EverlastingAwesome asks: How do you best use side characters? To be more specific, whenever I read or watch a story that has too many secondary characters, they become a burden on the overall plot. However, with too few, the cast is too small and hinders the story's development. I just want to know how to balance it out.
Each side character should have a purpose in the story. Here are some supporting roles they might fall into (and I mean supporting the story, not the main character):
1. Foe - someone to struggle against, maybe indirectly help the main character to grow
2. Friend - someone to talk to, do things with, and help reveal plot points
3. Role Model - someone to look up to or follow
4. Family - people who help reveal home life and give insight to the main character's personality
5. Helper - someone who helps provide answers or solutions, like with knowledge or gadgets
Names Have Significance
In stories with a lot of people in the setting, for example a school or refugee camp, it can be easy to forget not to overwhelm the reader with too many characters. For example, most people have more than two friends at school. Thankfully you can have a lot of people in a story without having a lot of characters.
As soon as you give someone a name, they become a character. This is why, in many of my stories, I'll write things like, "one man said" or "the teacher sighed." The fact that these people in the story have no name signal to the reader they aren't really important to the story, so they don't have to remember or pay much attention to them.
Minor characters that you plan on referencing here and there can have names. They don't have to be side characters or even have speaking roles. Names make it easier for readers to know who you're talking about. We just don't want to include too many names, because readers will start to forget who's who and get confused.
How Many is Too Many?
There's no concrete answer for this. Every reader varies in how many characters they can remember, just like every story varies in the scope and scale of the plot or setting. I once watched a movie called Telephone where the entire movie consisted of Whoopie Goldberg talking on the phone. Then you have Lord of the Rings where there are more names than an entire classroom.
Feedback from readers can help you determine if maybe there are too many characters. If you receive several comments asking, "Who is this guy again?" then maybe that guy isn't needed in the story.
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How to Write Stories People Will Love
Non-FictionIf you're a writer struggling to improve your craft, this book can help. It breaks down the basics of a good story and good writing. It'll also provide a few tips on how to stay motivated. There's no magical formula for instantly likable stories, bu...
