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Why are secondary characters important in fictional writing?

Secondary characters are minor characters that interconnect with the main characters in order to add substance to a story. Their appearance and how they are weaved into the plot affects the fate of the main characters.

Considering the secondary characters right from the start, alongside the primary characters, has to be of benefit. The following gives you some pointers on using secondary characters to add colour and intrigue to your fictional writing:

Secondary characters from the start

As a fictional writer you will encounter many issues about getting the plot right and bringing the story to a sound conclusion. However, considering the secondary characters right from the start, alongside the primary characters, has to be of benefit.

Think of these secondary or minor characters as the supporting cast that prop up the story. They are the ‘backbone’ of your storytelling, so the time to include them is straight away in your planning.

Don’t overshadow the main characters

Although secondary characters need a lot of attention, they should stay in their minor roles and never overshadow the main characters, because this will only complicate the story. Instead, you need to make each secondary character relate somehow to the main character.

In a simple where Luke is the main character in ‘Star Wars’, a mentor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), gives critical help or knowledge to the hero (Luke). Threshold guardians (Imperial Stormtroopers, Jabba the Hut) hinder the hero along the way. Luke remains a main player throughout, with his actions being affected by these secondary characters.

This sums up how secondary characters are important to the storyline, influencing the outcomes for the main character.

Who are they?

Who could these secondary characters be – siblings, friends or rivals, perhaps? This is completely down to the journey you wish your main character to take.

If you consider the ways in which any person’s behaviour can be influenced, you may come up with a whole range of other characters’ traits – from good to evil; from encouraging to pessimistic; from helpful to dismissive.

How could these characteristics have an effect on your story? It could be that they have no intention of affecting the main character but their actions, nevertheless, change the path that your main player takes and where he or she ultimately ends up.

Creating a realistic story

Secondary characters may not have as much backstory as primary characters but their lives still go on behind the scenes and this should not be forgotten. They are not just a convenience for the plot.

In fact, they may have their own agendas and play a key part in the decision-making. Use them to make your main character more ‘human’ by highlighting their flaws and bringing out their talents. This is surely something that would make any story more believable.

Conclusion

Fleshing out your secondary characters, then, is an essential component of the story making process. Including believable secondary characters in your fictional writing will enable you to consider different plots and angles and even different outcomes.

It is clear that including secondary characters in fiction should, with practice, be ‘second nature’. It would be, afterall, most challenging to write a story with solely a main character.

One final tip: surround your secondary characters with enough intrigue so that you could imagine them later having a story of their own.