Supporting characters often make or break a book for me. My own supporting characters are just as vital, if not more, than the MCs. I get frustrated by stories where friends or family appear only as back story or plot movers. I like severe entanglements, startling twists, and key events tied into the lives, hopes, and fears of supporting characters.
My investment in a novel, and particularly in a series, rests in how much I care about what happens to the other characters in the book and not just the protagonist.
Case in point: Harry Potter. My favorite characters in the Harry Potter series are probably Fred and George Weasley, with Hagrid coming in at a close second.
Supporting characters with that much dynamism fill out a world and draw the reader in.
Do you have favorite supporting characters? How do you treat supporting characters in your own writing?
On a final note, Joss Whedon finally made the comment I've been waiting for.
Happy weekend!
Interesting post! I agree. A really great book has supporting characters that are just as interesting as the main. Give up the ghost is a good one for that :-D
ReplyDelete--AMY
Andrea, did you ever see the video on YouTube that edited Buffy with Edward? It's hilarious. Don't even need Angel, Buffy gets the job done.
ReplyDelete