Wednesday, March 30, 2011

No sides for me thanks!

I'm going to make an outrageous statement (you've been warned).

There should be no side characters in your novels

In real life, there's no such thing as a side character. Everyone is the main character of their own story. Everyone is interesting in their own way. Everyone has something to share, learn and grow from. Everyone has battles. No ones sole purpose is to help someone else's storyline. 

It should be the same in books. 

Characters should never do something based on plot reasons alone. They need their own motivations and reasons for doing everything. It doesn't matter that the reader knows it, it only matters if you do. They should have backstories and an arc, basically, they should be eligible for their very own companion novel.

Because people will notice if your characters are only tools, if they're only there for the MC. And it will make all your characterization seem flat.

Are your side characters fleshed out? Can you think of any examples where every character had their own story? 

22 comments:

  1. oh yes, one of my biggest pet peeves is if we only meet a character once in the whole book and their sole purpose was to relay information. Poo on that!

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  2. Hmmmmm... ;) Side characters are an interesting bunch to work with. While they help develop the plot they should not JUST develop the plot for the sake of just--that. If they are the overly intuitive side character then they should have a reason for being overly intuitive. I do like Extra's though, the people on the street who sing (haha) or grumble, or help build an atmosphere.

    I think Beautiful Creatures did a great job with side characters. They were animated, they all had a purpose and function in the story. Even if there lines were short, they made the best of them. I was impressed by how well they handled those non-MC's and seperated them from the "extra's". That series opened my eyes to animated side characters. I felt like each one had a point, purpose, and their own lives outside of their role in the plot.

    Haha! A companion for my "sides" as you know is a very likely thing for me. All of those characters outside the Immediate "Family" could very well have their own book. :P So, yes, I flesh out as best as I can, the character that fills even just a few lines and minimal space. ;)

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  3. Sometimes I flesh out my side characters so much they take over! And that's not good. Need to work on that. :)

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  4. I totally agree. I think all characters should have a function in relation to the plot. Otherwise, you just don't get attached to them and they aren't believable.

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  5. It's hard to pull off, but you're right. Characters are people, and should be based on realistic motivations. Or at least realistic to the world they live in.

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  6. Good thinking- I usually have a rough backstory in my head on all the characters that I name or speak in the novel. So then I know what their motivation is and it helps me establish how they speak, how they react to things, and what makes them tick.

    At the same time, I don't think we should list the backstory, or go into great detail about these minor characters that the MC encounters along the way. That might bog the book down a little too much. I think we just need to find that line between flat side characters with no purpose, and too much description of this insignificant side character.

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  7. So true. Everyone should always think they are the hero in the story... which is definitely not easy to do!

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  8. I do have one character that has a name and one purpose and that's it. She won't make the final cut for sure! I like that each character has their own story. It's so true!

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  9. I do like my characters to be fleshed out. I have specific backstories/stories for all my characters. They have to earn their place in my story. LOL.

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  10. I totally get what you mean. I hate it when a character is basically one huge plot device. :P

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  11. I never really thought of that, but yes, it is very true. The characters become really boring if their only purpose is to be there for the main character. hmmm... a book that Ive read that all have their own plot line... YOURS! :) Is that too much of a suck up? haha. It's true though. (p.s. I put up new posts)

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  12. Speak it, girl!

    Actually, I often have the problem where my secondary characters try to take over the show from the main characters. Seriously, they constantly try to derail my plot with subplots about them that (at the time) sound far more interesting than what my MCs are going through. Trixy suckers!

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  13. Actually this is very insightful. And I agree. (=

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  14. So true! I love when side characters have their own thing going on--their own background, their own motivations, their own subplots. It's so easy to spot when they're just plot tools! Great post.

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  15. Excellent point! I often end up liking side characters better. Actually, my fave character in my WIP (and the one that speaks most clearly to me) is a side character.

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  16. I thought the statement was outrageous, until I read the explanation.

    A character may only play a small part in this story, but the part they do play must make sense to them in the (often hidden) context of their own story.

    I'm much stronger on settings than characters, but I work to an equivalent rule that the setting should have a history behind how it came to be. A setting shouldn't exist simply to sound good on the page.

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  17. Wow, Melissa - this was EXCELLENT! I'm struggling with one of my "side" characters. I have to figure out his full story...I'm not quite there yet. Hoping to get it fleshed out long before the end. Or at least before you get the pages. ;-)

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  18. Great post! I agree. It is important for all the characters to have their own stories.

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  19. This is a brilliant statement!! I think this should have been suggested to Zack Snyder when he co-wrote Sucker Punch.

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  20. Oh, great point! At first I was going to resist the no side characters, but when you drove home the 'each is a star in her own story' THAT makes total sense. I think the HP fest yesterday points this out well. I mean there ARE side characters--characters Harry doesn't know or interact with much, but the ones we know at all, all have their own things going on and several of them have satisfying story arcs.

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  21. Well then who are the little green men following me around :-) :-)

    Love you girl (And very true)!

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  22. well said!

    i have major/minor characters in my wee tales... none are 'sides'....

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