I’m Not Your Side Character
“With really good literature you’re allowed to take multiple journeys as your perspective shifts over time. It continues to resonate, as you find different ways of entering and engaging with the narrative. ”
Let’s talk about side characters. Unlike popular belief, a side character’s job isn’t just to help further the main character’s development.
A lot of writers treat side characters as stand-ins, tools, someone to pop in with a convenient "get out of jail free" card or a few words of wisdom before disappearing again.
If this sounds like how you’re writing your side characters—good. You’re in the right place. Let’s fix that.
The best side characters feel like they exist outside of the main character’s orbit.
First, ask yourself: What does your side character want?
What are their needs, wants, and goals outside of your protagonist’s story?
Think about it like this:
You are the main character in your own life. Everything you experience is filtered through your lens.
But when you step outside, say, to a park, you’ll notice hundreds of other stories happening around you:
To your right, a couple sits under a tree sharing a cozy picnic. Maybe their romance is just beginning.
To your left, a basketball game heats up, with players going head-to-head in the most dramatic sports rivalry you've ever witnessed. Maybe, deep in the mist of competition, a hidden romance is blossoming.
Straight ahead, a family laughs with their children. But when the kids run off, the parents step apart, their joy dimming when they think no one’s looking.
Every single one of them is the main character in their own story, just like you are in yours.
This is how you should treat your side characters.
Yes, your story focuses on your protagonist. But the best writing allows side characters to feel real, alive, and whole—with their own motivations, needs, and desires.
Ways to Strengthen Your Side Characters:
Define their goals: What are they striving for when the main character isn’t around?
Give them flaws and contradictions: No real person is perfect or purely helpful. Neither should your side characters be.
Let them have their own arcs: Even a small emotional journey or mini-conflict makes them richer.
Write bonus scenes: Sketch moments from their POV, even if you never include them in the final draft. It helps flesh out their lives.
Avoid making them tools: They shouldn’t only exist when the protagonist needs something. Let them say “no.” Let them have their own agendas.
At the end of the day, side characters are more than props—they’re the heartbeat that makes your fictional world feel real. They add color, tension, humor, heartbreak, and unexpected depth.
When your readers believe that even the smallest side character has a life off the page, your story becomes something bigger, richer, and far more unforgettable.
