Respect Your Secondary Characters! Here's why and how.

Hosts:
- Beth McMullen
- Lisa Schmid

Theme:  
The importance of secondary characters in storytelling.

Key Discussion Points: 
- Secondary characters add depth, complexity, and enrich the narrative.
- They contribute to the world-building, provide subplots, conflicts, and challenges.
- Effective secondary characters are distinct from main characters and have their own development arc.
- They can reflect, challenge, and highlight aspects of the protagonist, aiding in their growth.
- Secondary characters should impact the plot, offering information and altering the course of the narrative.
- Every character introduced must serve a purpose to the plot or character development.
- It’s important to avoid filler characters and “kill your darlings” if they don't contribute to the story.
- Distinctive traits or quirks should serve the story and make characters memorable.
- Complex relationships between main and secondary characters enrich the narrative and drive character growth.
- Secondary characters can embody themes or contribute symbolically to the story’s message.

Conclusion:  
Secondary characters are pivotal to storytelling success. They must be multi-dimensional, engaging, and crucial to the plot and theme. For aspiring and working writers, respecting the craft of creating secondary characters can lead to richer narratives and more compelling storytelling,  engaging readers who seek depth and authenticity in the stories they read. Listeners are encouraged to develop their secondary characters with care and intention.

Chapters

• 0:00 The Importance of Secondary Characters
• 15:44 The Importance of Secondary Characters
• 21:28 Secondary Characters and Writing Wisdom

Transcript

Beth McMullen: 0:30

Hi friends, I'm Beth McMullen and I'm Lisa Schmid, and we're the co-hosts of Writers with Wrinkles. This is season three, episode 17, and today we're talking about the absolute critical importance of secondary characters. So why are secondary characters important? Well, they're essential because they enrich the narrative and they add layers and complexities that the main characters alone cannot provide. So today we're just going to look at a little bit deeper into their importance and talk about some ways that you can create effective secondary characters. Lisa and I were just laughing about being secondary characters in our own lives. I wonder if anybody out there ever feels that way. Also important for me to tell you guys, I have another wrinkle because I am now a year older, so just want you guys to know that you're dealing with serious critical level of wrinkles here.

Lisa Schmid: 1:29

I have to say that I posted your little birthday thing for you and we put so many likes and forwards. I was like, oh my God, Beth needs to get older more often because you were very popular in the social media world.

Beth McMullen: 1:44

I'm getting older every single second. Okay, secondary characters. So, as I just said, they add depth and complexity to your story by enhancing the main plot. They're going to provide subplots and additional conflicts and challenges for that main character who you are so vested in to overcome, which in turn, not only gives that main character something to do but makes the experience the reader is having much richer. Think about this in terms of world building. So you've created a world and you now need to put people other than your main character in this world, because that will help demonstrate the rules of that universe you've created. If it's historical, it helps ground the reader in the period of history that you're talking about. So depth and complexity to your story. One other little thing is that in my writing, I fall madly in love with all of my secondary characters. I like them so much more than the main character most of the time.

Beth McMullen: 2:56

Has that ever happened to you.

Lisa Schmid: 2:59

It's the same with, I think, all my books. Yeah, definitely. I know that with Olly Oxley I had more people write to me and talk to me about Teddy, who is the ghost, who is the secondary character, like everybody was like, oh, I wish you would have written a second book with him as the secondary character. Like everybody was like, oh, I wish you would have written a second book with him as the main character, because they found him so endearing and I thought he was like to me, the secondary character is always the funny one it's.

Lisa Schmid: 3:25

You know, he's the sidekick, he's the Ed McMahon to the Johnny Carson. You know, he's that kind of ha ha ha, like doing little things on the side. So I always love the secondary characters more and then I do the main character. So, yes, that is very, very true, because it's like your main characters got issues and they're trying to find their way through. So you almost need like a little, it's like a little yin and yang. You need somebody on the other end of the spectrum going kind of cheerleading them on and helping move the plot forward.

Beth McMullen: 3:55

I've had the same thing where people have said we love this character, spin them off.

Beth McMullen: 3:59

And I think to myself but I won't like them when I spin them off, because then I'll have problems, because then they'll have problems Exactly that.

