Having a large cast of characters can overwhelm your readers, especially if the characters are introduced all at once, there’s too many characters in a scene, the roles are too similar or unclear.
So readers will struggle to keep track of who’s who, and who they should be paying attention to. This can interfere with their engagement with your story.
A common mistake is creating characters who are either over-utilized or under-utilized. And this keeps readers from connecting to your characters and following the story.
So you want to carefully consider the necessity of each character.
Not every character needs the same amount of depth and range. But you want to make sure that every character no matter how minor contributes to the overall narrative in a meaningful way.
So in this episode, I’m going to go over three types of characters you’ll likely have in your story: major characters, minor characters, and functional characters.
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Episode at a glance:
[03:48] Functional Characters
These characters perform a single function. Maybe they drive the Uber. Or serve drinks at the bar. This character isn’t involved in the motivational pattern of your major characters. He has no name and no distinguishing characteristics. He appears only once.
But that doesn’t mean this character is non-essential. Your functional character is still essential to the story.
[07:19] Minor Characters
Minor characters have a single defining characteristic, something that makes them distinct, memorable and quickly established.
[13:13] Major Characters
A major character a major ambition or motivation driving him or her through the story. For example, your protagonist and antagonist are major characters.
Unlike functional and minor characters share 4 elements: motivation, mission, obstacle, and change.
Links mentioned in this episode:
William Trevor: The Collected Stories
Episode 102: 5 Secrets About Your Antagonist You Should Know
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