There are books out there where the protagonist works his way through the plot solo, without friends to bump ideas or thoughts off of. Without close advisers to interact with. Without friends to support or even irritate him.
Those books tend to have a lot of internal dialogue or are man-against-nature stories of someone trying to survive while stranded out in a snowstorm or at sea.
But most books I’ve read have the protagonist paired with another character. And I think it definitely makes life easier for writers. Think of all the ways a friend can help us out:
Provide the main character with advice and insight. The protagonist needs someone to bounce a few ideas off of. I love sidekicks in mysteries—they keep the sleuth from having long internal monologues about who the killer is.
Take the plot on a different path. The friend could talk our character out of a potentially good or bad decision. He could create obstacles for our main character or help him meet his main goal.
Help the reader know what the main character is thinking or feeling about something. Maybe the friend actually analyzes the protagonist a little bit, providing us with some background depth. “I haven’t seen you this quiet since your mom’s death when we were in high school.”
Introduce conflict. Maybe this friend isn’t such a good influence. He’s been the protagonist’s friend since they were kids, but he’s been in and out of trouble his whole life. Maybe he drags our protagonist into his seamy underworld while our main character is trying to rescue him from it.
Help reveal backstory. Like the example where the character helps reveal insight into our character, the friend can also shine some light on other important, plot-related events in the protagonist’s life, through dialogue. We have to be careful not to make this an info dump and to work it in seamlessly.
Provide humor (to release tension), or a great subplot. Even thrillers can use a little comic relief every once in a while. When life starts getting really stressful and tense in our novels, a little well-timed humor can do a lot toward reducing it. Our protagonist’s friends can also provide us with an interesting subplot (extra points for tying the subplot into the main plot).
Do your protagonists have friends? What role do they play in your novel?
Elizabeth – Thanks for the reminder of the roles that friends and sidekicks can play. I think friends and sidekicks serve critical roles. As you say, they add humor, backstory and insight, among other things. My protag actually has more than one friend. One’s the captain of the local police precinct. The other is my protag’s wife. They have slightly different roles, but both are important. They add interesting perspectives, I think.
All very good elements of a sidekick and what they can bring to character developmet and moving the plot in unexpected directions.
A good sidekick many time will be the anti-protagonist, getting him into trouble and introducing conflict, yet when it is all said and done, may offer the means to save the protagonist’s life or offer that one piece of vital information that helps save the day.
Stephen Tremp
I love sidekick characters :)
They can be more relaxed & silly than the main character sometimes. Good advice!
More food for thought. A “friend” would make things easier. thanks
I can see this. It’s true, there’s a need for someone else in the picture. I remember reading or being told, that in order to be able to talk/write about a scene, someone needs to be there so that it’s viewed or talked about, which then enlightens the reader. If that makes sense. Thanks!
My cop characters have partners. My heroines have family, coworkers or friends. I did write one book where the characters were loners, although they were on the run a lot and used each other.
Secondary characters often turn out to be more fun, because they’re not tied down with the burden of carrying the plot.
Romantic comedies always introduce a best friend, sometimes both romantic leads have a sidekick. I think people that are friendless may be a bit boring.
Last week I finished a chapter in Fire In Fiction that dealt with secondary characters, how to develop them and utilize them to stregthen the story.
You nailed most of Mr. Maas’s points.
Friends definitely add to a sleuth’s work. It gives a book that feel of realism because we all have friends that we bounce things off of on each day.
I can never think of a Holmes without a Watson, and would hate to read a book about someone who doesn’t have a friend to soften him/her.
Most of the time mine have friends. Sometimes one, sometimes more. They’re very useful characters.
My current WIP is a survival story. The protagonist is alone for most of the book. It is a very different kind of writing than my other novels. It’s definitely pushing me in new directions.
A great point. I think this friend or sidekick could help me out in one of my plots.
I have an award for you, by the way.
I’m going for more the “buddy” model, with equal protagonists with the current book.
But I have to admit my motivation is that I always liked the sidekick better than the hero. (Of course, when you’ve got something like Nero Wolfe, just who is the protag and who is the sidekick?)
Buddy stories are like having two sidekicks. Bonus!
My detective joins up with someone during my plot, in fact it’s the other guy who starts off with more information! Two heads are always better than one.
