A throwaway character is a character that comes up once or twice, serves their purpose, then disappears forever. They’re more important than background characters, in that they have something significant about them, but they aren’t important or relevant enough to become regular characters, side or otherwise. As with all characters that are brought to the readers’ attention for only a moment, the trick is to not make them so interesting that the readers keep asking “Where’d So And So go?”

In Girl in Red, characters dropped in and out of the story constantly. For instance, I gave many of the prefects names, but even so, they remained background characters. Having a name or a line or two doesn’t necessarily bring a character out of the background. In year four, I introduced several characters from the other schools, in particular when there was an inter-school Quidditch match. These characters were brought out of the background, making them, at least for a time, side characters.

Throwaway characters aren’t necessarily a bad thing. For instance, I introduced a Chaser from Beauxbatons named Adele Caron. She mostly remained relevant to the story during the Quidditch match. Because she’d become friends with Sally-Anne, she popped back into the story later, but mostly disappeared. She served her purpose, and there was little reason for her to return to the story. No loose ends, no one wondering why she didn’t come back.

I ran into a problem with another throwaway character, Sophie Caron, Adele’s younger sister. She befriended Luna, but despite this, was rarely mentioned, if ever. I might have tossed a reference to her in a few times, but for the most part, it felt like a loose end, a forgotten part of the story. I was able to find a use for her in year seven, when Adele, Sophie, and some friends of theirs were staying in England, where Luna and Hermione found them. They provided shelter when the girls were on the run, allowing me to use the characters about whom I’d nearly forgotten. It felt as though a loose end had been tied up.

Especially when writing a series in which characters come and go, there will be times when a character disappears from the narrative. While neither of the Caron sisters were particularly interesting, I didn’t like that I’d introduced them, then left them. It’s important that when a character leaves the story, that they come back when it becomes relevant again. At the very least, they should be mentioned, if only asking “Where’d they go?” The best way to handle them, at least that I’ve found, is to trust your instincts. If it feels like they should come back, bring them back for a moment. It’s up to you.

#Essay #Characters #SideCharacters

© 2023 Sky Starlight CC BY-NC-SA

“Elevated Extras” refers to a side character that has suddenly become a main character. Or, if not a main character, they are suddenly more relevant to the plot than they were earlier. This happens often in TV shows where a character who was popping up every so often is suddenly in every episode. This may happen because they needed to add more main characters, or because a character has suddenly become more relevant. Like any side character who suddenly has more attention, they have to be interesting, otherwise people won’t care.

There is a difference between an elevated extra and a main character that wasn’t getting a lot of attention. In Girl in Red, I didn’t give Neville much focus until year three, but that doesn’t make him an elevated extra. He wasn’t exactly a side character; I certainly didn’t think of him as one. He was a main character that didn’t get a lot of focus. In Person of Interest, a lot of the characters they add to the cast are arguably main characters that didn’t get a lot of attention at first. Fusco, Root, and Shaw are all examples of this. As with an elevated extra, they must be interesting enough to keep the audience’s attention as they settle into the role of main character, and I would argue that all of them were.

For an elevated extra, I would point to the character Molesley in Downton Abbey. He pops up every now and then, but he’s clearly a side character at first. It isn’t until later in the series when he starts working at Downton that he becomes a main character. Like most elevated extras, this takes place in a series. If it’s in a single book or story, there likely won’t be enough time to establish the character as a side character. However, as Molsley does in Downton Abbey as he becomes a main character, he is interesting enough to keep the audience’s attention. He has his own troubles, and becomes more than just the butt of other characters’ jokes.

In Girl in Red, the best example of an elevated extra is Sarah Perks, who was probably my favorite side character of the series. As Sally-Anne’s mom, she does come up every now and then, always calm and collected, with a frightening knowledge of working people for information. The hint that she’s more than she seems comes from a scene at the start of year three, when she tears down Harry’s Uncle Vernon by citing a specific incident at his drilling company that he doesn’t want known. It isn’t until the end of year six that it’s revealed that she works for a government organization tasked with monitoring magicals in the U.K. and maintaining the Statute of Secrecy, with eyes and ears all over the country. In year seven, her position becomes relevant to the plot when Umbridge actively seeks to dismantle the Statute of Secrecy and take control of both the Magical and Muggle worlds.

The transformation from side to main character must be done with care. When a character suddenly becomes more relevant to the plot, they shouldn’t be ignored either. Take the time to build interest around them, to pique readers’ curiosity. Once you’ve got their attention, you’re ready to introduce the plot point that makes them relevant. It’s best if they remain somewhat relevant to something, though. Otherwise, we’re following a random character for no apparent reason. As with everything else in writing, it takes practice and balance. But it’s worth it to get it right.

#Essay #Characters #SideCharacters

© 2023 Sky Starlight CC BY-NC-SA

Side characters require a tricky balancing act. If they’re not interesting, then the readers are going to start to wonder “Why am I reading about this character?” If they’re too interesting, readers are going to ask “Why isn’t this the main character?” I wrote last week about ensemble writing, which makes this easier, but even then, there will still be side characters. So how do you strike the balance?

Harry Potter is an example of the latter problem. As I mentioned last week, I don’t find Harry to be an interesting character, at least not when compared to the others. I found Neville and Luna far more interesting and wanted them to get more focus. Unfortunately, they’re only side characters. Instead, I’m stuck with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Despite hanging out with the main character, even Ron and Hermione don’t get nearly as much focus as he does.

Animorphs did a much better job managing the side characters. There are a few of them, but they are always in the background, and they’re never more interesting than the six main characters. We have a sense of their struggles, enough to understand them, but not so much that we need more than that. There are clear main characters, who each get about the same amount of attention as one another.

I have a lot of side characters in Girl in Red, but it’s hard to judge my own writing, because any information I want to know, I can flesh out in my head. While my beta reader enjoys the side characters, I’ve never gotten much feedback from anyone else. But writing ensemble occasionally allows me to jump into a side character’s perspective. I do this with many of the professors from time to time, which means they need to remain relevant, otherwise readers will get tired of it and skip to the next scene. Despite having focus, they are still side characters, and thus shouldn’t take up too much time.

Writing side characters is a balancing act. There are many ways to approach it. Side characters are necessary to a story, unless the main character is the only character in the story, which itself is tricky to do. Don’t put too much focus on a character unless you’re willing to go all in on them. And if while writing you find your side characters are more interesting than your main character, ask if maybe they should be the main characters. The best way to find out is to keep on writing.

#Essay #Characters #SideCharacters

© 2023 Sky Starlight CC BY-NC-SA