How do you build a strong cast of secondary characters?

M.Austin said:

Two of my secondary characters feel weak. There needs to be more interesting aspects of them, and I really can't seem to pick out more qualities to make them well-rounded.

Are there certain techniques you use?

One is the villian's love interest. He has a personality simliar to Dr. Manhattan. Very god-like. Solemn. Lonely.

The other is a quick tempered teenager. Daughter to an MC. There's obvious resentment between her and her father, but it's something that comes out of the bag later on in the story. When I re-read my story, there's just no connection between the reader and the character.

Any thoughts on techniques or possible qualities? (By the way, this is a fantasy)

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What do these people do when the camera's off?

What do they want? Every character should want something, even secondary characters. Why can't they have it? What do they do about that?

As a for-instance, the teen daughter might want her own life and identity. Being the MC's daughter has entirely defined her existence. She can't walk down the street without someone knowing who she is - only they don't know her, they just know her as MC's Daughter, like she's still two years old and being carried around on their shoulders. Even the MC tends to think of her as that sweet little girl who put daisy chains on their war horse and called it a "pony." Very frustrating, especially to a teenager feeling her oats. Since she can't have her independent identity, she acts out. She even comes to blame the MC for her own frustrations, and works to undermine them... a decision she might come to regret, when she realizes that the MC is more than just the Oppressive Parent Who Ruined Her Life, but a person who is fighting for something worthwhile.

A lot of what Brightdreamer said. The secondary characters should have their own lives and goals that are not necessarily parallel to the protagonists, nor necessarily opposed. While such things may not be the focus of the storyline, that they echo in the background and steer the secondary characters will add depth and interest. They'll seem more real to the reader.

M.Austin said:

Two of my secondary characters feel weak. There needs to be more interesting aspects of them, and I really can't seem to pick out more qualities to make them well-rounded.

Are there certain techniques you use?

One is the villian's love interest. He has a personality simliar to Dr. Manhattan. Very god-like. Solemn. Lonely.

The other is a quick tempered teenager. Daughter to an MC. There's obvious resentment between her and her father, but it's something that comes out of the bag later on in the story. When I re-read my story, there's just no connection between the reader and the character.

Any thoughts on techniques or possible qualities? (By the way, this is a fantasy)

Click to expand...

As with any character who has significant "screen time", you have to make the reader connect -- have that sympathetic character. It often doesn't take much.
For a character that is there for most of the story, is important in some way, but doesn't have a POV, then I map out their history, their goals, their quirks, their strengths and weaknesses. I try to give them a trait that reflects their role in the story in some way that the reader can connect with. The Dr. Manhattan guy may secretly like the attention from the villain and be somewhat smitten -- completely opposite of his normal self. That's something that readers relate to. Who hasn't been flattered when they have an admirer? Who hasn't been interested in a person who is totally wrong for them? But that's just an example. The point is to find something that connects that character to both the story and the reader.

A despicable character from No Country for Old Men, Anton -- a serial killer and sadist, is still sympathetic. He has a quirk of letting fate decide the outcome and always abides by that. He'll flip a coin to determine if he should kill somebody or not. And, if he makes a threat, he always follows through. It's his code of "honor". These things make him real to the reader. Who has not wanted to act that decisively? Have everything in your life be that clear? This is what makes your characters feel strong to the reader.

Also, it's pretty common to have a character who seems dull and unconnected when you know you're going to have them be or do something cool later in the book. You know that character is important, but you forget to let the reader know. To the reader, that character seems like a throw-away. When the cool thing happens, the reader will feel a bit cheated because they don't care about that character.

Just make them people with motives and reasons for doing what they do. Also always look at it from a reader's perspective after writing. Forget what you know about the character you'll see the character how a reader will see them. As obvious as it sounds, it's very easy to fall into trap of assuming the reader knows stuff just because you do.

Work on the small details around them - how they talk, body language, etc. But beyond that, spend time defining those characters beyond what you actually show on the page. If you have vivid details for yourself, it's not too bad to splash some of those into each scene around the character. Keep them complex (like real people), even if mostly behind the scenes. It will come through. Even if a character only has a few lines, if you know that character well, you will know just how that person will say those lines.

M.Austin said:

Once again, I just wanted to say thank you!

I've just never had the issue before, and the two characters have so many secrets that have to be revealed at certain points, it just makes them feel... initially bland.

