Hi! I'm SJ and welcome to my block party post about supporting characters! I thought I'd take just a moment of your time to share a few tips I've learned along the way.

We all know just what a main character is, you know, that terribly hunky guy who runs around saving the day and makes you swoon every time he's mentioned. Or the cute, funny woman who always knows just what to say and do and has the dozen friends wanting to be her, but if you squint, tilt your head a bit, and look past them... Yep, there, standing a bit in the shadows are the supporting characters. Sometimes their screen time is small or maybe they appear throughout the story. They can be the voice of reason, a bit of comic relief, the gentle (or not so gentle) nudge your MC needs or maybe they steal the show from time to time. Supporting characters fill in those gaps and completes a story, kind of like an unsung hero.

The door behind me swings open banging against the wall with a loud clatter, startling my attention away from the laptop. In walks two of my very first supporting characters, Dov and Brom, from The Shadowed Vale.

"What are you two doing here?"

"You said hero so here we are! Now what did you need help with?" Brom says with a cheeky grin, while the quieter of the two, Dov, just crosses his arms while looking around my slightly untidy living room.

"Noooo... no, I said unsung hero," I correct, slightly confused why there are two brawny knights standing in front of me. "You know, someone who is in the background and stays quiet."

"You know Brom. He has no idea how to stay quiet!" Ranald says as he and Theobald stroll in casually through the door I should have locked behind the last two knights who strolled in uninvited.

"Says the knight who never stops talking," Theobald mumbles underneath his breath. You gotta love Theo, I think. The only truly reasonable one of the group... well, most of the time. Ranald is already pilfering through my refrigerator when I glance back his way, which sadly holds nothing exciting since I started my diet a couple weeks ago.

"If you're going to hang around just go sit over there and be quiet while I start work on this post. Then we'll... well, get you back where you go. Are you sure you don't have something better to be doing?"

"Nope," Dov says with a slow drawl as he plops his feet up on my coffee table. Alright, this really isn't bad. Four cute knights in my living room. I can work with that, I try to convince myself moving on to the post.

"What's that thing you're clicking on?" Brom says pointing at my laptop getting me off topic again.

"It's a laptop." A blank stare greets my statement. "It's magic."

"Oh, like the fae's powers? Cool. I wish I had powers," the mortal knight beams back at me.

"No one wants to know what powers you'd wish for, Brom," Dov chuckles.

"I know what powers he does need, though. The power to ask a girl out that he's liked for Y-E-A-R-S!" Ranald teases trying to open a yogurt pouch which is for toddlers but I keep my mouth shut.

"Hey! I resent that," Brom rises to his full height, his bulky frame towering over Ranald's shorter, slightly smaller one. "I'm working on it, I'll have you know!"

"Like molasses!" Dov chips in from where he's still sitting on my sofa.

"Like you're any better!"

"I've got a wife now and you don't. So yeah, I'd say I was better," Dov fires back, still reclining and in that easy-going drawl of his.

"Guys! Quiet! Go sit. I need to get this done. I'm supposed to be working on my CampNaNoWriMo this month and haven't even started!" I moan, seeing this project going up in flames fast.

"CampWhaHuhMo?" Theobald asks as his brows dip in confusion.

"Nothing. Just, sit down. Please." Good thing I don't have the TV on and have to explain all that to these knights from another world set in what would be our... well, old times.

Here are 5 tips to creating memorable supporting characters –

"Wait. What do you mean supporting?" Deep breaths, deep breaths, I think as Brom interrupts again.

"You know, supporting. Like, in the background, not the main person the story is about." Brom continues to look at me with those dazzling blue eyes of his making me wonder if he should have been a main character. Stay on topic, SJ! "Like Bonner in our latest tale, The Blazoned Vale. He's the main character's cousin and is around a lot but isn't the focus of our attention."

"Oh, I beg to differ, Madam Author. I've been reading some of those comments your readers leave and I am the focus of quite a few of their attentions," Bonner says with a wink as he walks through the still unlocked door. Shoot! I've got to stop summoning handsome supporting characters, like the adorable dark-haired elf who just walked in.

"Who are you?" Brom asks the interloper.

"Bonner, meet the knights of Evenmoore, Brom, Dov, Ranald and Theobald. Guys, this is Bonner, King Dhovar's cousin," I introduce wanting to swoon and pull my hair out at the same time. "And as I was saying, you know, a supporting character... um... supports. He's not the hero of the story?" I say slowly trying to get him to understand.

