Support Characters
How to Boost Boring Plots
Support characters are crucial to story development. I use them often to boost a protagonist by presenting challenges he needs to overcome. Support characters can also provide comic relief to a serious scene that has become a little dull. I have to remind myself, though, not to get carried away. Two questions I always answer before introducing a support character are: Is the character necessary? And will he create conflict? The answer should be yes to both. As listed below, there are four conditions where I routinely use support characters.
One - To Add Conflict:
Conflict drives the narrative. It introduces tension and/or emotional strife. It forces characters to make choices that can expose personal traits, strengths, and weaknesses. The decisions characters make regarding the conflict thrown at them can determine the trajectory of the story in dramatic ways.
Adding conflict can force characters to deal with internal or external struggles such as guilt, temptation, or fear. For example, a strong, confident male character seems invincible. Then a scrawny little nobody comes along and makes him crumble. Everyone is in awe that the little guy can intimidate the big guy. I’ve just introduced tension. The main character struggles emotionally with how to deal with the little guy. Now I’ve introduced strife. Later I reveal that the little guy has dirt on the big guy. And now I’ve defined the conflict.
By introducing a rise in action, I’ve added conflict by challenging the protagonist. I’ve also presented an escalation of drama that needs to be reconciled. How the big guy handles it will transform the trajectory of the story.
Two - To Prop up the Main Character:
I can do this by using narrative tweaks. I like to use supporting characters to assist or compensate for a main character’s weaknesses or struggles with development. This method can serve different purposes. Take these three for instance:
ONE: I might create a support character with the sole purpose of making a main character look more competent, or more charismatic.
TWO: Sometimes I’ll create a support character as contrast to the main character. For example, to display opposing qualities.
THREE: I might also boost a main character’s emotional shortcomings by creating a support character to evoke sympathy or tension.
Three - To Create Subplots:
Sometimes I’m cruising along around the midpoint of writing a story and I notice old Ben, the antagonist, is putting on quite a performance, but he has done it by making the protagonist look weak. This is the time I’ll add a subplot to create a little tension, to let the reader see Ben may be due a little comeuppance. For instance, the protagonist has grown tired of Ben making him look bad. I’ll create a subplot to show the protagonist finally fighting back, regaining the readers’ confidence that he deserves the leading role.
To build an effective subplot, I’ll create a scenario that echoes, complicates, or contrasts the story’s core theme. I’ll introduce a support character and give her goals, flaws and what have you. I’ll then have her challenge the protagonist. An example might be the protagonist’s best friend, who has been supportive for years. But then suddenly she openly defies or challenges the protagonist.
In short, I use subplots to introduce conflicts that challenge the protagonist. I do this by evoking humor, romance, or a suspenseful situation. Doing so can effectively change the story’s pacing. This type of boost is especially useful in giving the reader a bit of breathing room, especially after an intense horror, violence, or romance scene.
Four - To Build Tension:
Building tension helps to keep the reader engaged. I use a few techniques to accomplish this.
ONE: Dangle Information: This is an important tension-building technique. I’ll let readers know that something juicy is coming but withhold what it is or when it may come. Sometimes I’ll give just enough information to let the reader think they know what is coming but not enough that they can be sure of it. Other times I may give the reader information that the main character doesn’t even know about yet. That gives the reader buy-in, a little “I-know-something-you-don’t-know” virtual taunt. It puts the onus on me to make the character come back with a slam like, “Hah! You’re-not-as-smart-as-you-thought-you-were.”
TWO: Employ a Gradual Buildup: Once I’ve revealed something is coming, I begin a gradual build-up to it. I could reveal the goods within the next few paragraphs, the next scene, or even several chapters later. My go-to method is to define a conflict and then produce small conflicts in layers as I build up to revealing it all.
THREE: Create Psychological Pressure: I’ll introduce a character’s guilt, temptation, or fear. One thing I do for buildup to intense thriller scenes is let the reader dive briefly inside a character’s mind. This is especially effective when dealing with serial killers. I’ve found that readers love getting glimpses into the thought processes of those folks.
FOUR: Weaponize Dialogue: I love using dialogue, though modestly. Dialogue can be powerful in storytelling. When building tension, sometimes what’s not said is more powerful than what is. Here’s an example:
Antagonist. “You didn’t tell me he was going to kill Shannon.”
Protagonist. “I didn’t tell you he wasn’t either.”
Evasive dialogue like this grabs the reader's attention and breathes life into an otherwise dull scene. What other secrets is the protagonist keeping from the antagonist? Did he hold back details that could potentially incriminate the antagonist?
My Favorite Support Character:
One of my favorite support characters is Scott Henney from my novel, Requisite Evil. Scott played the support role for the Antagonist, and she put the poor guy through hell. As for emotion, he ran the gamut. He was sometimes comic relief, and at other times he fought a psychological battle for his very survival. In the end, he was the bad guy you wanted to hate, but couldn’t because he was also the guy you felt the most sorry for.
Conclusion:
Support characters can make or break your efforts at story development. They serve a crucial role in how your main characters are received. Support characters can make the characters they support look like geniuses or the biggest a-holes in the story. Using support characters effectively can revive a scene or chapter that has drifted a bit to the boring side. Using support characters to create or deal with conflict can be a powerful way to guide your readers where you want them to go or to refocus their concentration to a developing backstory while you continue building the climax of the main story.
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