On tertiary characters who exist in-story for the sole purpose of being rescued
- Thread starter blackcat777
- Start date
Is there any further role this character could play further down the road, reconnecting with B (or A) at a key point?
Is there any other way to convey the information that you were using the throwaway-rescue to convey: a flashback, a conversation, perhaps an interaction with some other character?
Any way to turn the situation around and make the rescued into the rescuer, or make the whole situation into something other than it appears?
Is there any other way to convey the information that you were using the throwaway-rescue to convey: a flashback, a conversation, perhaps an interaction with some other character?
Any way to turn the situation around and make the rescued into the rescuer, or make the whole situation into something other than it appears?
I think you're overthinking this.
Sometimes characters have to die to move things along. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing. Sometimes they have to die before we really get to know them, and they seem unimportant. That's OK, too.
But there are benefits to killing off a character. It lends a certain level of menace to the rest of the story, and if the reader starts to wonder if you'll kill off some of the other characters, it can add suspense.
Sometimes characters have to die to move things along. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing. Sometimes they have to die before we really get to know them, and they seem unimportant. That's OK, too.
But there are benefits to killing off a character. It lends a certain level of menace to the rest of the story, and if the reader starts to wonder if you'll kill off some of the other characters, it can add suspense.
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I think the question you need to ask yourself is "Can there be any other, more relevant character who needs saving?" If you could have the exact same scene but replace TERTIARY with a secondary character we have some emotional investment in, that would created much needed tension and investment since the reader knows/wants this character to be saved. But even that could run into two issues: 1) You said you don't have a lot of character's to draw upon, so that would hurt my option, and 2) having a somewhat emotionless/tensionless rescue of an even meaningful rescue followed up by an exposition dump from the saved character would make me immediately disinvest in the situation as a reader, but it would at least be better coming from character I know than character I don't....
I love Brightdreamer's advice. Maybe you just need to think of a new scene or new way to convey the desired information. Usually if you have major misgivings its a sign that something isn't right.
I love Brightdreamer's advice. Maybe you just need to think of a new scene or new way to convey the desired information. Usually if you have major misgivings its a sign that something isn't right.
Hi Black Cat!!
Do you have a subplot in your story? I added one or two subplots somewhere around revision #12 and it was a fantastic way to beef up minor characters. If you don't have a subplot, you could add one of those and your doomed tertiary character could figure prominently within it.
You could also smash two characters together. My critique group always asks me to do this, get rid of characters, smash them together, etc, so they won't have to remember so many. If you have a lot of characters, maybe you could smash your tertiary character with another minor figure.
Do you have a subplot in your story? I added one or two subplots somewhere around revision #12 and it was a fantastic way to beef up minor characters. If you don't have a subplot, you could add one of those and your doomed tertiary character could figure prominently within it.
You could also smash two characters together. My critique group always asks me to do this, get rid of characters, smash them together, etc, so they won't have to remember so many. If you have a lot of characters, maybe you could smash your tertiary character with another minor figure.
Why can't you impart emotion; one that prevents the rescued character from showing gratitude (e.g. embarrassment, tardiness for an appointment, other). In a later chapter or book, they can properly thank the rescuer (and explain the reason they ran away).
How invested do you want your readers to be regarding this character's rescue? To have the rescue matter, I think the reader has to care about the character.
If you're in the head of the person doing the rescuing, and if that character doesn't know that person - are they morally compelled to risk themselves for someone they don't know? which might create interesting inner conflict.
If you're in the head of the person doing the rescuing, and if that character doesn't know that person - are they morally compelled to risk themselves for someone they don't know? which might create interesting inner conflict.