The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 31 December 2008

No Small Characters, Only Small Writers

"No matter how small their roles may be, minor characters deserve major consideration." That's what James Scott Bell says in the Fiction Essentials column in Writers Digest, June 2005, pages 16 and 17. He starts out with an example of a bartender, who provides the hero with important information, but all of his actions are cliche. And it's boring to the reader. Bell describes it as "a cliched minor character doing cliched things, who adds nothing to the tension of the story. He exists only to convey information, to give your protagonist a link so he can move on to another scene."

It's a waste of words! Minor characters should add to the novel, not make it boring. "Well-conceived minor characters add an extra spark..."

1. Allies or Irritants. Supporting players need to either help or hinder the main character. Choose up sides, and use those encounters. Even the "little people" -- the doorman, cab driver, bartender, receptionist, and all the other people that we meet every day, that your protagonist has to deal with can help move the story along and develop character.

2. Sound and Sight. "All your minor characters should be individuals -- no stereotypes allowed. Giving them distinct speech patterns and physical traits is a great way to start." Learn to hear characters in your head, with distinct voices and believable syntax. Physical characteristics -- body, clothes, habits, quirks and all that -- are an inexhaustible resource. Make sure each minor character has their own unique details.

Here's your checklist for minor characters:

• what's his purpose in the story?
• what traits are you going to give him?
• how can you make each trait unique and memorable?
• how are you avoiding cliche?
• how can this character help the plot? Can they add a twist, a revelation, a setup, a premonition or foreshadowing, or a mood shift?
• how can this character irritate the protagonist? How can they help him in a unique way?

That's James Scott Bell's points. Even the smallest character has a part to play. Are they helping or hindering? What sets them apart? Remember, they are the stars of their own story. As the actors would say, what's their motivation? Don't just have them walk across the stage -- let them strut, let them tapdance, let them show us just who they are, even if it is a walk-on part. And smile!

Exercise? Take your work in progress, and pick out the minor characters. Look at each one. Is it clear whether they are helping or hindering the hero? Do they have their own unique personality? If you've taken one from the bag of plastic people and inserted it in your story, spend a little time talking with them. Find out who they are, what they're doing in your story. Then let them come to life -- add the dialogue, adjust the action, and let them drop soup in your hero's lap. See what happens then!

(with a hearty hi, ho, happy New Years! Cheers and all that!)