"What are you trying to say? I'm not good enough for my own story?"

"No, Brom. I didn't say that at all! It's just that in the story supporting characters like you have a relatively minor role."

"I'll have you know nothing about me is minor," Brom says with a wiggle of his brows which makes me choke on my Diet Dr. Pepper. Ranald looks up from eating his third, or is it fourth, pop-tart. Great, he's found the pantry. I'll have to make a grocery trip if he stays much longer.

"Brom, come try one of these and leave the lady to work on that magic box thing." Well, at least he's chivalrous even if he is a bottomless pit. Let's try this again...

1) Set independent goals – While your MC has specific goals to reach by the end of the story, your supporting character can as well. Give them emotions and feelings. Let them work towards a goal of their own. Maybe they like a particular girl -

"Or girls," Bonner whispers, drawing out the 's' as he leans over my shoulder.

"Shh!" I shush him, continuing my thoughts.

Maybe they like a particular girl or guy and by the end of the story with just a few well-placed mentions ends up with the special someone of their dreams, or gets their dream job, or you get the picture. Your supporting character doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be, two-dimensional.

"You mean how Dov started off a shy, quiet with no hope and is now married to the most outspoken pixie in the mystic realms?" Brom asked nudging his life-long friend.

"She is quite a bossy little thing. Who would've guessed?" Ranald quipped.

"Ranald, that's not a very nice thing to say," Theo chastised half-heartedly knowing it was quite true.

"He's right though," Dov chuckled with a broad smile on his face. Bossy or not, he loved Nomi.

"I wouldn't say that too loud, Dov," I said looking around. I still didn't know quite how they were here but the last thing I wanted was Nomi walking in angry. I'd never get any work done if that happened, I thought trying to refocus on the task at hand.

Adding goals for your supporting cast also adds depth to the story. So don't be afraid to throw your supporting cast some personal goals to achieve.

2) Know their background – Give your supporting characters a backstory. Where did they grow up? What was their childhood like? How did they get to the place where the reader meets them? Your supporting cast has a past and as the author it's important to know it regardless whether their background makes it into the story.

"Speaking of past, remember that time when we were in our teens and we ran through the village stark naked..."

"Ranald! There's absolutely no reason for you to bring that up every time we meet someone new," Theobald said losing his patience.

"I remember!" Brom cried out. "Good times!"

"How was getting your trousers stolen by the Fingrew twins good times?" Theo asked shaking his head at his oldest friends.

"Those girls were mean," Dov whispered siding with Theobald.

"Alright, enough reminiscing for the moment, guys. It's getting late and I need to get this finished."

"Sorry, Mi'lady," Ranald apologized popping open one of my soft drinks. How had he learned to do that so fast? Never mind! I don't want to know.

3) Give defining characteristics – Defining characteristics can be the difference between a supporting character fading into the shadows or making a lasting connection with the reader.

"I always make lasting connections," Bonner said wiggling his eyebrows. I wave him away trying to ignore the handsome dark-haired elf who now sat beside me.

As I was saying, don't be afraid to mix it up with your supporting characters and give them a defining characteristic or two. Whether it's a physical trait, talent they're great at, or maybe even an over the top attitude...

"Like Nomi," Brom whispers to Dov which earns him a glare from his best friend.

...supporting characters deserve their own bit of the spotlight even if for a brief time. Giving them a defining characteristic might just help them achieve their fifteen minutes of fame.

"Or their own sequels," Ranald says as he sulks over to the table with my daughter's Disney princess cereal eating it straight from the box by the handful.

"You're referring to Rhydian and Malin, I presume?"

"And Dhovar!" Bonner chimed in.

"Yes, and Dhovar. Ok, I admit it. They were all supporting characters to start with and went on to be featured in their own stories, like Malin did in The Treasured Vale, but I promise they aren't better than any of you sitting here with me today." Was I really giving a pep talk to five hunky, fictional characters about not having their own stories?

"Maybe it's not too late for us then," Bonner said in his usual jovial tone. I cringe just a bit before answering.

"Well, about that. Seeing as book 4, The Blazoned Vale, is the last book of the series, it kind of is too late. But hey, you've got lots of fans, remember. That counts for something." I say patting Bonner on the arm. Oh! He does have some nice muscles to be an elf noble. Almost as nice as the knights standing around us. Goodness, pull it together, SJ, and finish this post so we can send these guys back to their stories and you can pretend you haven't just had a mental breakdown talking to your characters all evening.