Beth McMullen: 4:09

So these secondary characters that we're talking about, they require character development in the same way that your main characters do, but in a slightly different direction, so they can act as mirrors to those main characters, highlighting their strengths and their weaknesses and their evolution across the story. They can challenge the protagonist's beliefs and push them towards that growth arc that we want in novels. They can also act as a contrast. So you can highlight something about the main character by making the secondary character have something that's opposing that, so a specific trait that is in direct opposition to the main character, that is in direct opposition to the main character and that will highlight, first of all, that difference and, second of all, that that difference is somehow going to be important for your story. So good to keep that in mind. You do have to put in a lot of effort into developing secondary characters if you want them to work, but, like Lisa said, they don't come with all of that additional baggage that your main character comes with, which is probably why we end up liking them more.

Lisa Schmid: 5:22

Yeah, I'm going to use an example. With the story I'm working on right now, the main character is obsessed with technology and gaming, which is very prevalent today, and his sidekick, the secondary character, who has her own story arc that she has to go through. She is from the 1800s, so there's the old time traveling twist, so she just with her. She doesn't have technology, so she's pulling him back to like, grounding him throughout the story. As moves through the story, he is, you know, forced to not face his, his obsession with technology, but move away from it and grow as a person and realize that there's more um to life than technology. So it just that's how I'm using the secondary character and it's going to be teaching a lesson without banging anyone over the head. You know what I mean. It's just like they have a subtle way of like like helping the reader along with the main character and nudging them to find their way to where they need to be.

Beth McMullen: 6:25

Right by moving him along his evolution of the story. Right. He's growing as a person, by seeing the world as being a larger place than just what he's seeing in his gaming universe. That's a really good example plot. So your secondary characters have a lot of responsibility for driving the plot forward by creating situations that force that main character to do something, to make a decision, to act to whatever it is and that moves your story forward. So in Lisa's example, by meeting this other kid, the secondary character, this girl from the 1800s, he's forced to change things about himself in reaction to that character, which moves the plot forward.

Beth McMullen: 7:19

Right, and moving the plot forward is absolutely one of the most important things that you're trying to do in your book. Everything you do should be moving the plot forward, including the presence of these secondary characters. Another way that they can help advance that plot is they can provide crucial information or background details or secrets that are going to alter the course of where the narrative is going, and they can do that in ways that you can't have the main character do it, so they can be used in so many different ways to push your story forward.

Lisa Schmid: 7:56

And that's. That's true, and it's one. I'm just going to keep using examples that I have Cause. Every time you bring something up, I'm like okay you're like, yeah, I, I'm doing that, yeah.

Lisa Schmid: 8:05

I think I might be doing this right. So I just finished a chapter and the this. It's not even a secondary character, it's like this this person comes into the picture that they get some information from, and the girl who's the secondary character processes that and she says something that's a huge plot point. And she says something that's a huge plot point. And that's how I ended that chapter, because I wanted readers to know okay, that's important. You're going to like need to reflect on that later on. So those are the kinds of things that if somebody comes in, you can't just have a character breeze in through the door and not really have any meaning for that person to be there. So every single person that comes into the frame has to serve a purpose. Even if it's just for one chapter, they have to have a purpose.

Beth McMullen: 8:54

That is the heart of it, right? You can't roll a cannon out onto stage and not blow it off. You have to use those characters. The whole reason that they're there because it isn't their story, it's the main character's story is to push things forward, to give information.

Beth McMullen: 9:13

I like to think about this one in terms of thrillers, because in thrillers, the way that you're doling out the information is critical to the pacing of the novel, and the pacing of those types of novels is what really makes them a fun experience to read. And you have to have the secondary characters providing those necessary bits of information that make you, as the reader, go oh, wait, a minute. Maybe what I thought was happening isn't happening. Or, okay, maybe now this person is a suspected the murder, whatever happened. Or maybe this person I thought was a good guy is actually a bad guy. So all of those fun reader things happen on the shoulders of these well-created secondary characters. And, like you said, you've got that person showing up. He has to come, or she has to come for a reason, and that reason had better be something that you're going to use quickly, because otherwise people are going to be like wait, why is this person in the room, I don't, you know, and that's the moment that you that you lose the reader and we want to keep the reader.

