This is the title of a workshop I gave at a Colorado Gold conference a few years ago. I also gave it at the Bend Christian Writers Conference and will be giving it next Month at a Redmond Writers meeting. I wish I had the space to really get into it here because it's a very involved topic. I created a character hierarchy of 3 levels of secondary characters and 8 subcategories. Yep, I take my secondary characters VERY seriously. 8^) The amount of research I did would fill a book.
I've proposed my workshop to the Emerald City conference and am waiting to hear back.
Here's a really brief overview.
Purpose of Secondary Characters:
• To aid the main character in his or her story goal and to help define the main character’s role in the story.
• To provide obstacles that prevent the main character from reaching his or her goal.
• To force the main character to prove his/her worthiness in reaching the story goal.
• To help a main character grow and assist him in completing his character arc
• To provide contrast and comparison with the main character physically, emotionally and mentally
• To provide drama because conflict can’t happen in a vacuum
• To interact with the main character and force him to show his true colors.
• To broaden the scope of the story with texture and variety.
• To expand a story’s theme (ex: The Big Chill — reunion story that is enriched by the variety of character types.)
• To develop subplots that add multiple dimensions to the main plot
So how much research and thought do you put into your secondary characters? If you'd like a copy of my hierarchy chart, I'll be happy to email the pdf to you.
Karen
10 comments:
I enjoy secondary characters, Karen. And I have a lot of fun with them, giving them quirks and using them to move my mains through their journeys, but I gotta 'fess up, I don't spend a lot of time on them. Most are just bit players in my books.
I usually develop a secondary character for each of the main characters who is their mentor, or the one who pushes them toward the other main character, and if I have a villain, I do some thinking on him/her. After that the secondary characters just kind of pop up as I'm writing. I don't delve into what makes them tick only how they move the story along.
But I don't do extensive character charts or anything on the secondary characters, just list their attributes and what role they have in the story.
This dang thing just scrubbed my whole message!
Well, what I said was this:
Karen, girlfriend, fess up...do you have a chart for everything?
I like secondary characters and agree with you about their importance. Some more than others, obviously, and if they are going to get a supporting actor role and not just a walk on part, I think about them a lot.
But I don't make charts! I think you are a chart person or you aren't one. I'm not one.
Alice
Alice, I'm not a chart person. I'm probably the least organized person on the planet and getting worse as I get older. The closest thing I have to a chart is a dry erase board that lists the design projects I'm working on with scribbled dates and illegible codes that only I can (sometimes) understand.
But I do have this thing that looks a little like a flow chart for the secondary character hierarchy. At the bottom I have level one, which includes cameos, spear carriers and ghosts (figure of speech because they're not what you think); level two is for your gate keepers, allies and rivals; and level one are the more major secondaries like mentors and sidekicks. This chart isn't used to fill anything in, it's just a diagram to show the 3 levels of importance, which is the whole point of my workshop.
Paty, if you attend the March meeting for Redmond Writers, you'll see what I'm talking about.
I don't research my secondary characters, but I plan them out based on their supporting roles in the story. The lower levels are like props and they serve to help set the stage. The clerk at the grocery store who appears only once doesn't carry the same weight as the heroine's best friend, yet his function is integral to the scene I've set.
It's just a different way of looking at your secondaries and giving them purpose.
Karen
LOL. Color me glad about the charts. I pictured story boards and....
I've read about the titles you mentioned, the gate keepers and mentors, etc. and it makes sense to think about their roles in your books.
But I have a hard time picturing you as unorganized. As I get older, I do keep track of certain things better because I can't depend on my brain to do it without a back-up plan! Maybe you're like that?
Redmond has it's own writing group? Cool.
Alice
Alice, the Redmond Writers are kind of a rag tag bunch who write all kinds of things, not just fiction. But they're very eager and real friendly folks. I think there are close to 50 members.
I really am disorganized. Seriously. I'm very proud of my scribbled white board, though. It helps me to write lists and this is the closest I get to writing them, unless it's a grocery list. But it's my husband who starts those. We'd have an empty refrigerator if he didn't. 8^)
Karen
Okay, I have to admit. My head really spun when I read your post!
I, too, don't chart or outline or deeply analyze my secondary characters. They grow as the story grows. I often think, what other person will be in this scene? How do they impact the hero or heroine? How does their relationship with the hero and heroine impact the overall story and add another element of conflict.
That said, Karen, I'd love to see your hierarchy.
It isn't necessary to plan out your secondaries if you have a simple plot. But if you have a complex story that's richly layered with conflict, it's not a bad idea to think a bit harder about the roles your secondaries can play.
Here are my notes for one of the level two categories:
Rivals
Similar to a guardian’s role, rivals exist as obstacles to the MC’s story goal and act as the MC’s competition. Though rivals are enemies, a rival is not the villain because he or she only wants to compete and win, but not necessarily to eliminate the main character, which is the villain’s goal.
Rivals are foils who get in the way and can either be annoying barriers with comic side effects, or serious obstacles that stand to ruin the main character’s life.
Rivals are motivated by jealousy and envy, and can have low self-esteem. They may be weak characters, as opposed to a villain who is strong. Rivals are bullies, jealous ex-girlfriends, petty individuals with an axe to grind. It’s possible for a rival to change over the course of the story and become an ally. An example of this would be from the book and movie Legally Blond: El’s ex-boyfriend’s fiance starts out hating and fearing El’s relationship with her fiance, but by story’s end looks up to El for her intelligence and strength.
Karen
I love secondary characters and I'd love to have you email me the pdf. Thanks for the offer and the great post Karen. You'll have to do a retreat class for us!
As usual, I'm chiming in late ... I'd love to see your chart(s), Karen! I am a chart person. And the comments to this post give me more than a clue what the comments to my post today will probably be! LOL!
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