Confessions of a Secondary Character

Introduction

There are certain elements to a good story. Or any story, really.

First and foremost, a writer needs a plot. Without the plot, without the chain of events connecting the story, there is no story.

And within any interesting plot, there is conflict. Whether it's internal or external, through characters or forces, against the elements of nature or the constraints of society, a story cannot thrive, or even exist, without conflict. An entire story is centered around a main conflict; if you remove that component, there's nothing to drive the plot along.

The next essential constituent of a story is the setting. If you don't have a setting, then the story isn't taking place. Or is it? If it is, then it's taking place nowhere. And if it's taking place nowhere, then it's not taking place at all. Regardless of the existential crisis that comes with having a setting-less story, the location is vital to the plot. It shapes the dialogue, appearances, relationships, hopes, dreams, and ideals of the characters.

In addition, a well-rounded story should include a theme. Any self-respecting author understands the importance of the main idea their story is centered around. Is it persevering and finding hope during difficult times? The importance of family? The pain and beauty of first love? Whatever the theme may be, it's crucial to have an overarching message that brings the whole story together. Otherwise, what's the point? What are you trying to say? What message do you want to send to the world? Or at least the people who happen upon your book. You, as an author, have the power to touch the lives of people with the written word. Don't waste that power. Harness it. But proceed with caution, for with great power, comes great responsibility.

Last, but not least, there are the characters. Characters are said to make or break the story. If you hate the characters, how engaging the plot, how thought provoking the concept is, fails to matter anymore. Without them, there's no one to relate to, no one to root for, no one to carry out the actions driving the story.

There's a few types of characters. Obviously, there's the protagonist. The main character, arguably the most important one. If the novel or story is in first person, as narrator, they are the ones navigating the world in which they live in for you, dear reader. They are the ones who have everything happen to them. They are the ones who can't die, or at least shouldn't. They really shouldn't. That's a big no-no.

Then, there's the antagonist. As the bad guy, or even just the person who the main character cannot properly function around, they're another integral part of any story. Who's going to foil the hero's plans to save the world? Who's going to try to take over the universe? Who's going to steal the cookies from the cookie jar? The antagonist, mainly. Of course, these actions are not limited to purely the antagonists. It could be even the main character doing these things. Or possibly a different character entirely, which leads us to another type of character.

The secondary characters. The sidekicks. The best friends. The ones there solely for comic relief, or to offer advice, or to accidentally wreck the world, leaving only the main character to fix it. The ones who just are there in the background. Sure, they may be that one secondary character who moves along the slow parts, but the majority of them are forgotten until you read their name and you think "oh who's that again?" Well, nonetheless, you probably don't give a second thought to the secondary characters. But we're still there, filling out the rest of the cast of characters. We have our own lives, our own hopes, dreams, ambitions. Even so, secondary characters are often pushed aside for the main character. I should know, I'm one of them. No, I'm not a character in a best-selling novel, or even some obscure little NaNoWriMo story. I'm just a regular person. And maybe that's my problem. I'm nothing special; I have no powers, no tragic backstory, no heroic tendencies, no destiny written in the stars. I'm simply me. A plain old secondary character.

So here is my side of the story, one you've probably, okay definitely, never heard before: Confessions of a Secondary Character.