How to Create Minor Characters in Your Mystery Novel

 

Minor characters are as important in a mystery novel as the main characters. Their role, though different from that of the protagonist and antagonist, is critical to the development and resolution of the mystery.

Minor characters are useful for providing brief back story, hidden clues, and insight into the personality, motivation and goals of the main character. The mystery author should take care to make these characters unique and interesting. Here are some ways to bring minor characters to life.

• The Observer/Reporter. Make the minor character the one who knows everything about everyone in town: the waitress in a small town restaurant who talks to everyone, the bartender in a bar popular with other characters in the story, a gossip columnist.

• Problems. Heap problems on minor characters, the kind that impact the protagonist. Make him the alcoholic brother who always needs bailing out; the inquisitive teenage kid who’s always sticking his nose into criminal investigations; the trusting twenty something ingénue who keeps getting herself into dangerous situations.

• The Nagger. The mother who wants the protagonist to get married and keeps introducing inappropriate marriage candidates; the boss who keeps pressuring the protagonist to get the case solved.

• Make the character Unique. Give h/er physical, emotional, mental or personality problems: bound to a wheelchair, has a speech defect, afraid of the dark, obsessive/compulsive disorder.

• Unusual job, hobby or interests. Skyscraper window washer, snake venom milker, collects live spiders, reads the obituaries and attends lots of funerals.

The author’s goal is to make the minor characters interesting while using them to propel the story toward its final climax.

More writing tips:

Developing Characters is No Mystery

How to Create Sympathetic Mystery Novel Characters

The Romantic Heroine in a Mystery Novel

How to Write Character Arc in a Mystery Novel