Lisa Schmid: 10:20

Well, and I think when you're like, especially when you're going through and revising, sometimes you'll introduce the character and think like, oh, they're going to be important, and then you kind of lose sight of them and so all of a sudden you'll go back when you're revising and be like you know what. This person, this character doesn't need to be here at all. Cut them, like, if they have not served the story, then cut them, and I've had to. You know I've cut some characters from my story that just weren't relevant, that in the beginning I was like oh, they're kind of a fun little character. He needs more friends around him. And I think sometimes people start doing that. It's like, oh, he's in middle school, he needs more friends. But no, you don't, because they become clutter and confusing. So just make sure that your secondary characters are tight and they're serving a purpose.

Beth McMullen: 11:03

Yes, kill your darlings, get rid of those characters who are pointless and don't go anywhere. And sometimes you may have to give some of their initial responsibility to other secondary characters who do manage to stay relevant through the whole story, and that's fine. You can roll stuff. That's crucial for the reader to know two other characters and have it work. Fine, nobody will miss that one who kind of petered out and disappeared.

Beth McMullen: 11:32

So creating memorable and effective secondary characters involves more than just filling out one of those character sheets and saying this kid is 12 and he has brown hair and he wears green tennis shoes. So you have to think about them on kind of multiple levels them as individuals, and also how they're going to integrate into the fabric of your story. And you want to make sure that their personalities are well-defined in a way that serves the story. So, yes, they have to be interesting, but their interesting bits have to serve the story. So, yes, they have to be interesting, but their interesting bits have to serve the story. So they need to be distinct.

Beth McMullen: 12:12

They cannot sound like the main character. They cannot sound like a variation of the main character. Their dialogue should reflect whatever unique personality or background you're giving them. They have to stand alone. So think of them as being able to stand on their own, and if somebody reads a line of dialogue, they will know immediately oh, this is Sam or whoever. And you can do that by giving them distinctive traits or quirks or habits or something that makes them stand out. But the most important thing is, whatever it is ties them to their role in the story. That is key. So, you know, maybe some kid lying is a crucial bit of your plot and when this kid lies he, like you know, chooses nails or something. So that's a distinctive, quirky thing that this kid does, but it also serves your story in moving your plot forward.

Lisa Schmid: 13:11

And again referring back to my current work in progress, this is like a case study. I love it. So the girl we've got, you know the boy from you know the main character. And then the girl from the 1800s. Well, right away I gave her some old fashioned mannerisms and stuff like that, and so right when she met the main character's aunt, she curtsied, like lowered her eyes and curtsied and said nice to meet you, and it's just like, just stuff like that. As she's going through, she still has some very old-fashioned mannerisms and traits and just the way she speaks, the main character's internally grimacing each time and trying to talk her through how to behave in current times, and so it becomes these funny little situations. So I always try to find something very distinct about a character that will almost like play off the main character and may give it humorous moments but also touching moments. So those are the kind of things. Look for ways to differentiate your two characters in such a way that it they do stand out completely from one another.

Beth McMullen: 14:09

Yes, being confused about. Is this, this person or that person? That's a, that's a red flag. You're going to want to refine that character more. They have to have a purpose. We've said some of this already.

Beth McMullen: 14:21

So you want to avoid filler characters. Again, don't don't roll somebody in who you're not going to use in some substantial way or who's going to provide a key element to the plot or subplot. And this is what Lisa just illustrated really nicely how you can evolve the role of these secondary characters as you move through the story. So a character who's initially introduced as comic relief so in the case that Lisa just talked about, she's got the girl who's out of the 1800s and she doesn't know how to act in modern times and the main character is trying to keep her from giving herself away and it leads to funny situations but she's going to become more pivotal later. So she's comic relief now, but later she's going to provide a pivotal role in the plot and the moving forward of the story.

Beth McMullen: 15:15

And that is a beautiful evolution of a character. Somebody who seems to be filling this role of like oh ha ha, this is fun. And then they become crucial to the resolution of the story. So that's a really good way to so remember that. Remember this time traveling character when you are trying to figure out if your secondary characters are fulfilling their destiny.

Lisa Schmid: 15:39

You can travel back in time to this episode.

Beth McMullen: 15:42

You can just flag this episode and revisit. Complex relationships between secondary characters and the main character are important because they impact the narrative and they allow for character growth and they make the story richer and deeper, and if it's richer and deeper than you, as the reader, are more engaged in it and you're going to turn the page and, as we say, you always want to get people to turn the page. You can also use these complex relationships to create alliances that are going to lead to conflict or the resolution of conflict, or that are going to test the protagonist. They can add tension and excitement. I think that having the relationships be complicated gives you a lot more opportunity to show parts of the main character's behavior or reactions or thinking, and that, in turn, is going to help propel your story forward.