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Beware of holding back too much stuff from the audience, just to pow 'em between the eyes later on. That often reads less as "Wow! I didn't see that awesome revelation coming!" and more as "Seriously? I'm supposed to believe that? I don't think so." Also, you're discovering, if you hide all the interesting stuff, your characters appear dull.

There's an old adage among supporting actors that “Hamlet” is a play about a gravedigger who meets a prince. Keep that in mind when you're writing their scenes and I think you'll be on the right track.

I work off the principle that each character is the protagonist in their own story and write it that way in their pov whilst still in the mc's timeline/story

Give them desires and dreams. Give them flaws. Give them an arc so that they're not the folks they are at the end as the beginning.

Think of your friends, business relationships, and relatives - in particular, their quirks and idiosyncrasies - and invest your secondary characters with them, accordingly.

My supporting characters hang out and whine at me until I give them lives. It's very annoying. I think they mostly do it because they think it will make me less likely to kill them.* Not true.

* I am in no way suggesting that my characters are real people. But when I've extrapolated their personalities and backgrounds well enough, it can seem like that's the case.

Give them conflict. Conflict is what makes interesting characters, plots, and worlds. I like a suggestion I heard in Brandon Sanderson's lecture series, I think. When coming up with characters, give them traits and/or roles in the story that naturally conflict with each other.

It was something along those lines.

I think vulnerability can go a long way. If the reader even has a momentary pang of empathy for a character, they'll hold that character in their heart for a long time.

Especially for your Dr. Manhattan character, this could work. Suffering in silence, particularly with loneliness, is something a lot of people understand. Look for moments when you can have that character say something that implies, "I am lonely, and I don't know how to fix it."

Heck, with the right build-up, you could even have him say it overtly and it would work, especially if there's no solution offered even after he says it.

M.Austin said:

Two of my secondary characters feel weak. There needs to be more interesting aspects of them, and I really can't seem to pick out more qualities to make them well-rounded.

Are there certain techniques you use?

One is the villian's love interest. He has a personality simliar to Dr. Manhattan. Very god-like. Solemn. Lonely.

The other is a quick tempered teenager. Daughter to an MC. There's obvious resentment between her and her father, but it's something that comes out of the bag later on in the story. When I re-read my story, there's just no connection between the reader and the character.

Any thoughts on techniques or possible qualities? (By the way, this is a fantasy)

Click to expand...

Give them their own agendas, their own secrets and fears. And then let those secrets, fears, and agendas drive their actions, so that conflict with other characters is inevitable.

M.Austin said:

Two of my secondary characters feel weak. There needs to be more interesting aspects of them, and I really can't seem to pick out more qualities to make them well-rounded.

Are there certain techniques you use?

One is the villian's love interest. He has a personality simliar to Dr. Manhattan. Very god-like. Solemn. Lonely.

The other is a quick tempered teenager. Daughter to an MC. There's obvious resentment between her and her father, but it's something that comes out of the bag later on in the story. When I re-read my story, there's just no connection between the reader and the character.

Any thoughts on techniques or possible qualities? (By the way, this is a fantasy)

Click to expand...

I like to focus heavily on how the characters interact with each other, so think about which MCs your secondary characters have the most chemistry with. However, they need to have some kind of an outlet to express their feelings, even if it's not person-to-person. Does the quick tempered teen have anyone she can engage in witty banter with, in order to strike a chord with the reader?

Basically, write them as if they were main characters. In a book (or movie), a main character doesn't know they're the main character. You may know Bob is the main character, but as far as Joe is concerned, it's his story. He's got his own stuff to deal with while Bob is over there doing his Bob thing. Joe's life doesn't stop because Bob isn't in the scene, and while Joe might want to help Bob in his quest (what are friends for?), Joe will still be dealing with his own problems. So, in short, imagine writing Bob's novel from Joe's perspective and make him compelling enough to follow.

That is, unless you have a cast of hundreds like, say, Harry Potter. You can't always put that much focus on every secondary character. Dean Thomas isn't always interesting... unless he's dating Ginny and making Harry jealous (though in a self-hatred kind of way since Dean's a nice guy).

But if you're talking about like a core group of characters (3-7), then yeah. You can easily pull it off. Most importantly, just give your characters personality. If they aren't fun to write, they aren't fun to read.