Whenever I need a secondary character, I do tend to write a backstory for them.
For the really interesting characters, I think of a defining moment. Their Canon event, so to speak. What made them who they are, and set them in the path they're currently walking.
This is not always the case, sometimes I leave tidbits here and there, and the reader (and I) finds out as they get to know that character more.
It doesn't have to be a traumatic event, or a triumphant moment of truth. Sometimes it's a career, a trivial decision and a slow growth over the years involving several key moments, like drops of water falling onto a cave to make it into a column.
But I never stop imagining. I keep imagining scenes, and observe as they happen to see more and more. If they become interesting enough, I write them down.
So far I have the following characters' backstories:
For Pearson, it's the moment he saw his wife die.
For Bethany, her rejection from a job due to her record.
For Vixen, well... she turns out to be a much more important character, so it's not a backstory; it's a prequel :blobthinksmart:
Currently I'm exploring a sci-fantasy world where Enu, a young priest with a woodworking background meets the goddess. I want to make it cryptic, but also leave hints that the magic may not be so magical after all. But only maybe.
Doing this is hard! But fun as heck 😁
As for who the goddess is, her character is pretty much one-dimensional at the beginning and I don't like it, so she needs to grow as much as my protagonist as her adventures continue. I want to give her character development!
Hard to do with someone over 150 years old, tho 🤔 And I can't give flashbacks because spoilers, so I guess I'll have to improvise.
Anyway... my point is that I want to make my characters interesting. Not just sidekicks with a motto, but real people with worries, aspirations, hobbies, interests, and maybe traumas or bad experiences.
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