Lisa Schmid: 16:48

So in Heart and Soul, my main character had three secondary characters. There's the three ghosts that he needed to help resolve their issues so that they could move on to the afterlife. Well, they were mirrors to him of like different aspects that he was struggling with in his own life, with the anxiety, and each one represented a different aspect of his life. Of like different aspects that he was struggling with in his own life with the anxiety, and each one represented a different aspect of his life that was causing him this. You know this overwhelming sense of anxiety and panic attacks, and by tackling each secondary character's issues, he was, in the meantime, tackling his own, and so those three secondary characters were really important in the evolution of my character, like resolving all his issues at the end of the story, and so and again, it's without like banging you know something over the reader's head. You just realize, as he's moving forward through each person, that you know each ghost that he's sending off to the afterlife, that he's slowly chipping away at his own anxieties.

Beth McMullen: 17:52

And that, right, there is a absolutely picture, perfect illustration of the last suggestion we have for how you can make these characters really pop off the page, and that is that they are personifying your theme or contributing symbolically to your story's message in some way. Story Heart and Souls focuses on a kid who is struggling with anxiety and by representing the anxiety in these three ghosts that he in turn has to solve their problem and in turn solve his problem. So they are symbolizing these issues that he's trying to get over, that he hasn't managed to conquer yet. It's like a. It's a mirror, right, it's a narrative mirror that is reflecting his own struggles onto these ghosts and they are going to help him evolve. And that's a beautiful illustration of using these secondary characters to emphasize the theme of your story or one of the themes of your story.

Beth McMullen: 18:55

So secondary characters, hopefully, you see, are not just supporting cast. They cannot be flat, they cannot be one-dimensional. They are absolutely pivotal to your storytelling success. They're gonna provide depth and conflict and a broader perspective. They're gonna enrich the stories and, most importantly, they're going to engage your readers so they continue to read your book. So do not sell them short. Make sure that they are popping off the page. They have a lot of energy and they have a lot of thought behind them and I almost feel like you can't treat them as second class citizens. You have to treat them as important individuals, because if you treat them in a shabby way, they're not going to come across on the page the way you want them and they're not going to serve your story in the way that you absolutely need them to. So that is our little secondary characters. Please respect your secondary characters please, for all you writers out there.

Lisa Schmid: 20:00

We love our secondary characters. Honestly, they're my favorite in your the Dragons book. Joe, team Joe, I know I love Joe, I love Joe, like I love Joe so much, like I want I want to be his friend he is the coolest guy ever. And so when I want I want to be his friend, like he is the coolest guy ever, and so when I mean I liked the main character, but I love Joe and I think when you were, when I was reading it, I was texting you like team Joe, team Joe, I'm team Joe, I love Joe. If you haven't read best book, it's land of dragons, right?

Beth McMullen: 20:32

Yeah, secret of the storm, land of dragons, that's the second one. Secret of the Storm is the first one.

Lisa Schmid: 20:38

If you have not read her book, these two specific books, go read them, because Jo is the perfect, perfect secondary, lovable character. I can't even emphasize that enough with how much you should go read those books.

Beth McMullen: 20:54

Yeah, I do fall in love with my secondary characters and sometimes I fall in love with the villains. That happens to me too. In fact, I think we should do an episode on villains and how to create good villains, because my villains are always like a little ridiculous and I am laughing out loud while I write them, because they can just be playing by a different set of roles than the main character, which is a lot of fun for the author. So, yeah, maybe I'm going to write that down. Yeah, all right.

Beth McMullen: 21:29

So that is it for today's episode. We hope it helped you iron out some wrinkles around secondary characters. Listeners, please remember to visit our website, writerswithwrinklesnet, and find out how to support the show by subscribing, following recommending, telling your friends, telling your enemies, telling your book group, whoever. And join us next week for episode 18, where we're talking to Bitsy Kemper, who has published 23 children's books, which is a staggering number. So this is sure to be a fun and informative episode. Bitsy has lots and lots of wisdom that she's going to share with us, so please join us for that and until then, happy reading, writing and listening. Bye Lisa, bye Beth, bye guys.