All we ever talk about is the protagonist. You know, the hero, the main character, the center of the universe in their story, but side characters need love, too. In most stories, I fall in love with the side characters. Most of the time, the side characters are just as, if not more, interesting than the protagonist.
Side characters are as much a part of the story as your protagonist. Without side characters, your hero will stand in an empty world. The side characters are the friends, family, and strangers who interact with your hero.
Given that side characters are a significant part of a story, we need to learn how to write side characters. In this article, we will discuss what a side character is, why they’re important, and how to write complex side characters.
What are Side Characters?
Before we learn how to write side characters, do you know what a side character truly is? You probably already have an idea in your head, but side characters are more than just characters that populate the story. To write complex side characters, you need to understand what it truly means.
As I said earlier, they’re family members, friends, classmates, and even strangers. In other words, side characters are any characters who surround your protagonist, but aren’t the protagonist. Here comes the catch: there are different types of side characters.
Furthermore, a better way to think of side characters is as elements that shape how the story unfolds around the protagonist. They influence decisions, create conflicts, offer support, and show us new perspectives. For writers, they are a literary device that helps you tell the story.
Types of Side Characters
Not all side characters are created equal. Some are more important to the narrative than others. Therefore, you shouldn’t give all side characters the same amount of attention. Therefore, we can categorize side characters into three main categories.
1. Background
Background characters are exactly what it sounds like. They’re the people in the background who appear briefly in the narrative and aren’t important to the central conflict.
Background characters are often nameless and may appear only once or twice in the story. They fill a minor role, such as a cashier, a stranger on the sidewalk, or a server with only one line. They make the world feel more realistic for readers and show us how the protagonist interacts with the outside world. The background characters themselves don’t influence the central conflict in any meaningful way. They only reinforce how the readers are supposed to perceive the world the protagonist lives in.
2. Minor Characters
These characters have more power than background characters. They appear more than once. Minor characters can be classmates, neighbours, coworkers, or any recurring people in the story.
Minor characters have a small role; they often fulfil one small task that serves the narrative. Regardless of their role, they aren’t in focus.
3. Secondary Characters
Secondary characters are characters secondary to the main characters. It’s that simple. They’re the most important type of side characters, and we’re going to focus on this variant of side characters in this post.
They are closely connected to the protagonist and are often deeply involved in the central conflict. They might even have subplots revolving around the secondary characters. Note that there are generally speaking few secondary characters. This allows you to add depth and let them share the spotlight alongside the protagonist.
Why Learning How to Write Side Characters Matters
You are getting the hint that side characters, regardless of which type, are important. They all contribute to shaping the story. Understanding why and how they’re important helps you to create strong side characters, which makes the overall story better. It’s also the first step in learning how to write memorable side characters.
Influence the protagonist: One of the most important roles of a side character is to show how the protagonist interacts with others. You can’t truly reveal who the protagonist is without letting them interact with other people. Who the protagonist is with other people can say a lot about them. How they speak, act, and build relationships is a form of characterization.
Drive the story forward: Although side characters aren’t the centerpiece of the story, they can play a major role in driving the plot forward, especially secondary side characters. They can introduce conflicts, create tension, and provide a solution. In other words, side characters are an active element of the story necessary to the narrative.
Add realism: Side characters make the story more realistic by simply existing. A protagonist doesn’t exist in a vacuum; people surround them. The side characters have different personalities, motives, and distinct character voices, which adds a new layer to the narrative.
Example of How to Write Side Characters Well
If I haven’t talked you to death, let me give you an example of a strong side character: none other than Haymitch Abernathy from The Hunger Games.
Haymitch is the mentor to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games. Haymitch is introduced as a drunk, lousy mentor who isn’t going to help Katniss or Peeta’s unfortunate situation.
He’s a character shaped by his trauma and current struggles, which only make him feel more human. At the same time, he plays a significant role in the narrative, helping the protagonist, Katniss, win the Hunger Games.
Haymitch exists beyond the page; he has his own history, but still plays a crucial role in the story. He has a different personality than Katniss, and the author can show us what kind of world The Hunger Games take place in through Haymitch
How to Write Side Characters Step-by-Step
If you want to write a good story, then we need to stop talking and begin working. Let’s break down how to write side characters using this simple framework.
Step 1: Define Your Side Character’s Role
Why is this side character in the story? You need to ask yourself that before you do anything with this character. Define your side character’s role and how you want them to serve the story.
Pick which type of side character they are. Once you do that, you need to find their purpose. Do they exist for thematic or structural reasons?
For example, a character might exist to challenge the protagonist’s belief, while another one’s main purpose is to drive the plot.
Step 2: Give Your Side Character a Personality
Your characters are people in their own right. You should always think of your characters as people. They existed long before the story began, and they also exist when they’re not in a scene.
This means asking yourself who they are as an individual. What their strengths and weaknesses are. Even what their favourite ice cream flavour is. Multidimensional characters are often a synonym for complex characters.
Read how to create multidimensional characters in this simple guide to character creation.
Step 3: Connect Your Side Character to the Protagonist
As you gathered, the story revolves around the protagonist. That prompts the question: What are the side characters to the protagonist?
Their connection shouldn’t be random. You can use your own life as inspiration. Think of any people you might interact with: family, friends, coworkers, neighbours, or a passerby. You either met them because you’re from the same family, area, or at the very least, share the same interest. What all of the people in your life have in common is that you either met them somewhere or someone you knew did.
The connection the side character has to the protagonist is a key clue to their role in the story. For example, a mother might be a secondary character.
Step 4: Create a Character Arc for Your Side Character
This one might sound scary, but I promise it isn’t. When I say figure out their character arc, I mean figure out how they change over the course of the story.
Do they grow (dynamic character) or do they stay the same (static character)? If you map this out, it will help clarify their role and even give a clue about how the central conflict will develop.
Not every character needs a complex character arc, but depending on what kind of side character they are, the story can definitely change them as much as it changes the protagonist. This is especially true for secondary characters who are on the journey with the hero.
Step 5: Give Your Side Character an Agenda
Behind every act, there’s a motive. Every character has an agenda. They have an idea of how a conversation will go or what to order at a restaurant. It’s human nature to desire.
Their goal can be big or small, but they should have one. It determines how a scene unfolds and affects the overall plot. Characters with no agenda are passive and feel unimportant. They often end up as space holders rather than deserving members of your story.
Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Side Characters
The truth about literature is you can do something right in many different ways, which can make it harder for you to know what to do. However, many typical things can ruin your side character. After all this effort, I don’t want you to do that. Therefore, learn about these pitfalls that can ruin your side character.
Make them flat: If you want to write an entertaining and thought-provoking story, don’t give your secondary character the personality of a rock. Your side character offers a new perspective on things, and no one wants to see things through the black-and-white colored glasses your character wears.
A tool: The best way to kill your side characters is to make them a tool to advance the plot. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: your characters are people in their own right. They don’t exist to reveal information to your protagonist or be the villain so your protagonist can be the hero.
A crowd: Too many side characters can be as damaging as no side characters. Too many characters make the story feel crowded, confusing readers, and stretch the little attention you have spread out thin. I could go on, but you get the sentiment. It’s better to have fewer, more-developed side characters who can make a lasting impact on the narrative.
Final Thoughts on How to Write Side Characters
Creating new characters is one of my favourite things to do. It’s like meeting new people. Every character has their flaws, strengths, and personality traits. They both add a new perspective to the narrative and shape the plot. Side characters are as important as the main character.
However, it isn’t about creating new characters from scratch. But it doesn’t have to be a negative thing. Slow down and take the time to learn what it truly means to write side characters.
