Holding On has an intriguing supporting character called Manessa. When I first started writing, I didn’t really care about her. She was just the ‘mouth breathing troll’ with red hair and very sharp pencils who sat next to Ant, but the further I got into the story, the more I realised Manessa was an important part of it. Ant comes to see her, not as a stereotype, but as a fully-fledged, three dimensional person.

I can feel the story of Manessa growing inside of me. I put together an outline of a story, but it was premature. Too much plot wangling and not enough character development. There’s already so much about Manessa that I know from writing her into the first book. I need to sit and wait, and let the story boil away for a while without forcing it.

Manessa’s story will take place when she is about 18 years old, has finished high school and escapes home to go to university, to make a life for herself. One problem is that home follows her and threatens to pull her back into its gravity like a black hole.

What do I already know about Manessa

1. She has red hair and was pudgy in primary school. Her posture is not good. She curls her shoulders forward instead of throwing them back. When she throws them back, she is large and alive.
2. She is very neat and organised, has sharpeners and rulers and markers. It’s her parents’ idea of care. “You have everything you need for school, now go do school.”
3. Her parents own a fish and chip shop. They make reasonably good food, but the place is pretty grotty. Her parents have stressful times when the health inspector comes.
4. They live above the shop. Everything in her family is about the shop. We can’t go on holidays because of the shop. We can’t do X or Y because of the shop.
5. Her mum yells at her a lot: “Manessa, I don’t believe it!” and has destroyed her self-esteem. She has her mum’s voice in her head, scolding and shaming her very often.
6. She checks her maths with a calculator because she has been yelled at so many times for getting it wrong. She doesn’t trust her own abilities, doesn’t put her weight down on her own decision making and often double-guesses herself. This is what causes her maths mistakes.
7. Manessa’s parents said they paid her for her work, but they kept most of it for themselves. Their justification is that she doesn’t need the money, and they do, for food and bills. She can’t do university because they have wangled their taxes and she can’t get goverment student assistance.
8. Manessa’s physical needs are met by her family, but not her emotional ones. 
9. She will discover that she is actually a very good singer, and loves soul music – e.g. Joss Stone’s bigger songs.