Why Rosencrantz Can't Die

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern... in Shakespeare's Hamlet the two are virtually interchangeable. In Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead they forget which is which. Any decent editor would tell you that they should be combined or cut altogether.

They're minor characters. And the myth is: Minor Characters Don't Matter.

That's like the great lie "Writers are all rich."

Minor characters hold the story together.

Think back on another classic by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. What is the single most important event in that play? The pilgrim's kiss? The balconey scene? The marriage?

How about the catalyst... A minor character, unnamed, stops to ask Romeo if he can read. Romeo learns his love, Rosaline, will be attending the Capulet's ball and so schemes to attend. Instead of spending the night woo'ing Rosaline he's making eyes with the Capulet's daughter, Juliet.

Tragedy ensues because one unnamed character asked a guy if he could read.

Are your minor characters pulling their weight?

The way I see it, the minor character are the backstory that holds a novel together. That minor character may only be on stage once. They may only touch the main plot briefly, but they matter. Like the sideways weave on a loom.

The main characters go charging forward in orange. Huzzah for driving pot lines! But those little green threads weaving in and out? Those little minor characters that sometimes don't have names? They matter.

Without those minor players all you have are strings.

Quick and Dirty Editing For Minor Characters

1. Make sure that you have a full character sheet (name, birth date, motivations, description) for every character. It may never make it to the novel but the author needs to know.

2. Make sure that every minor character has a purpose. Don't clutter the background with extra characters, if someone walks on stage they need to have a purpose.

3. If the character is reoccurring make sure the descriptions match. Do you have a Wise Old Man that keeps popping up to give your MC advice? Make sure the reader knows it's the same guy every time.

4. Avoid cliche and cardboard characters. Setting up a stock character just so your MC has a reasons to talk out loud and story dump is not a reason to introduce a character. In fact, it's a Very Bad Idea. With capital letters and everything! Don't do it.

5. Give minor characters personality.

6. Keep minor characters minor. You may adore them. They may be fabulous. But give them their own book, don't let them overrun the plot. If they do, consider changing your MC to a mC.


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