Creating Context: Personal History & Supporting Characters
Good morning, writers.
Yesterday we talked (well, I talked) about crafting original characters. Now that you’ve got some original main characters, it’s time to start creating the world they’ll inhabit for 300 plus pages. I’ll address setting and how to research it later. Here I’m more concerned with the pasts you attach to your characters and the people you surround them with.
Providing Depth Gives You Options
Creating complete histories for your characters early on in the writing process helps you identify what tools you’ll have at your disposal later when crafting the details of your plot and creating tension between your characters. Old grudges are stronger then new offenses. Childhood emotions can be less rational and more motivating than adult ones. Family relationships can have greater depth when they include histories full of battle scars and shared mistakes. Backstory can be a powerful tool for highlighting the character (as in integrity, attitude, etc.) of your characters.
Leave Some Question Marks In Your Support Cast
A consistent, varied supporting cast is, for me, one of the hallmarks of a great novel. Reading is in many ways an escape. It’s a chance to be someone else and experience their adventures. It’s also a chance to experience their relationships. I believe we were all made to be in relationship with others – friends, families, spouses, mentors, bosses. We are all surrounded by relationship. And books that embrace rich relationships give us insight into our own… or maybe a chance to escape our own? Either way, if you’ve ever found yourself grinning while reading the snappy dialogue between a group of best friends, you know that a support cast can provide a welcome relief to the tension in your story.
That said, what kinds of characters should be in your support cast? There are several mainstays – the best friend, the ex, the family, the coworker, etc. I’m sure you’re well aware of how to craft them as they’re in 99% of the books you read. Most of these standard characters are either affiliated with the good guys or the bad guys, right? I’m a fan of throwing a few extras in there that remain question-marks in the readers’ minds. Maybe they’re drawn between loyalties or just don’t want to get involved. It’s up to you. I like these guys to be hanging around, especially in suspense, because they provide a nice smokescreen for your real bad guy.
To wrap things up… I’ve been trying recall the best ’supporting’ characters I’ve read recently, which I’ll post sometime tomorrow.
As an aside, I’m getting ready to take the first section of the CPA exam on Thursday so if I suddenly disappear and fall off the schedule I set out yesterday, you can probably find me at starbucks with my face in a book and my hands shaking from too much caffeine. Hopefully I won’t do too much damage to my nervous system between now and Thursday afternoon when I take my exam. However, as of right now the plan is to remain on schedule.
Have a great day, everyone!
