sad to lose Jeff and Jen, too. I have to see if there’s some way to keep them in the story . . . .