The Guy Next Door
Minor Characters? The extras on your shopping list…
Okay. You’ve figured out your main characters, the stars of your story. Now who will be the supporting actors and actresses? This is your chance to use those preconceived ideas about names and/or stereotypes. Put those to work for you. But take it up a notch to make them really memorable.
Do you need a cabbie in NYC? Make him either so focused on speed that your hero has to hold on for dear life or extra talkative to someone who just wants to be left alone. Unforgettable minor characters are an EXTREME version of what you’d normally expect.
Now don’t bother to give someone a name if their only job is to bump into your protagonist at the airport and make her spill her overflowing purse. Unless you plan to have the clutz sit next to her on the plane. Minor characters who only show up once probably won’t need a name.
Moving forward:
Me? I added a soft-spoken ranch foreman who barely strings 2 words together and his wife who talks in these amazing run-on sentences. Then an unethical journalist. (A reader recently told me that the journalist was her favorite character to hate. I was so proud!)
You? Create a few characters that are so fun that your readers will crave more page time with them!
Do you have a favorite minor character from something you’ve read? Who is it, and what made them so memorable to you? Post below and share the fun!
Remember:
My FREE novel planning templates are available beginning June 14, 2021, from my Novel Planning page here, along with links to the brief blog posts that explain them. You will also find links to posts describing my additional planning templates that are available here in my Shop.
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I have a “Word of the Year” or Logos 365 for 2015: Enough. As in, God is my Enough. His Grace is Enough. When I think I need someone to act this way or that, NO: God is my Enough. I am so weak, but that works in my favor. 2 Cor. 12:9 tells me that my weakness releases His power. If I’m weak, I must rely on God. I must realize that anything wonderful COMES FROM HIM.
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