Writing-manual author, Matt Bird offers a detailed explanation of why and how writers can create an ensemble of characters with different personalities. In The Secrets of Story, Bird explains how secondary characters can act as advisors to the protagonist, each in their own way. To illustrate, I will use the classic kids’ movie, The Sandlot. One secondary character should act as the voice of reason – offering a responsible, intelligent solution, or warning of possible detriment from making a bad decision, representing the head. In The Sandlot, this would have to be Benny the Jet. He is the one who saves Scotty, first by inviting him to join the team, and later by getting the ball back from the beast. Another character could also advise or interfere with the protagonist’s goal by acting from their heart. Such a character is the hopeless romantic, or the goofball friend who can do no wrong. I picture Squints here, hopelessly in love with baseball and Wendy Peffercorn. The third character type acts from their gut, often causing trouble and disagreeing with the others. In The Sandlot, this would have to be Ham. He riles up the rival team, makes sarcastic comments, and isn’t afraid to sass Scotty with, “You’re killing me, Smalls!” Creating a cast of characters can be intimidating, but keeping the head-heart-gut model in mind is a great way to ensure that your protagonist is not surrounded by all the same type of characters, and will keep your readers turning pages to find out what they’ll say or do next.