Make the most of minor characters

Don’t shortchange the importance of minor characters. While major characters play the large roles and are in a sense the meat of the stew, the minor characters add flavor and make it mouth-watering. A Broadway play taught me this lesson.

Applause thundered as the Broadway cast for Beauty and Beast paraded onto the stage for the last curtain call. Individuals bowed center-front, beginning with the minor characters and progressing to the lead actors. Then all the characters held hands to absorb the cheers and accolades. The lineup showed each character—even those with short roles—was essential for the rich pageantry of character and plot.

“I love the tradition of Dickens, where even the most minor walk-on characters are twitching and particular and alive,” says author Donna Tartt.

We learn a lot from Dickens who created an estimated thirteen thousand minor characters. He didn’t only use them to move the plot forward, but they added spice and depth in two ways:

1. They sharpened the tone and setting of scenes.

2. They enhanced underlying themes.

In Dicken’s novella, The Christmas Carol, Scrooge observes a Christmas Eve dance from his past. The festive evening circles around Scrooge’s former employer. Dickens wrote the jovial old Mr. Fezziwig “laughed all over himself” and danced “with a positive light that appeared to issue from Fezziwig’s calves.” Fezziwig sets a lighthearted tone with his, “Yo ho, my boys! No more work tonight…Hilli-ho!” The scene evokes warm fun through the minor character, Fezziwig.

Best-selling author LA Sartor (https://lesliesartor.com/ ) fleshes out details in her minor characters through clothing, physical appearance, and speech to bring to substance to settings. She writes, “Minor characters add credence to a setting with dialect, quirkiness, or information that is important to the plot due to their unique knowledge or field of work.”

While the plot unfolds and major characters wrestle obstacles, minor characters can also embody underlying themes.

Dicken’s novels often centered around exploitation and materialism. The brassy and bold Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge’s laundress and housekeeper, barely makes an appearance in The Christmas Carol. In a short scene, she haggles for money in exchange for Scrooge’s sheets which she stole. Dicken’s uses this character to convey how poverty pushes people to desperate acts. Plus, this minor character mirrors Scrooge’s own greed and propels the plot to its climax when Scrooge resolves to change.

No matter the genre, all characters are important. From classic literature as The Christmas Carol, to fantasy as Harry Potter, or Star Wars science fiction, we tally long lists of memorable minor characters who add spice and bring the books and movies to life.

Delight your readers with the minor characters you create.

Who are your favorite minor characters? Leave a Comment!

Happy writing!

Gretchen Carlson https://gretchen-carlson.com/ gretchencarlsonwriter@gmail.com

Photo credit: Kyle Head – featured on Unsplash