Characters

In every story, you’ll see some characters who appear in countless scenes while others may only pop up in a sentence or two. But they all have their role to play. Some are there to carry the story, while others merely make the world seem real.

Major characters

These are the characters the story is about. They may have the point of view and will feature in many of the chapters and scenes. Their backstory, motivation, and goals are usually integral to the plot. If you removed them from the story, your novel would seem unfinished and directionless.

• Protagonist: This is who your story is about.
• Antagonist: Someone who is a major source of conflict to your protagonist.
• Villain: The darkest type of antagonist.

An example of a villain is Makashimi Shogo from the anime Psycho-Pass.

• Backstory: It’s revealed he suffered hardships in his early life and felt a sense of alienation or rejection by society.
• Motivation: He believes people should have free will even if it leads to murder and mayhem.
• Goal: He wants to destroy the Sybil system, which makes everyone’s decisions for them and removes anyone who exhibits intense emotions.
• Impact on protagonist: To capture or kill him is Akane’s primary goal.

Secondary characters

These are the characters who support the major ones. They have a distinct role and purpose in the story. For example, they motivate, reveal information, guide, support, or protect the protagonist or antagonist. Sometimes, they have a subplot such as a side romance or quest. If you removed them from your novel, not only would it seem flat and uninteresting, but there might also be plot holes.

Some examples:

• Best friend
• Mentor
• Parent
• Love interest

An example of a secondary character is Gale from The Hunger Games who is Katniss’s best friend and love interest. She is conflicted because of her feelings for him and Peeta.

• Goal: He wants to overthrow the government and end the games.
• Backstory: His father died in the same accident as Katniss’s father and he has to support his family.
• Motivation: He hates Pandeem because of the suffering he sees around him.

Minor characters

These characters are still important to the story but don’t feature as much as secondary characters. They fulfill similar functions, but to a lesser extent. They add emotion and depth to your story, and although they don’t appear as much as secondary characters, without them, your world might seem unrealistic and boring.

Some examples:

• Colleague
• Classmate
• Friend
• Ex-lover

An example of a minor character is Liv from the YA novel, Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron. She only appears in the first part of the novel but still impacts the protagonist and plot.

• Backstory: She’s attending her second ball having been unsuccessful at her first.
• Motivation: In her society, all girls have to find a husband.
• Goal: To be chosen by a man.

Walk-ons

These characters are there to make your world seem more populated and realistic. They have limited interaction with the other characters and are sometimes nameless. For example, “the server asked if I was ready to order…” or “the soldier lunged at me with his sword…”

• Anyone whose only purpose is to act as a backdrop
• Anyone who says a line or two and doesn’t appear again

If you’re writing a series, these walk-on characters can become more prominent in later books. You might even decide to give them their own story.

Create real people

All your characters should feel like real people rather than plot devices. Even if they don’t appear much, you still want your readers to recognize who they are and speculate on why they behave in certain ways.

Here are some things to consider when you create your characters:

• Character role
• Relationships
• Personality
• Purpose in the story
• Goal
• Motivation
• Personal history
• Looks
• Voice
• Movement
• Name

Final thoughts

Since your major characters have a greater impact on the plot, it makes sense to add more detail for them. Not character needs as much fleshing out, especially if they are only there in a minor role. However, giving each person distinct traits or mannerisms can make them feel more like real people rather than just someone with a cool-sounding name.

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