Whenever I start a story, I always have a clear image of the people involved, even when they appear much later in the story. As soon as I give them a name, I have a mental image of them, what they where, how they make expressions, everything. It’s the same when I read someone elses story, the hero is nearly always the same, despite whatever description the author gives him. The same applies to the heroine, although for some reason her appearance more closely follows what the author suggests, far more so than the hero. Maybe it’s because I tend to write my own stories from the point of view of the heroine, for the large part, and haven’t yet managed to view the story from the hero’s perspective at all. It’s a strange phenomenon, when you’re reading a story, that you tend to view the scenes and interactions as if you are in there with them, seeing it through their eyes. You become part of the action, a little like in a dream, there but not there……in God mode, I suppose. It’s the same when I’m writing. Instead of words in black and white typed across a page, I see images of the scene, as if through their eyes, or as if in a dream – God mode – and sometimes I can’t write fast enough to find out what happens next. But one thing comes through clearly, and that is the faces and characteristics of the secondary characters, so strongly some times they are more fun to write than the main actors. In many of my stories, and from the feedback I get from my readers, they enjoy the supporting cast as much, if not more so, than the leads. I sometimes see that in movies and tv series – take POTC for example……now technically the three leads – Jack, Will and Elizabeth are all supposedly equal partners, as far as characters – but in my mind, Jack is the secondary player to Will and Elizabeth. In fact Norrington is more interesting to watch than Jack Sparrow, and Governor Swann, along with Davey Jones just eat up the screen everytime they appear. Now I know that this is only my personal opinion, but it points to what I’m saying about secondary characters taking on a more prominant life than, by rights, they should lead, at least that’s the word from the likes of the big publishers, and what they think people want to read about. For me, a good supporting cast of strong characters with defined personalities is just as important as the main leads, and deserve as much time spent on them. This doesn’t work for every story, or even benefit some stories, but it’s the ones I like to read and particularly write about.
Which is why, when I write, the secondary characters quite often take off and become just as important to the story as the Hero and Heroine. It all comes down to balance. Writing an ensemble cast can be both exciting and daunting, but ultimately, if you get it right, makes for a great story.
