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While the main character will be
the one that readers spend the most time with, and therefore is probably the
most important, it is still essential to create a strong cast of supporting
characters. Well-drawn lesser characters will move the story forward and help
define the main character.
There are eight commonly used types
of characters: main, protagonist or hero, antagonist, obstacle, logic, emotion
and sidekick. We have already discussed main and protagonist characters. The
antagonist could be thought of as the villain; she or he is the one whom the
hero is at odds with. The obstacle character could be a friend or an enemy, but
somehow he provides a block to the hero in fulfilling her ultimate goal. The
logic character is the levelheaded, logical character. She is often a scientist
or a police officer, someone who gives calm analysis of the situation. The
emotion is the opposite of the logic character. They often play off of each
other. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr.
Bennet could be considered the logic and Mrs. Bennet the emotion. He makes wry
remarks about the nature of the situation and she tries to manipulate him with
tears and histrionics. The last type of character is the sidekick. The sidekick
supports the hero and often acts as a sounding board and cheerleader for the
hero. Sam Gamgee from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a good example of a sidekick. We understand Frodo
better as a result of his existence.
Most minor characters fall within
one of the above categories, but it is important that they do not become
two-dimensional stereotypes. One way to make sure this does not happen is to
think about each character’s desires. When people interact with other people,
they always have something they want to get out of the situation. Whether a
person’s wish is to kiss the other person, to get away from the person or to
buy a car from the person, there is always a motive to consider. 
When you put several characters
together in a scene, their motives are often going to clash. 
When you put several characters
together in a scene, their motives are often going to clash.
When you put several characters
together in a scene, their motives are often going to clash. It could be a small
clash: a mother wants to talk to her daughter about why she isn’t married and
the daughter wants to change the subject. Or it could be a huge clash: a crazed
maniac wants to kill his hostage and the hostage wants to live. Big or small, a
conflict between character’s desires and motives creates tension and
complexity.
Another
way to give your small characters depth is to succinctly characterize them.
With minor players you often don’t have the luxury of letting the reader really
get to know them, so you should choose the most telling details that give
information, not only about what they look like, but also what type of person
they are. Here are some examples of sentences that give the reader an immediate
(though of course limited) feel for the character:
“Harding is a flat, nervous man with a face that sometimes
makes you think that you seen him in the movies, like it’s a face too pretty to
just be a guy on the street.” Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
“The children - corn-headed children, with wide-eyes, one
bare foot on top of the other bare foot, and the toes working.” John Steinbeck,
The Grapes of Wrath
Names are another important aspect of your characters. Below
are some websites that generate different types of names.
Random first and last names from many different countries and ethnicities, including ancient societies:
http://www.behindthename.com/random/
Random first and last names:
http://www.xtra-rant.com/gennames/
Authentic medieval names http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/
Villain, hero and monster names http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php
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