I posted an article about character development, a critical component of any novel work. The main character, or MC, requires enough depth and detail, relevant and relatable insight, to draw readers in. The same is true for the main antagonist. The villain, the evil doer, whatever you want to call them. In order for people to buy into who and what they are, you have to sell it with enough descriptive words that paint a true picture. Then what do you do? Leave everyone else in the lurch? Make them stick figures just along for the ride?
No.
I received wonderful feedback asking to expand on what I wrote. And in the vein of taking you a bit deeper into it, the one area that gets less notice is around the other people in a book. Your secondary characters are important to the story. Even more so if you think about it. I’m talking about the best friend, partner, spouse, children, parent, relative, or whomever supports your MC. Same for the counter characters like your villain’s second in command. These sidekicks, sounding boards, moral compasses, whatever their original purpose is to your story, play an integral part to weaving believability, bridging questions, and solidifying relationships, partnerships, or transactions to have readers sold on what you write. If you have a solid front line and a weak supporting cast, then you leave so much at the table. It can degrade and send your effort to the trash bin of creativity, lost forever. The best idea ever that had to be told, that fails to deliver. Think a quarterback who has the best arm, but can’t get back in the pocket to pass because his O-Line can’t block and protect him. The painter who has magnificent vision and could paint a masterpiece, but all his tools of the trade are contaminated and the brushes broken. The most successful businessperson in the world and the worst spouse and parent. The best star is nothing without those who surround them. Same for a character in a book. They need their support, and if you skimp on defining these key people, your story can flop.
Do not be that writer.
Secondary characters do not have to come with complete backstories, intricate details, or even have a catchy name. They must be enough of a creation that a reader makes some connection, closing their eyes and seeing an image, knows someone like them, or can nod their head and say, “Yes. I would have done that!” These supporting cast members are just as important to your story and the journey as they are when you watch a movie or television program. As a writer they must be believable and add to the writing, not as simple filler material. These players present contrast, dialog, interactions, that develop scenes, put context where it should be, and drive the narration. Without them, what do you have but a story about a singular person doing mundane things and talking to blah blah blah?
Boring.
So what have I done to develop my characters who weave their way through my novels and support my main characters? Observation. Get inspiration from those around you and people you see. This is the first thing anyone can do. Just sit and take it all in, gathering details, information, storing them away inside your brain. As you then formulate a story idea, begin to take what you have gathered and layer them within the schematic and formula of your novel. Not even pen to paper yet or sitting down at the computer. Just think. The image in your mind becomes a reference. The trick is taking the evil genius in you and deciding to write it all down.
Crazy brain before the cramped hands.
So, how do you go about creating these magnificent cast members on paper? First, do not overthink it. You do not have to give them the complete makeup of hair and eye color, features, likes and dislikes, etc. that you might throw in as you do with a MC. It’s not necessary. Second, since they are not main protagonists or antagonists, you have leeway in how you present them. Throw in a brief detail at the beginning of introducing them to the story and then nothing else. Or, intersperse a tidbit here and there, brief, but enough to wet the appetite. Third, and this is important, make them a believable person through dialog. Their interactions with your MC are what makes them real and pieces of the puzzle of your masterpiece.
Here is an example of using a secondary character in a story.
Joe, as Ben’s best friend, looked over and said, “I told you that eating five burgers was not a good idea.”
OK, pretty cut and dry. Joe plays a role in the snippet of words, but it is pretty boring. What if it was like this?
Joe shook his head, pushing his blond hair from his eyes. As Ben’s best friend, his opinion mattered. Looking over in disbelief, he couldn’t help to point it out. “I told you that eating five burgers was not a good idea.”
Same idea, but a more picturesque choice of words that brings Joe to life. He goes from a stick figure to something more by adding a few details that say he has long blond hair, so every time you encounter him now you can imagine some guy who resembles him. But, your reader gets to imagine Joe in a way to their liking if you just give them the hair. You never have to provide anything else if you choose. Then, you present the notion that Joe has some significance and worth to Ben. Simply by utilizing a word here and there, the occasional additive, and Joe can really take on life and not overpower the MC. Whether physical attribute, a backstory fact, or “in the moment” detail, your costars are the supporting bubble that surround your main character and provide a depth of setting.
