How To Write Great Secondary Characters

Secondary characters are the foot soldiers of fiction. You cannot win the war without them. They may not occupy the same spotlight as the protagonist, but they can wield significant influence on the story. Secondary characters add richness to the narrative, provide contrast and depth to the main characters, and help develop the plot. These characters can be friends, family members, lovers, spouses, children, enemies, mentors, but whoever they are, they must play a crucial, but not central, role in the quest. They serve the quest. They never dominate it.

Compelling secondary characters need to feel just as alive, authentic, and multi-dimensional as your main characters. If done well, secondary characters can become fan favorites, provide emotional support to the protagonist, or even steal the show with their wit, charisma, or surprising depth. But the problem is that you don’t have the same amount of time or space to give to them as you do your protagonist. So, how do you create great secondary characters?

1. Understand the Role of Secondary Characters

Secondary characters are usually defined by their relationship to the protagonist and their role in advancing the plot. These characters may act as allies, mentors, or companions to the main character, offering help, advice, or emotional support. Sometimes, they may serve as antagonists, presenting obstacles or challenges that the protagonist must overcome. They can serve to highlight traits in the protagonist by being their foil. They almost always serve to push the plot forward in some way, either by providing vital information, making crucial decisions, or initiating key events. Understanding the role of each character lets you decide what traits they should have. Understand what role each one performs in the quest and towards the protagonist and then shape them accordingly.

2. Give Secondary Characters Clear Motivations

One of the first steps in creating compelling secondary characters is giving them clear motivations. Just like the protagonist, secondary characters need reasons for their actions and decisions. Their motivations don’t have to be as complex or as all-encompassing as the main character’s, but they should be realistic and consistent within the context of the story.

Think about why your secondary character is involved in the plot. If they’re a friend of the protagonist, they may be motivated by loyalty or a desire to help. If they’re a rival, their motivation might stem from jealousy, competition, or grudge. If they’re a mentor, they might be driven by a desire to impart wisdom the protagonist needs to complete the quest.

A secondary character with conflicting or unclear motivations can become a frustrating presence in the story, as their actions may appear inconsistent or aimless. However, there can be mileage in concealing the secondary character’s true motivation, and revealing it at some stage (a great example would be an act of betrayal or the revelation that they hold a secret that the protagonist needs to hear to complete the quest) is very effective.

3. Make Secondary Characters Rich and Round

Even if they don’t get as much screen time as the protagonist, secondary characters should still feel like real people with their own histories, quirks, and perspectives. Their personality should be unique and provide contrast to the protagonist. For example, if your protagonist is calm and introverted, a secondary character who is energetic, outgoing, and impulsive can create an interesting dynamic.

Think about how this character reacts to situations: Are they optimistic or cynical? Do they see the world as a glass half-full or half-empty? Are they quick to trust others, or do they remain skeptical? These traits can inform their actions throughout the story and how they interact with the protagonist. Think too how their dysfunctions and flaws can provide problems for the protagonist.

Secondary characters making mistakes or acting treacherously or irresponsibly are brilliant sources of plot twists and reversals. It’s not all on the protagonist to drive the story.

Give them a history that informs who they are. A secondary character who is well-rounded and believable will have a life beyond their interactions with the protagonist. Did they grow up in a strict household? Have they faced trauma or loss? Did they experience a major life event that shaped their worldview? What are their feelings towards the protagonist, apparent or concealed? What do they think they want, what do they really want?

A rich backstory helps the reader understand why the character behaves the way they do. Make sure that their history feels authentic and influences their motivations and behavior in the present. But beware spending too much time telling us all this. Sometimes you just need to know it yourself. Don’t bore the reader telling them all about a relatively minor character’s childhood if it doesn’t serve the plot directly.

4. But Really, It’s All About The Protagonist

Secondary characters are only effective if their relationships with the protagonist are important, either negatively or positively. Characters who support and care for the protagonist provide emotional grounding and serve as sounding boards. These relationships can provide moments of warmth, humor, and tenderness in contrast to the conflict and tension of the plot. On the flip side, secondary characters who serve as rivals or enemies can create conflict and tension. These relationships can be deeply compelling, especially if the rivalry feels personal. Perhaps the antagonist is a former friend, one who has betrayed them or been alienated by them. This complex dynamic makes the conflict feel more meaningful. It might just involve competing goals or ideals. A secondary character with a different ideology or world view can be very effective as an antagonist.

Mentors are often crucial secondary characters, sources of wisdom, comfort, or tough love. They guide them through tough decisions, teach them lessons, or push them out of their comfort zone. A compelling mentor doesn’t just impart wisdom—they also challenge the protagonist, sometimes until their relationship breaks down.

Remember too the great impact of the loss of secondary characters: a lover leaves, a mentor dies, an ally betrays. These are the turning points of novels.

5. Allow Secondary Characters To Grow And Change

Compelling secondary characters change, grow, or reveal new facets of their personality as the story progresses. Consider how the secondary character might evolve in response to the plot. A friend of the protagonist might start off as a source of comfort but undergo a transformation over the course of the story, either through growth or conflict. Their own hopes fade or change, their lover leaves too, they learn important things. But remember: no transformation is more important than the protagonist’s!

7. Show, Don’t Tell

Remember regular characterisation rules apply. Show, don’t tell. Let actions, dialogue, hopes and behaviour reveal their motivations, personalities, and backstories. Rather than explaining that a character is brave, show them acting courageously in the face of danger. Rather than telling the reader that a character is resentful of the protagonist, show their bitterness through their interactions or thoughts. Show the romantic interest’s love before you have them say “I love you.”

How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Novel-Chapter-Outlining-ebook/dp/B0DJ8TMVWL?ref_=ast_author_mpb

You can also check out our other services, Mentoring and Manuscript Review, on the links above.