Me, me, I'm important, too - creating minor characters

Building on my theme of characters, remember that minor characters are important. Some may be so negligible that they won’t even get names but they are important, even if all they do is serve the pints or open the door.
Why? Because every single one of these people is designed to fulfil a brief role in the story, they all have a job to do.
For example they can reveal something about your main character -- someone who snaps at a chamber maid tells us a lot about themselves – or maybe their individuality will set a mood, add humour, make things happen; a scowling barman can do a lot for a scene. I use them all the time in my crime fiction.
Warning; if a character who isn’t supposed to matter starts distracting from the main thread of the story, either cut them out or figure out why you, as a writer, are so interested in them.
There’s nothing wrong with a background character attracting attention—as long as you realise that they are not part of the background anymore. The readers will notice them, too, and expect them to play a bigger part in the story.
 

John Dean

Getting the minor characters right

Following on from my previous blogs on creating characters, a word about minor characters and the care you need to take when creating them.
But why, you may ask, spend unnecessary time on insignificant characters? Some may be so negligible that they won’t even get names: the servant who brought the drinks; the hotel maid who cleaned the room, the policeman who jumped out of the way of the speeding car and so on.
They deserve care because, although the reader isn’t supposed to care much about them, they still have a job to do. Their individuality may set a mood, add humour, make the story more interesting or complete. They may also reveal something about your main characters.
So it is worth spending a little time getting them right.

John Dean

Creating minor characters

Following on from my previous blog on creating characters, a word about minor characters and the care you need to take when creating them.

But why, you may ask, spend unnecessary time on insignificant characters? Some may be so negligible that they won’t even get names: the servant who brought the drinks; the hotel maid who cleaned the room, the policeman who jumped out of the way of the speeding car and so on.

They deserve care because, although the reader isn’t supposed to care much about them, they still have a job to do. Their individuality may set a mood, add humour, make the story more interesting or complete. They may also reveal something about your main characters.

Be warned that if a character who isn’t supposed to matter starts distracting from the main thread of the story, you either cut him/her out entirely or you figure out why you, as a writer, are so interested in her that you’ve spent more time on him/her than you meant to.

There’s nothing wrong with a background character attracting that kind of attention—as long as you realise that he/she isn’t part of the background anymore. The readers will notice him/her, and they’ll expect his uniqueness to amount to something.

 

John Dean