Supporting Characters

In the past when I've found that characters aren't interesting enough, I'll sometimes give them a story of their own and write it, even if it's something really short. Give them a situation outside of your main story, don't include any of your other characters... basically, make your supporting character the main character of their own short story. This has helped me explore who they are and how they would react in certain situations in the main piece.

Also, try to understand what the supporting character's motivation is. You constantly have it driven into your head that the main character has to "want something" and the story is about achieving that goal. Your supporting characters want something too. What is it? How do they go about getting it? They may not be the main focus of your story, but pretend that they are and they'll become more interesting.

Finally, realize that you may need to cut the character entirely. If the supporting character doesn't bring anything important to the story, then you should re-evaluate whether the character is really needed.

Hansey makes excellent points, and does it with fewer words than I do.


It depends how "supporting" they are. It also depends on how long the story is.

The latter first: In short stories, I usually limit my cast to three people. I figure I can do one person in 2000-3000 words, so maybe more for a little longer. In a novel, I might have characters who have a purpose, but do not play a major role.

If the character is part of the setting, I don't develop them too much. These characters can sometimes live as a "flat" person. The mailman who comes by five times in a novel, but does little else, can probably be described and left alone.

How to tell the where to develop a character? If the character feels flat and you feel it hinders the story, then they probably need background.

For characters who need more life, which is probably what you're asking about, I give them history. Again, depending on length, I give them the same treatment I give my main characters: I write out any information I would want to know if I met him/her/it/other in real life.

Birth place (town, hospital, room number if needed,) parent's names, family, places lived during life, favorite foods, hobbies, friend's names, memorable moments, girl/boyfriends, etc. I have never gone over 40,000 words doing this and I don't worry too much about the writing quality since it's only my reference material. 40,000 might sound like a lot for one character, but if he or she will be a supporting character at length through many stories or books, it can only help to know the character very well.

I might write a few lines of their typical/notable dialogue, just so I have a reference. This helps me separate the way characters talk, which I often struggle to differentiate. (I often get unexpected development doing this. Sometimes the characters say things I do not expect, but which reveal how they should act.)

I could write my real life friends into a story and, with some effort, create a realistic representation of how that person acts. Once I know the character, I can recreate him or her within a story.

If that isn't enough, I have a handful of scenes which I write a character into without the main cast. I won't necessarily use these scenes, but it helps me understand what the character would say or do.

Put a supporting person into a violent bar fight. How do they respond? Do they get killed? How about a warzone? A romantic outing? A boat ride with friends?

This may take a lot of time, so feel free to scale it down to the importance of the character.

It's funny because I feel like I have the opposite problem. I often become more interested in my supporting characters and I always felt it was because they don't have to carry the weight of the story which gives them more freedom.

I think you have the right idea with creating backstories, maybe it's just about building these stories up more, give them as much fleshing out and history as your main.

Think of them the same as you think of your main characters. Obviously you don't have to go into so much detail if you're character mapping them, but think of their wants, their needs, their fears. You won't be able to show everything -- and you shouldn't -- but you'll have a more fleshed out character.

For example, think of someone who serves on the elite brigade of an army, and suppose the captain is the main character. The person who serves needs, wants, fears, etc. just as the captain does. Show that throughout the story.

Right now, I have two novels that are in the final stages of revising. The first has one main character, two secondary characters, and five supporting characters. Of those five, only one is present through the entire novel, though she comes and goes as needed. The second enters about 3/4 of the way through, though he's mentioned from the start, and his role is vital to the story, since he causes a major plot twist to occur. The third only plays a very minor role about 3/4 of the way through. The fourth and fifth play minor roles in the first half of the novel. I say "minor", and yet the story would be incomplete without any of these guys, so they are pivotal characters, but they don't have detailed backstories or story arcs of their own.

I think the trick to making any of them seem real is in how you portray them. Do you describe them? Do they have any unusual features that might make them stand out? Any quirks or odd habits? Give each of them their own unique voice, so that you can tell when they're talking, and find a unique way of describing them, so they stand out. "He had the nose of a Roman emperor," or "She looked astonishingly like her brother, with pale hair, and blue eyes that crinkled around the edges." Those aren't great examples, but you get the idea. Just because they're minor characters doesn't mean they aren't deserving of a bit of description. Perhaps give one a foreign accent (though try not to spell it out phonetically, because that always goes badly). Or a unique way of viewing the world.

Put some thought into their creation, just as you would with any character, and you'll soon find them becoming more realistic. Using the example given of giving each character a goal, you can use this to make them seem more three-dimensional. If you have a waiter, for instance, what's his goal? Maybe it's the end of his shift and he needs to get home and sleep, so he can get up in five hours for his second job, which he needs because his sister has cancer and he's helping pay for her medical treatments. You don't need to write all of this into the story, of course, but if you keep it in mind, you can use it to your advantage. Perhaps your waiter gets anxious when your MC takes too long to order, maybe he keeps glancing at his watch, or maybe he shifts from foot to foot, trying to relief his backache. Little details, but they can add up to make a more interesting minor character.

