So you have a story, but you keep bringing in more characters. That's a pretty big issue that can go different ways. Sometimes it's perfectly fine, sometimes it can clutter the pages. In quite a few cases it's probably best to just ditch them.

I know, I know... You might be sitting there saying "But Red! Come on, all my characters provide vital information!" That may be the case, but are there ways that point can get across without the addition of more characters?

Now, I haven't read Game of Thrones. I know, sue me! But I haven't read any of it. I haven't seen the show either to be honest (correction, I saw one episode.) But as I understand it, that series follows a lot of characters. Now this is slightly different... As I've heard, those are actually main characters... As in multiple main characters. Now I don't know about you, but that would make my brain hurt to follow so many main people. I wouldn't really do something like that. I like to stick with one... maybe two. Once you move beyond three things get a little muddled for the reader. 

I'm mainly talking about those background or supporting characters. Those friends that help your heroin, antagonist, MC, whatever you want to call your big leader. You want to limit those as much as possible too. There are a few things to ask when you're adding in those characters. 

When/how are they brought into the story?

What role are they filling while their in the story?

How long are they in the story?

Is what they're doing or saying integral to the plot?

How many of these guys are you even bringing in here?

Now... When you create characters, you have to give them a personality. That personality has to be completely unique and set them apart from others. This is majorly true for your main character(s), but it's also true for those secondary characters you bring in. You need to know them. You need to create these guys out of thin air and nurture them until you put them down in those virtual (or physical if you do it that way too) pages. 

Granted, I don't normally go as in depth with my backup peeps as I do with my main potatoes, but I do have to put thought into what type of person they are. 

Now here's something to think about. Why are most main characters new or "loners"? They're that way so the author doesn't have to introduce another character. You want people to feel the most for your main guy or gal. You don't want to clutter up valuable character building space with words about some Sally Franklin who has been bffs with Mary Jo for ten years unless Sally Franklin is going to be a person who's going to contribute to the plot of the story. If you're going to waste time bringing in Sally Franklin she better do something besides sit on her butt and snack on potato chips. 

I ran into this problem in my story The Huntress. I had Stacey, Jen, and Alicia at one point as Electra's friends. Electra originally started out as the popular type who know quite a bit of people but dem gurls were her main squeezes. That was just too many, and frankly, Jen and Alicia really didn't do much but pop up randomly at school. Out went Alecia, but I thought for sure that Jen should stay. Next round of editing... Nope. She's gone too. Now Dennis. He was a past boyfriend. He really didn't add much either besides drama for my main girlie when the new guy showed up... Zap. Down he goes (Jen and Dennis edits are not on Wattpad as of yet... hence why you probably still remember them if you've read my story.)

Now these were characters that were fine for the drama that unfolded at school, but quite honestly, The Huntress was way more than school drama. It's a girl's struggle in finding out that everything she's known has been a lie. It's a book for self discovery and essentially redemption... or at least getting onto the path of redemption for what she did in the past. School drama isn't necessary for that. 

So right there, I cut out three characters. I'd originally thought about them, I'd thought they would be a good idea. Turned out that they really weren't. The purpose that I thought they were serving was really quite pointless upon further revisions, so I cut them out of there. Stacey still exists because let's face it... Everyone has at least one person they talk to. At least in my case from what I've seen people have at least one person to talk to. Stacey was that person. 

Now we have our New Guy's sister. She's a background character. While she's not important to the plot, she offers quite a bit of comic relief in the situations that seem rather tense. I like to have that bit there to relieve some tension if I can in an appropriate way. Or I guess in her case... inappropriate way. 

So I guess what I'm saying is you need to really think about those characters and decide if they're bringing in something of importance. Sometimes the only way to know if they're needed or not is to go ahead and write them in and after your done with the story ask what they really did for it. Were they there at the end? Were they there for most of it? Did they offer an important lesson that shaped your main character or affected the path that was taken?

If they did do those thing, is there a way that the same results could be accomplished without using that person? Is there someone else that's already in your story that could do the same thing?

If you're giving a character a name, that means that you're putting them in your reader's mind. They now have another name from your book that they're trying to store in their head. If you're doing that, at least make sure their part is worth while. 

Don't bring them in at the beginning of the book for only a chapter and then have them completely vanish only to bring them back at the very end for another brief cameo. Your readers aren't going to remember who they are and they're going to be clueless as to why they're there. 

If I have characters that are in the beginning but sort of vanish partway through I most of the time won't bring them back. If they vanished, then that means they weren't offering my story anything... If they aren't offering my story anything then they are not coming back in. 

Why don't we see Allison's parents again once the ball gets rolling? Why are they completely absent from the second book? Well. They weren't offering me anything. Think about it, that's a pack of werewolves. They don't exactly run by the same rules humans do. They find their mates (usually at a young age) when that happens, they usually ride off into the sunset... or in a book's case, they get into trouble that they usually have to get themselves out of. Her parent's weren't offering anything. Yes, they may be worried about the fact that their daughter was abducted, but what they have to do isn't going to add to the story. They aren't the ones with the authority. They don't have the pull that an Alpha does, so they aren't integral to bring back in. They aren't offering anything. 

I'm not saying ditch the parents. If they're going to provide something for the story, then they're necessary. If you're going to have a "normal" teenage girl, have those parents around. Having no parents around because one is dead and the other travels all the time is cheating. It's used quite often. Getting rid of the parental figures in "ordinary" settings is just a way to make things easier on yourself because you don't have to sneak your character around them so she can meet up with her love. But when you have those parents in there, give them a personality, give them a reason to be there. 

As for how to introduce those characters in your story... your story is a life. It's a world that's spinning just like ours is only the focus is on one particular person and everyone that (s)he meets and does along the way. Introduce those characters they same way you would meet someone in life. Don't just have a random person walk up to them on the sidewalk and start a conversation out of the blue and BAM now they're bffs. That's not how things work. At least I don't think so. I wouldn't go up to someone like that, and if someone came at me like that I'd probably run away... then again I'm sort of an introvert... that may be why. 

Bring them in naturally. In a way that seems totally plausible. 

So... here's a little recap. 

If you're going to bring in characters, make sure they have a real meaning that will advance your plot. 

Make sure that the additions they give can only be given by them and not by an already existing character.

Don't bring them in and name them if they're only going to be there for a split second. 

Don't bring them in for a chapter at the beginning and then wait until the end to bring them back again.

If you're bringing them in. Do it naturally.

These are my thoughts on those secondary, back up, whatever you want to call them, characters. 

 Remember these are my personal opinions. I am not a professional author, I do not hold all the answers. Other people may tell you differently, but this is how I would handle those characters. 

As always, if you have any other questions, do ask below or send me a PM and I will do my best to create a segment dedicated to that question. If you have the question, then someone else probably does as well, so don't hesitate to shoot it at me. 

Thank you!

~Red Assassin