A large part of the success is finding the right words. Not verbose, or even strictly concise. It is the use of a tasty word on the tip of the tongue, a color that resonates, a scar from a bicycle accident, some small though relevant descriptor that seals the deal. Sometimes less is more. What makes it work is the flow, the imagery, the simple and singular alphabet string with one word that can blow you away. Not with a big fire and boom, but a soft, smooth potentially, choice that portrays your second in a light that is remembered pages later.
It could be a scenario similar to what resonates below.
Ben and Joe had been friends since the second grade. Joe, the taller and skinnier of the two, was the athlete. Ben, a bit chubbier then and awkward like trying to ride a bike with one wheel in a straight line, had grown into himself. Now fully grown and taking pride in his fitness, he could keep up with the best of them. The friendly competition with Joe kept their friendship strong and slightly antagonistic, all in a good way.
Your reader now has some more information on Joe that they can use as they read your words. They see him in their minds, bring an idea of what he might look like and possibly be, and you do not have to do anything more visually but write the interactions or dialog between them. You can supply added snippets here and there, but there is no requirement, framework, or even need to go down that road. It really is up to you as the writer which path to follow.
If you write it this way, it falls flat.
Ben and Joe have been friends a long time. Joe was the athlete. Ben was not. Now grown, Ben could compete with Joe. Friendly competition between good friends kept the relationship strong, even with antagonism here and there. It was all good.
Direct and to the point. But, it lacks feeling and giving the reader a taste of the underlying reasons why things are the way they are between the two men. A few words giving life to their relationship paints a better picture. Try it and see.
The trick to everything, drum roll please, it to make sure you are consistent in what you do inside the body of your novel. How do you do that and what the heck does that mean? Well, notebooks are a great resource and reference to jot down the attributes of characters. Post-It notes, superb. Though they can get a bit messy sprawled everywhere and create domestic issues if you have them over every surface.
Dedicated workspace for just you can do the trick.
These are just examples. Myself, depending on the novel, they were written entirely in notebooks with the margins and back pages used for comments, notes, and edits. Post-It’s utilized and those color coded things to keep track of things using a mind-boggling legend only an author can decipher. Other works have been entirely written on the computer with scraps of paper to the side. These scraps of information can help contain the beast and especially corral all of the second-class citizens in your work. You do not want to use the same details for everyone or it shows you are not paying attention. If everyone has black hair and brown eyes, that can get rather drab. And keeping track all in your head across what could be a bunch of bit contributors?
Nearly impossible.
You do need to keep your ideas and thoughts together using some type of scheme that works for you. I have mentioned a few. The important piece is keeping it all contained and coherent. If you can’t keep the details consistent about a bit player, where one minute they have blond hair and then brown hair, and believe me, I have seen this horror manifest in a best selling book series where the author and their editor missed the mark, and then a reader who pays attention catches the mistakes stops liking the work. And, may never buy another book by that author.
I was and never read more.
Easy mistake? Maybe. Poor editing? Absolutely. A failure by the author? Definitely. The point from my analogy is in that one book the secondary people were inconsistent and superficial to the point of being turned off. The writing not only failed to deliver details the same way, but it also short-changed by creating one-dimensional sticks alongside fully developed main characters. Attention to detail. Notebooks, cards, drawings, whatever works to ensure you present cohesively and stay on target.
It takes a second to jot a note to check later.
So walk the fine line. You command the words. You are in charge of the tale. Nothing states that you cannot develop full and complete secondary people to add spice or paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It boils down to what are you trying to write and what do you want to give your readers as solid material, and where do you want their own devices to take liberty and fill in the gaps?
It is all relative.
Just do it your way. Then, have a trusted confidant supply some feedback and insight. Each story is different, every character their own, so everything relies on you. If readers can follow and fall deep into what you present with your second string, then you have done your due diligence.
Carry forth and deliver.
Jason McDonald 