Friendships in Fiction

Here we are folks, we’ve made it to March! We’re ready to roar in like a lion into this month’s theme: Friendships in Fiction. This was my first opportunity since joining the Fictorians last year to select the topic and I knew immediately that this was what I wanted to cover.

Characters and the relationships they form are one of the primary reasons we are drawn to fiction and done correctly the friendship is one of the most powerful and poignant relationships an author can put in front of the readers. Sure the star-crossed lovers, bitter enemies and complex family dynamics all have their place, but sometimes I just like to see two characters stand together against the odds, connected by nothing but their mutual respect and admiration for each other.

Many of the this month’s bloggers will talk about their favorite friendships in fiction. My mind races to Legolas and Gimli in the Lord of the Rings, who slowly transition from openly hostile in Fellowship of the Ring to enemy-counting besties by the time Return of the King rolls around. The classic trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy on the original Star Trek, exploring the final frontier while using their varied viewpoints to render new commentary on the human condition. These are just two prominent examples- -I have a few more friendships I’d like to highlight, but I’ll save those for my personal post later in the month.

Some of our contributors this March will also talk about how they use friendship in their own fiction. The slow build of a friendship over the course of the story is a satisfying arc to take your readers on, and one that gives you many ways to manipulate those readers as you do so.  Having a friend is an easy way to make your protagonist more likable, for example. Friends also give your hero someone who can be put in jeopardy by your villain, or even worse be revealed as the villain themselves!

Finally, some of our bloggers will talk how they have been helped along in their writing careers by their friends. Writing can be a tough and lonely business at times. Having your Tribe to lean on, having someone to provide that feedback or critique you needed or simply just to remind you that you are supported- -it’s invaluable.

Like the man said: “It’s dangerous to go alone.”

So come along with us, friend. I promise we’ve got lots to show you this month. 

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