What have you all been up to?

I’ve been working on book two of the sci-fi space opera. I had wanted to get the romance revised/edited and out this year but that will be delayed until I figure out exactly where I want to go with it. I’m not naturally a romance writer so after going through the first revision, I just didn’t feel it would be ready within the year. I’m wanting to get the fantasy book out, so I’ve been editing it like crazy. However, suddenly, I had this urge to work on the cyberpunk characters. I have a character named Isamari. That’s not her real name. Rather, it’s her hologram name. She is a side character who works with the mc and whom the mc bumps into later. Normally, I don’t focus on side characters but Isamari is just itching to be written.

I know very little about Isamari, and I never intended to know her more than just a co-worker, but as I think more about her, I realize she plays an important part of the story. Her part is small, but she creates tension for the mc. So, because of that, she needs to be more developed than intended. I’m pretty excited because I kind of want to know who she is.

Do you ever get sidetracked by a minor character? Do you let them grow and become a bigger part of your story, or do you remind yourself that they’re not that important and keep them in the background? I’m curious.