Clueless said:

What are some good tips for creating a stronger supporting character? I've done charts to really explore their personalities, but I can't come up with a good way to putting their characters on page. They just feel... flat.

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Give them desires, fears, and agendas of their own.

Baby Jane said:

It's funny because I feel like I have the opposite problem. I often become more interested in my supporting characters and I always felt it was because they don't have to carry the weight of the story which gives them more freedom.

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Same here Baby Jane.

Welcome to AW.

BethS said:

Give them desires, fears, and agendas of their own.

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Exactly so -- they should be capable of independent thought and independent action as they follow their desires, they shouldn't just sit around and wait for the MC to appear and bounce thoughts off them.

-Derek

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=Clueless;7016878]

I've been reading through some of my old work, and I noticed that in a lot of my stories my supporting characters were... lacking. They were always one-dimensional or too stiff, and it made me cringe looking back on some of the dialogue I forced them to say.

Why are the supporting characters there in the first place? What are they supporting? If the dialogue is forced it should be reconsidered or removed.


What are some good tips for creating a stronger supporting character? Have a reason for him to be wherever he is. He must serve some purpose in the scene or story. I've done charts to really explore their personalities, but I can't come up with a good way to putting their characters on page. Charts will achieve nothing if there is no reason for the supporting character to be in the scene or story in the first place. They just feel... flat.

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dpaterso said:

Exactly so -- they should be capable of independent thought and independent action as they follow their desires, they shouldn't just sit around and wait for the MC to appear and bounce thoughts off them.

-Derek

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I call that one "supporting character in a cupboard". Like they just get put away like a doll until it's time for their next scene with the main characters.

I try to think about what their life is inbetween those scenes. After they've had some interation with the main character who do they go and tell about it? A lover, a spouse, their mother? I don't think you even need to write stories or scenes of them doing that or other things. Just daydream about them, add some layers to them in your mind.

And don't have them at the main characters's beck and call (well, unless your main character is a brutal dictator who can have people shot for not jumping when he snaps his fingers.) Even just a bit of irritation that they've got somewhere they'd rather be, or that they have to rush off to pick the kids up can give a feeling of them having a life away from the main story, and will also colour their inteactions with the main character. Someone who really needs to get out of there will talk differently than someone who can just hang around until the scene is done and they can be put back in their cupboard.

I have two MCs (one MC is mainer than the other) and a few supporting characters:

*MC #1's parents: I don't describe them; they appear in the first scene, and then the mom is heard on the phone twice after; they won't appear in every story; I'm not sure how much that I should describe/establish them, since they're relevent to MC #1 only to the extent that they raised her, even though she spent more time away from them (school, a different room of the house, etc.) than with them while growing up

*a pet store clerk: I don't describe her; she probably won't appear again

*a Karate sensei: I describe his appearance; he'll be recurring; he doesn't stand out right now; I can establish a bit of his personality when writing the Karate class scene

*a service desk woman: I don't describe her; she might appear again (it's at MC #1's job), or someone else might take her place

*a personnel manager: I don't describe her, but she has a certain attitude and way of talking that I'd describe as "diva" (not sure if that's the right word or not); she'll be recurring, but she doesn't even have a name at this point; I envision her as black, but I haven't mentioned her race out of fear of coming across as racist (even though she's based on someone that I know)

*girl/announcer at anime con: I don't describe them; they're here to serve specific purposes (registration and announcing); they might come back later or be replaced by other people

*cosplayers: MC #1 observes them but doesn't recognize the characters that they're playing

*a cop: I've described his appearance; he comes across as no-nonsense and skeptical; he'll be recurring; I'm going to try to develop him some more along the way

MC #2's parents: I describe their appearances; they'll be recurring (much more so than MC #1's parents, who are in another town); I've established their careers and the mom's hobby

I give my supporting characers extra quirks to distinguish them. Many times SC's can be used to bring more life to the story. Think Evanovitch. Plum is the MC but the story is run by all her friends and family.

You can add color to a supporting character with just a word or two, to make them unique. Even if they're in the background - the background can have color, too, can't it?

Gaiman does it, so does King. So does Rowling and a lot of authors I read and enjoy.

Baby Jane said:

It's funny because I feel like I have the opposite problem. I often become more interested in my supporting characters and I always felt it was because they don't have to carry the weight of the story which gives them more freedom.

I think you have the right idea with creating backstories, maybe it's just about building these stories up more, give them as much fleshing out and history as your main.

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I have to agree with this sentiment.

My supporting characters have a tendency to come along and steal the entire story from under the MC's nose.

My supporting casts are getting to Dickens size, which is a lot of fun. I ask myself why I felt the need to put the supporting character in the book in the first place, and once I have my answer, that gives me a place to start building him or her from.