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Thinning the Character Herd

Addison

Auror
After a long holiday month...or two, I lost count, which proved fruitful and showed great progress for my W.I.P, I also came to a realization that one of my side characters didn't need to be there. The character was cute and provided some humor, but overall he didn't need to be in the story. The story didn't need that character.

So, my dear little dragon Chimi, I am so sorry. I may be able to give you a cameo at some point, but you are not integral to this story.

So, fellow Scribes, if you feel the story is getting crowded, or you're losing track of characters, or think there's too many subplots, look carefully at what each character brings to the story. If your story can survive without that character then you'll need to either show them the door, or combine two or three of the side-characters.

If one character can carry two or so of the sub-plots, or if two characters are so alike they can be one character, then it's a good bet that they should be combined.

Sadly I couldn't do that for Chimi, sorry little guy.
 
I sometimes do this even when it's not necessary to the story, just to tighten things up. When your subplots feel limp and floppy, it is often best to cut out a character who's not contributing much, making your cast as a whole, and thus your story, stronger. This doesn't as much apply to background characters, but to the main cast (MC's and important side characters), you need to be strict and trim what doesn't belong.

It's much the same as with prose. When you find you CAN cut stuff out (words or characters) without much injury to the story, often it means you should.

I'm currently reading a book with SIX main characters. Six. At least one of them could be cut easily (he's boring anyway) and I could probably combine two of the others.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I've got one like that. He's a great character. Every reader likes him. But he appears in exactly one chapter out of the whole novel, and I'm seriously considering giving him the ax. I'll be sorry to see him go.
 
Now that I think about it, I do have a character like the situation you describe. Badass librarian lady got axed from the one scene she was in and now I don't know if she will be in the book at all.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I think ... don't really know ... that good rule of thumb is that if a character appears in only one chapter, then that character -- no matter how brilliant -- isn't really a character, but is simply a plot device.
 

WooHooMan

Auror
I don't think I've ever really gotten rid of a fully-formed (for lack of a better term) character. I usually merge characters when I need to thin-out the cast. I think there's some benefits to that method.
 
I had a supporting character in my WIP who I've axed, even though at least one beta reader of the previous version of the story noted how much they liked the character. But other beta reader feedback made me realize that the subplots involving him are distracting more than enhancing. Those subplots are now gone, and so too the character. I'll end up replacing a function that he served in the main plot with a magical effect with no personality and no need for extra character development. It will cut some chapters completely, giving me more room for what's really important. I'm trimming some other subplots and characters, which is allowing me to cut even more of what I thought would be book 1 of a duology or trilogy. I've laid out the revised story plot to contain the whole story in one book, which could be an important move for me as a debut novelist.
 
I just unceremoniously dumped most of my extra characters into little stories at the back of Book I. :cool:

In Book I, I now have two main characters and seven 'decoy protagonist' characters. In Book II, I now have two main characters and something like twelve other characters who are all crucial to the plot, and two others who are...just sort of 'there'.
 
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