Introduction
Last week, we talked about character dimensions or aspects, and this week, we’re moving on to talking about secondary characters. Secondary characters are often ignored or not given the focus they should be given simply because they are secondary, but good fiction will develop these characters too. Let’s talk about what part your secondary characters play and why they’re so important that they too need as much development as the main characters.
Roles of Secondary Characters
When it comes to secondary characters, we often view them as supporting cast members to our lead roles, the main characters. While it is true that they’re going to be supporting characters, if they’re going to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, their roles need to be defined and their characters developed.
So what are their roles? Well, secondary characters predominantly provide either support or opposition to our protagonists and antagonists. But if they’re going to do that, they’re also going to need to take on more specific roles in the story. The ones who show up for any length of time should be fulfilling multiple purposes or roles along the way in helping or hindering the protagonist and antagonists. And, interestingly enough, it isn’t always necessary that these secondary characters be intentionally working to help or hinder. Some secondary characters may do both at different times simply in the process of living their own lives and pursuing their own goals.
Developing Secondary Characters
As you work with your secondary characters, my recommendation to you is that you develop them the same way you develop your protagonists or antagonists. Take the time to carefully craft them and to give them their own goals, internal conflicts, and dreams. Some writers avoid this because they’re worried the secondary characters will steal the show. This is rarely the case. If this is starting to occur, it’s usually due to having chosen the wrong protagonist/antagonist or having underdeveloped either of those two. But if those two issues aren’t present, then usually a well-developed secondary character can help rather than hinder your plot’s advancement and richness.
So when you’re developing the secondary characters, the key things to focus on are internal conflict, motivations, and storylines. They should have their own development in all of the areas just as the protagonist and antagonist do. In order for their storylines to add to the conflict in the main storyline, their subplots cannot be undeveloped. The things they want and the story arcs they’re going to travel through will all impact the main story if you’ve woven the two together well.
How to Weave the Storylines Together
But now you might be asking… How do I weave the two together so that they flow into each other properly? This one is a little bit difficult to achieve at times, but here’s one really great way to do it. Take the characters you have, list out a few locations, and write down the key plot points for the main plot and any subplots that will impact that plot. Then start connecting a character with a plot point and a location. Sometimes, the connections will make zero sense, but if something is working, make notes on how they all interconnect. I think you’ll start to find that your subplots for secondary characters intersect and enhance the main plot in ways you never would’ve imagined. Try to find at least three or four ways that your secondary characters can interact with the main plot while following the arc of their sub plot.
Too Many Cast Members
The last thing I’ll note here is that you can have an issue with too many secondary characters. Usually, a story doesn’t require twenty secondary characters. Even in my most complex series where I have two plot lines going on at the same time, I have maybe five to seven secondary characters who play any significant role in the story. The rest show up only as needed. Those that show up when needed are given the illusion of being real, but not much development is done with them because they’re only there for a scene.
The problems that usually lead to too many cast members are not using your characters to their fullest, having too many directions, or giving screen time to those who don’t need it. Most of the time, the issue is that an author hasn’t used their characters to the fullest of their potential. For example, in Trader Prince of Aleshtain (my current WIP), I initially had the MC’s best friend separate from the MC’s mentor figure/voice of reason. But the mentor figure only showed up in one or two scenes, and after he departed the stage, another supporting character takes on that role. I only needed the mentor figure to give good advice toward the beginning of the book. So in the newer version of the draft, that mentor figure has been blended with the best friend. Now, the best friend offers the needed sage advice while also encouraging the MC to do what he knows is right. I didn’t need that second character to act as a mentor figure at all because I had the MC’s best friend and could easily combine the roles.
Additionally, pulling in too many directions can weaken your use of character and your story by extension. If you give so much screen time to a character meant to be a supporting cast member that they end up hijacking the main character and the plot line, your story can end up pulled in too many directions. The best solution for this is to remind yourself of the story’s focus then go back and trim out any scenes with that secondary character that aren’t useful to advancing the main plot, helping one of the main characters, or hindering their journey. While a secondary character should be as developed as a main character, they don’t get the same amount of screen time as a main character. Instead, their development is shown in more concise ways during interactions that the reader has with them while they are in some way advancing or hindering another character or heightening the conflict.
Conclusion
Developing your secondary characters is extremely important. Failing to do so means that you have failed to use them to their greatest potential in building your story and your plot. Don’t lose the richness and the additional complexity that a well-developed secondary character can bring to your tale. Be careful to keep their time on the stage balanced so they don’t steal the spotlight, but don’t be afraid to give them their own goals, hopes, and dreams. Let them live and breathe on the page too.