Moving on then...

4) Create distinct speech patterns – This one could easily fall into defining characteristics but I decided to give it its own spot since dialogue is one of the most effective forms of characterization. Do your supporting characters slurp, grumble, whisper, scream, stutter? Do they have a catchphrase or word they say over and over? Give them that little something which sets them apar... Loud clanging startles me from the bright screen of my laptop.

"Put those swords down! Really? In the house?" Frustration rolls off my tongue before I realize it. It's like I'm babysitting a bunch of toddlers, I think as I watch Brom and Ranald slide their swords back into the sheaths on their backs. I never should have given them swords I grumble to myself. 

"We were bored," Brom said with a shrug.

"If you wake up my two-year-old..." I start to threaten before taking a deep breath and turning back to the post which seems to be taking forever with all these distractions. Good looking distractions, my mind supplies without my approval. Alright! Where was I? Oh, yes.

...a little something which sets them apart from other supporting cast. For example, my dwarf race in The Unconquered Vale has a very distinct speech pattern where some words sound Scottish influenced. It helped set them apart from all the other mystic beings in my series. The only tip I have about creating such a distinct speech pattern is to keep track of those words in your notes so you can be sure to keep everything uniform throughout the story if the character appears again later on.

"That dwarf was very hard to understand," Dov said in his slow brogue.

"He wasn't that hard to understand!" I defend but drop the subject. I'm not getting into dwarf speech patterns with a brawny knight who talks as if he's never in a hurry about anything.

5) Define relationship with main character – This final tip is a bit of a giver. Really. If you have a supporting character be sure to show how he supports your main character. How are they related? Did they grow up together? Are they friends? Enemies? Frenemies?

"Frenemies?" Theobald asks from where he's been sitting looking completely bored this whole time.

"Ummm... enemies who are also friends." He stares at me with blank dark eyes as if I've lost my mind. "You know, someone you get along with despite a deep dislike of them or how they act?"

"Oh. Like me and Ranald," he quips with a straight face.

"We are not friendemies or whatever she called it!" Ranald exclaims, hurt etched on his usual jovial face.

"Shhh! The baby," Dov reminds him.

"I can't believe you'd say that after everything we've been through. All the adventures we've shared. You remember that one girl..."

"Alright, alright. Ranald, Theo was teasing," I hope, I think to myself cutting Ranald off before he says something no one can unhear, "and Theo don't. Just don't. You know how sensitive he is at times," I whisper. Theobald quirks one brow up at me, the only outward sign he listened.

Anyway, as I was saying...

Be sure to add in how your MC and SC knows each other. We don't need a life story but a few well dropped background nuggets go a long way helping cement their bond and creates a believability and connection with the readers.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed all the tips...

"Of course they enjoyed it. I was here, wasn't I?" Bonner whispers winking at what I can only imagine are his fans. Come on, you know who you are, I think as some of you try denying it.

"Bonner, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"You know, Dhovar asks me that all the time."

"I can't imagine why," I say as sweetly as possible. After all he may be a bit full of himself when it comes to the ladies but he's a good cousin to Dhovar in The Blazoned Vale. "Alright, guys. That's it. The post is done so I think it's time you all go back to... well, wherever you came from." The door cracks open just as the guys were all standing.

"So, this is where ya've been? I've looked all over for ya, Dov." Nomi appears in the doorway, her blonde curls flying as she shakes her head at her husband. One hand is on her hip while the other is holding their screaming newborn baby girl. "It's your turn to rock her." Nomi says looking a bit tired as she passes the tiny baby to the bear of a knight who gives me a shrug and grin before leaving with his wife.

"Oh, he's so whipped," Brom laughs. I shake my head.

"Just wait, Brom," I say as I start shooing everyone through the door after Dov.

"What are you talking about? Are you going to do something? That's just not fair!" he adds when I just grin closing the door in his face. He'll just have to wait and see like the rest of you, I think. Glancing around the chaos that was once my almost clean house, I realize there's one more tip I need to give you.

Never invite a gang of knights for a late-night party. It never turns out as well as you think it will.

I hope you've enjoyed the tips and peek at some of my readers favorite supporting characters! And don't forget, to celebrate #WattpadBlockParty, I'm giving away one chapter dedication and shout out! This giveaway is open internationally. Make sure to click at the bottom of this post to enter!

Much love,

SJ xoxo

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