The Right To Write

Supporting Characters: Part 6

Supporting characters are the life to the plot. The plot would be a stranger to itself it didn't have side characters, but there are a numerous mistakes that can be made while incorporating them into your book. 

Here are some things to note about a unsuitable supporting characters:

Side characters are essential, but they're not the main character. This mistake is often made when the passive protagonist exchanges places with the supporting character. And believe me when I say this mistake is very easily made. The main character and that stands to reason that he should be fulfilling his purpose. It's easy to believe that side characters are helpful. They are, but sometimes a might bit too helpful. Who's moving the plot forward, the protagonist or the supporter? Of course the supporters needs to assist in progressing the plot, but they aren't the ones dubbed to save the day.

Give your supporters an appropriate role and keep them in that stage of importance.

Useless Characters.  These characters are the complete opposite of my previous example. They're too unimportant to have the right to be involved in your plot. The hotdog man can make a tiny contribution in the plot because he's going to sell your character a hotdog, or else your character may starve. There, the hotdog man saved your protagonist from starving to death, he has fulfilled his purpose. And unless he has another connection to the plot, he can  go off and sell hotdogs to other people. Never keep unimportant characters in the book longer than they need to be.

On a larger note, I know a very particular person who has made this mistake big time (I'm going to go cough in the background for a second). Funny, that person happens to be me. Peace. For example, I might take hotdog man and make him a recurring character throughout the book, make him an actual side character. Because, why not? I'll tell you why not. Because this character has zero importance to the plot! Characters don't care that hotdog man has a lush black beard that floats with the wind or has a smile that brings out the twinkle in his eyes; they care about the plot getting done. Your book has a purpose. Fulfill it. Just because you think your character is wildly intriguing doesn't verify the fact that he deserves more than a page your book. You know, unless it takes you three hundred words to narrate your character's buying of the hotdog. In that case, I'll applaud slowly to honor your obsession with food.

Some writers realize this in the midst of their book, and they think that killing off that particular character will solve the problem. It most certainly will not. Readers will be scratching their heads, wondering why that character ever existed in the first place. And you have fifty pages scarred with his unimportant existence. That is, unless you designed your character to die in the first place, but this topic is for another day. Nevertheless, if you have a useless character, obliterate him, destroy any traces of him.

Now that you know what supporting characters to avoid, here are some extra notes to make.

Design Supporting Characters that develop the Protagonist. Let me list a quick number of everything that can bring your protagonist one step closer to human complexity: backstory, conflict, decisions, and other characters. How does your character react and deal with the irksome neighbor next door? How about the girl of his dreams? Everybody is different, and everyone gets along differently with different people. Supporting characters, or not-so-supportive characters peel back the layers of the character's personality. Think about yourself for a bit, what kind of people do you get along with and how do you react to that; and what kind of people do you have trouble getting along with and how do you react to those situations? Now, think about your character. How does he deal with the different characters that are involved in the plot. 

Maybe he'll kiss his love interest, but he won't do that to the bully who beat him black and blue, right? These people influence the belief that your protagonist is not only a one-dimensional character. No character can show all of himself on his own.