I love character friendships. One of the best parts of books, and so much more comfortable to discuss than character romance. (Although we'll have to post about that eventually, especially for ongoing series!)
Many books and movies are centered around a friendship. For example, the Dreamworks movie How to Train Your Dragon is centered around young viking Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless. Their friendship is what the whole movie is based on. What would Anne be without Diana? Emma without Harriet? Picket without Heather?
What We Can Learn From Emma and Harriet:
Emma Woodhouse, from Jane Austen's novel, Emma, is an upper class young woman who lives a comfortable life caring for her father and house. Harriet Smith is an orphaned girl who lives in a girl's home. The two eventually meet, and become great friends, despite their social differences. Friendships like this can add so much to a story, by both showing the upper class character's unspoiled nature and contributing to the conflict between both character's family and guardians. What Mr. Knightley refers to as Emma's vanity, though, brings about one of the biggest mistakes of Harriet's life. Adding friendships like this to your stories can either add depth to your plot, or branch off into an entire sub-plot.
What We Can Learn From Picket and Heather:
Picket and Heather are the perfect example of both a sibling friendship and a supportive friendship. From the beginning of The Green Ember, Picket and Heather are close friends. They care for each other deeply, and their obvious love for each other adds warmth to the entire series. Sibling friendships, especially when the siblings become separated, can make a sweet and touching addition to any story. A supportive friendship often springs out of a dangerous situation. When Picket and Heather are swept into the broken world around them, they have to lean on each other to survive. These friendships are a perfect way to create connections throughout your series, or to start a group of friends that will save the world.
What We Can Learn From Mater and Lightning McQueen:
A friendship of pure comradeship, like Mater and Lightning McQueen in the movie Cars, is a great way to add fun and warmth to your story. It's also a great foundation for plenty of mischief and funny scrapes. Mater is a rusty old tow truck living in a tiny town, and Lightning is a sleek young race car on his way to winning the biggest race in the world. When the two meet, they become friends only after Lightning humbles himself. This is a perfect way to add some conflict for your main character.
What We Can Learn From Anne and Diana:
Vibrant, imaginative, talkative orphan Anne Shirley is exactly the kind of girl we all want to be friends with, right? I know I was excited when she and Diana immediately became friends! This is an perfect way to showcase a simple, fun, and hilarious type of friendship. Like Mater and Lightning, Anna and Diana are a great foundation for plenty of funny scrapes. Will we ever forget the raspberry cordial incident? Make sure to add a bit of humor somewhere in your story. No matter how serious it is, a character always has time to drop something!
What We Can Learn From Hiccup and Toothless:
Hiccup is a viking. Toothless is a dragon. From the moment of his birth, Hiccup has been destined to lead his tribe of vikings, the sworn enemies of dragons. So how can they be friends? Simple! Just take Hiccup, who is the weakest, smallest, and least dragon-killing inclined viking in Berk, give him an injured and helpless dragon, and let simmer for fifteen minutes. Here, my friends, is an example of a friendship between two rival kingdoms/species/tribes. It REALLY adds excitement to the plot, especially when you add in a viking father with a hot temper, who hates dragons above all else. Definitely not boring.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post! I hope these tips help you next time you sit down to write! Remember: Just keep writing! Don't think about grammar or perfection. Just get the story finished. Once it is finished, I can promise you that an endless supply of editing energy will be granted to you!
May your sword be sharp and your bookshelf full,
Marie