Debbie Moon at 2013-08-02 17:21:03:
You know, that's a question I'd never really thought about? Which probably shows, because I always start with too many characters, and then realise none of them fulfil this function or can serve that story beat, so I have to create new ones on the fly... Several projects I'm prepping at the moment are team-led - a group of spies or thieves surrounding a protagonist. I find those easier, because I'm consciously designing a group of people who can get the job done but who also create conflict. Maybe I need to think of the characters in my other work more like that too?
lisakothari42 at 2013-08-02 21:22:31:
This is a great question and an interesting one. Once I know my concept and my main protagonist, I know I need to fill in an antagonist and a cast of supporting characters. As I usually quickly write a first draft before anything else, it is interesting to see who shows up on the page and then, during revision, see how many actually need to be cut, others who need to be beefed up, etc. Some of this is plot-driven, but ultimately each character must prove their worth to the story and the protagonist's journey.
JoniB22 at 2013-08-06 11:03:41:
Filling out casts of characters is both fun and tricky. It's great fun conjuring up those folks who are sidekicks, mentors, cheerleaders, as well as those challenging, pebble-in-the-shoes people for our hero/heroine. Before starting a project, I tend to read back through all my notes for The Hero's Journey to refresh my memory about archetypes, but then I'll just allow myself to wonder and brainstorm about who's needed logically and then what function and purpose they serve. If a character doesn't have a function/purpose to move story along, then I have to rethink their necessity. That's where the tricky part comes in -- the culling and dwindling down of other characters to a manageable, meaningful list.