Question about secondary characters

Southern_girl29 · Sep 12, 2006

I have a character in my WIP. She's mentioned by name, but I've written nearly 20,000 words, and she's never been seen. I'm not even sure she will be by the end of the novel. It's not that she's unimportant to the novel, but she really isn't important enough to it to show her. Is it ok to mention characters by name, but never show them?

Vincent · Sep 12, 2006

Is it's not important enough to the plot to have her show up, is there really any point in her existing at all?

soloset · Sep 12, 2006

I hope so. One of my characters has a sister who influenced his life pretty spectacularly, particularly because of one event; I have at least one scene where she's mentioned by name but since she's in a different state an "on-screen" appearance is probably not going to happen.

I suspect it's like many other issues -- if you do it well and believably it's okay, if not, it's not.

Oh, just occurred to me -- this happens in mysteries sometimes. The dead guy in the backstory!

There's often a guy who isn't the main victim but who vanished or died in prison or somesuch, and who never makes an onscreen appearance but is used as a red herring or plot thickener.

Southern_girl29 · Sep 12, 2006

beezle said:
Is it's not important enough to the plot to have her show up, is there really any point in her existing at all?

She's the bookkeeper for the newspaper where my MC is the editor. When the place is vandalised, the owners tell my MC to get the company credit card from Carol, the bookkeeper, to buy a few things so the next issue can go to press. I didn't write a scene showing my MC getting the credit card from Carol or purchasing the items.

blacbird · Sep 12, 2006

Well, there are the cases (in plays) of Harvey the rabbit, and Godot, neither of whom ever show up.

caw.

Carrie in PA · Sep 12, 2006

Well, my MC's best friend is dead. This friend was very influential, so she's mentioned, but obviously won't be seen.

soloset · Sep 12, 2006

If she's just a bit character, I don't think it matters much either way.

It's not going to annoy me at all to hear your character got the credit card "from Carol the company bookkeeper" or that she got it from "the company bookkeeper". Either way, I'm going to remember she's financed now and not bother to retain how.

What would be annoying is if you mention Carol again at 80,000 words and she, and the fact that she handed over the company credit card, is crucial to the plot then, because I'll be thumbing back through trying to figure out where I heard that name and who the heck is that anyway?

Mark Lazer · Sep 13, 2006

Southern_girl29 said:
I have a character in my WIP. She's mentioned by name, but I've written nearly 20,000 words, and she's never been seen. I'm not even sure she will be by the end of the novel. It's not that she's unimportant to the novel, but she really isn't important enough to it to show her. Is it ok to mention characters by name, but never show them?

I think it's OK. Some characters' lifes are majorly influenced by people who died; writiers ain't showing them dead people either, do they?

Soccer Mom · Sep 13, 2006

Mark Lazer said:
I think it's OK. Some characters' lifes are majorly influenced by people who died; writiers ain't showing them dead people either, do they?

Depends on if you're writing zombie fiction, Mark.

Samuel Dark · Sep 13, 2006

I don't know how good my advise her will be, or if you still need advise, but I say put the secondary characte in. You never know where characters will take you. I have had many secondary characters in various stories that, somehow, became maincharacters. It could be you have more planed then you know. If it turns out such isn't the case, it would be easy to delete her from your book in the second, thrid, or whatever draft will be after the one your working on now (I assume it's the first draft, though).

:-D Hope that helps.

LeeFlower · Sep 13, 2006

I don't think it's a problem in the context you're describing. The boss after all isn't going to say "Get the credit card from the bookkeeper," because both your MC and the boss know who the bookkeeper is. He's far more likely to just use her name.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Selcaby · Sep 13, 2006

This sort of thing is very common. The first book I thought of, I could think of three such characters off the top of my head. Come to think of it, my book has at least one.

Giving a character a name makes it easier to talk about her. In particular, if your other characters know her then they are going to think of her by name. In your case it's logical that a bookkeeper should exist and that the characters who deal with her should know her name. What you don't need to do is draw up a detailed character chart or work out her favourite food or anything like that - it would be overkill. And if you're worried that readers will forget who she is, you can put in reminders each time you talk about her (if she's only going to be mentioned in connection with her job, the job in itself ought to do the trick).

Besides, you're only 20,000 words in. Maybe she will appear after all.

Amythest · Sep 13, 2006

That happens alot to me...then the annoying secondary character will make an onscreen when they are supposed to stay in the closet of my brain and sit there. As it happens, many characters influence a plot and as the authgors, we will be the only ones who know it. So sad... But the character doesn't know that an author doesn't find tyhe character nessesary enough to put on screen so if the character mentions a name, let um'. It adds to the realsim and gets that poor character at least a few seconds of the time he/ she deserves on screen..even if only in words.

Southern_girl29 · Sep 13, 2006

Thanks everyone. I don't know if she'll make an actual appearance in the book or not. But, the company she works for has only four employees, including herself, so the owner would definately give the name of the character in the speech.

Tracy · Sep 14, 2006

By all means use her name, because as you say that's what would be natural. You'll also need to find some way of showing that she's the bookkeeper, without the owner saying, "Get the credit card from carol, the bookkeeper"! That wouldn't work at all. But don't assume the reader remembers her name later - the name will have most likely passed out of their awareness as they know that Carol isn't important.
IN a very real way she's not a character at all; just a plot device. (Poor Carol, I'm feeling quite sorry for her now!), so don't invest anything in her, but do use her name.

Unless she does turn out important. In which case DO write the scene where the heroine goes to get the credit card and draw Carol reasonably well. But if you do that and don't bring her back it unsettles the reader. They've invested somewhat in Carol, and it's like a loose end hanging. We're always telling the readers what's important and what's not, (red herrings notwithstanding), and they trust us so we need to honour that trust.

Inkdaub · Sep 14, 2006

It's okay to have your characters do as you think they should do. I like the idea of a character that is never seen.

Peekay · Sep 14, 2006

In that, oh, what's the name of that thing? Yes, real life, people are continually surrounded by named characters that do not have a dramatic influence upon their 'plot'. Therefore having them in something that supposedly resembles 'real life' cannot be an entirely bad thing. Otherwise the MS will resemble a film script and not real life... but that is of course some peoples intentions.
"Writing should be a trip into the unknown, not like building a model plane".

Question about secondary characters

Southern_girl29

Vincent

Cheers

soloset

'bye

Southern_girl29

blacbird

Carrie in PA

Write All The Words!

soloset

'bye

Mark Lazer

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

Samuel Dark

LeeFlower

Lurker Extraordinaire

Selcaby

Writer of wrongs

Amythest

Southern_girl29

Tracy

Inkdaub

wrapped in plastic

Peekay