All of my main characters have come in pairs, so I guess I really like the idea of them bouncing ideas & feelings off each other.
Another use for friends and sidekicks: jump starting a stuck story. Now and then I get jammed up and don’t know where to go next. Sometimes I toss another character into the mix, just to see what’ll happen. Always gets me unstuck.
Good advice here. I’m also a firm believer in humor in books – of ANY genre.
Marvin D Wilson
I love dialog in my books, and without another character nearby, it’s difficult to do this. Also, to show and not tell, I often use my characters to explain each other.
Good reminders here.
ann
Definitely. Even books where the protagonist is a loner tends to end up with someone to bounce ideas off or to protect or to hang with.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Secondary characters are ideal for all the reasons you listed. I especially like using them for humor. Snide comments can say a lot.
Most of my protagonists have tended to be solitary. They pick up and discard other people fairly quickly. However I love stories where the friends/sidekicks are interesting and quirky and they lead to so many other possibilities.
Elizabeth – Me again ; ) There is an award for you on my blog.
Margot–I think husbands and wives can really be good for novels–they soften up the protagonist, provide an ear and some backstory, etc.
Stephen–These friends sometimes really can stir up the plot, can’t they? I love the ones that really play on the antagonist end of things…even though they’re “friends.”
Elizabeth–I think so, too. Unless the circumstances dictate it (we have a Thoreau-type character or we have someone who is off in the wilderness by himself.
Rayna–So true that when they’re all alone, they seem harsher. I guess having friends makes characters more sympathetic.
Jemi–They just don’t have all the responsibilities and issues of the main character. And they don’t have to carry the plot. They have it easy!
Diane–Well, and teenagers and young adults tend to congregate in packs..it would be harder NOT to include friends when writing YA, I’d imagine.
Journaling Woman–It really can make life easier.
Judy–And sometimes it’s nice to give the reader a fresh perspective on the conflict in the plot, etc. Easy to do through dialogue between the two characters.
Simon–That’s a perfect way to un-sag the saggy middle, too. Throw a new character into the mix.
Terry–I completely agree with you on the secondary characters. They ARE more fun…to read and to write, I think. They’re carefree…no responsibilities. And mine try to steal the show in every scene they’re in.
Tamika–You’re very generous to mention me and Mr. Maass in the same sentence. :)
Mason–I’ve read a few books where the sleuth is a lone detective–but I just didn’t enjoy them as much. The internal monologue drags after a while. Unless the sleuth is talking to himself, which opens up a whole other area. :)
Marvin–I think a little humor can improve any book…I really do. Otherwise, they’re just too grim and the tension is just unrelenting.
Ann–Thanks so much!
Carol–Usually mine have more than one friend, but just one is a sidekick.
Helen–Because even loners usually have a friend somewhere!
Alex–Exactly! And sometimes it’s nice to have a smarty pants sidekick who can say all the impolite things your protagonist wouldn’t say.
Paul–I think it would be REALLY challenging to write those..but fun to read. I do really like the “stranded on Everest” type stories…they’re different from the normal stuff I read.
Dorte–Thanks so much! :)
The Daring Novelist–Those are fun and you really don’t see too many of them around…something fresh and new for editors!
Elspeth–I think that’s cool…to have the protagonist sleuth trying to catch up with his friend.
So far they do, but their circles sort of resemble mine. I need to change that up. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks so much, Margot!~
I thought about giving my protagonist a brother or sister, but it didn’t fit. Instead, he has cousins and friends, who help him out when they are needed.
I don’t know where modern storytelling would be without the humorous sidekick. I can’t help but remember “Buffy” where Xander is complaining about filling that role. He always got the love potion gone wrong or the “funny syphilis” from vengeful ghosts…poor guy.
Another fine writing lesson on some of the finer points, Elizabeth!
Marvin D Wilson
I got to thinking about this as it applies to my second book. I have two sets of protags, both romantically involved. So, the couples do all the things you mentioned. No real sidekick. In book One, my character, Hugh, does serve as a sidekick/mentor for my protag. As you mentioned, It works…or I hope it did.
Best Wishes Galen.
Imagineering Fiction Blog
This is a great post to get us thinking. And I’m so happy to see so many comments from different readers! You’ve really built your blog audience. Nice work. :)