A book is made up of many things other than the main character, an essential key factor that affects the narrative of your book is the supporting characters. These characters can be anything from a parent, sibling, best friend, and co-worker to evil villains, bosses, or romantic rivals.
The number of these characters varies according to the type of book you are crafting. These supporting characters deserve their own arc, story, background, aspirations, hobbies, and personalities.
Their actions greatly influence the main character’s path and play an integral role in making the plot interesting and engaging. You can get help from professional custom narrative writing services which are experts in crafting intriguing and memorable supporting characters.
Step-By-Step Guide To Creating Unforgettable Supporting Characters
Crafting unforgettable supporting characters for your book requires thorough research and brainstorming for unique ideas. Some of the steps to follow are below:
Take Inspiration From Others
The first step you should take in making unforgettable yet creative characters is to research and brainstorm ideas. You can also take inspiration from different character archetypes or famous novels and add your unique touch to create memorable characters for your story.
Some popular supporting character archetypes are:
- The Best Friend
- The Nemesis
- The Love Interest
- The Mentor
- The Fool
Define Clear Goals And Motives
Clearly define the exact goals and motives of your characters. Even if they are opposing characters, you can still make their motives clear to the readers while hiding them from the main lead. This will provide them with a distinct style and design personality or traits according to it.
Identify Their Role In The Story
The next step in your supporting character writing process is carefully identifying the role they will be playing in your narrative. Your characters can have the following roles in the story:
- Support The Protagonist- Your character can be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a supporting sibling, or even a child to the protagonist. These characters have a specific role in the story which is to support the main character.
- Oppose The Protagonist- Your character can be a strict boss, an evil villain, a jealous love interest, or even an abusive parent. These characters only have one role in the story which is to oppose the main character.
- Move The Plot Forward- These include general characters like a fellow colleague, a son’s friend, a neighbor, etc. These characters are mainly in the story to just move the plot forward and contribute to surrounding characters.
Relationship With The Protagonist
The relationship of your character with the main lead is also of extreme importance in the story. This will decide their screen time, dialogues, and overall contribution to the narrative. Some of the examples are:
- Antagonist- This is the one who opposes the protagonist in everything they do and puts on a villainous role in the story.
- Companion- This is the one that supports the protagonist and is usually found in supporting them in their every decision.
- Mentor- The mentor is the one who guides the protagonist or teaches them a valuable life lesson to be remembered throughout the story.
- Foil- A foil is a character who is the opposite of a protagonist and is simply there to provide a contrast to the character.
Provide Them With A Distinct Voice
Your character’s voice should be distinct from the main character and provide an idea about who they are as a person. Their tone, pacing, diction, and body language, all should be different and add to their unique characters. Voice does not only include how they sound but also how they act and behave.
Create A Memorable Backstory
Lastly, you should consider giving your supporting characters a memorable backstory to explain their motives. If it is an evil character then you can explain their actions through the trauma or experiences they had in childhood. Moreover, backstories are a great factor in providing more insight into a character.
Final Thoughts
Supporting characters have great power in enhancing your genre and altering the course of your protagonist. These are some of the tips that will guide you in the process of making your characters more memorable.
Comments