Are Secondary Characters Needed?

 

 

 

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer and Self-Publisher

 Before I get started, a secondary character is any character in the story aside from the protagonist (main character) and the antagonist (villain or force in opposition to the protagonist).

An antagonist doesn’t have to be a character. It can be an internal emotional or mental problem. Or, it can be an external force, such as a category 4 hurricane that the protagonist must prepare for or fight to survive.

It’s also important to mention that there are two categories or ‘subclasses’ of secondary characters:

1. The supporting character.
A supporting character is a substantial part of your story. She or he is part of the protagonist’s life and is usually there throughout the story, helping move the story forward.

An example of this is Chen from “Walking Through Walls”. Wang is the protagonist, and Chen is his best friend. Wang bounces many of his problems off Chen, and Chen advises him. Chen is the voice of reason and calm, while Wang wants what he wants and is impatient.

This friendship is an essential part of the story. It’s part of what makes Wang choose one course of action over another in the end.

Sometimes, supporting characters can have their own subplot. Using “Walking Through Walls” again, Chen was chosen by his village to become an Eternal apprentice. His village was invaded by neighboring warriors, and his younger sister was abducted.
Supporting characters can be a catalyst for the direction the story takes.

Chen’s backstory also plays a part in the direction Wang takes in his character arc. Along with this, supporting characters are essential to a book series.

Think of just about any series on TV (old or new): The Big Bang Theory, Superman, NCIS, Elementary, The X-Files, even the MythBusters. You expect to see the supporting cast. You’d be disappointed if you didn’t.

2. The minor character.
A minor character is someone who may make a brief appearance in the story or is there in the background throughout. They give the story more authenticity and dimension. There will most likely be various minor characters throughout a book.

For example, in “Walking Through Walls,” Wang and Chen are in an apprenticeship with other students. These students help create a dimensional world for the story. But, while they exist and are mentioned here and there, they aren’t essential to the story.

A great example of a minor character is the taxi driver, Sylvester, from the 1947 movie “The Bishop’s Wife.” Sylvester was only in a couple of scenes, but he was memorable, adding nothing more than humor to those particular scenes.

Summing it Up

Supporting characters are vital. They enhance story depth, drive the plot, and provide the protagonist with necessary support and conflict, making every story more engaging.

Sources:

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall10/kane_amanda/character_types.htm
http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/how-to-write-effective-supporting-characters
http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/what-is-a-minor-character-understanding-the-minor-characters-role 

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

 

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s writer and self-publisher with clients worldwide. For more tips on writing for children or if you need help with your children’s story, please visit Karen Cioffi Writing for Children. While there, you can check out Karen’s books.  

And don’t forget to CONNECT. 

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A feature in the right column of this blog lets you subscribe to #SharingwithWriters so you don’t miss any of Karen’s posts on writing for children.  

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MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Submit Now So 2026 Can Be Your Book’s North Street Book Prize Winner...

...and Great Reading from 2025’s list of category winners! (see below!). But before July 1, do one last, quick edit and submit your partner- or self-published book for this prestigious prize from Winning Writers.  I support them based on their ethics and the value-added benefits they offer all their contestants as well as their winners!

Carolyn’s Mom’s Motto: “You can’t win if you don’t try!” 

Sponsored by Winning Writers 

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Deadline: July 1 We're one week from the close of our twelfth annual North Street Book Prize. We'll award $23,500 in cash prizes for self-published and hybrid-published books, including a grand prize of $10,000. The ten top winners will enjoy bonus awards from our co-sponsors, and everyone who enters online can choose to receive feedback from our judges at no extra charge. Entry fee: $95. LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT Gallery of Our 2025 Winners Grand Prize Teresa Tennyson's speculative novel Five Years imagines humanity facing imminent extinction due to climate change and collapse of the ecosystem, symbolized by the extinction of bees. For the residents of one New England town, the existential question is whether they can face the end with dignity and mutual aid, or be swayed by a strongman who advocates survival of the fittest.   First Prize: Art Book The Endless Sphere of Time, edited by Kate Jordahl, has remarkable production values and international scope. This luxuriously bound book pairs Geir Jordahl's circular black-and-white images of liminal spaces in nature and architecture with short works by Norwegian modernist poet Rolf Jacobsen, in their original language alongside English translations by Roger Greenwald. First Prize: Children's Picture Book Katherine Lockwood's cheery and educational picture book My Body Beeps! Growing Up with Diabetes, illustrated by Olga Sall, features an active little girl named Katie who just wants to play hide-and-seek like her other friends, but she is worried about the sound of her glucose monitor giving her away. A pal with asthma helps her find humor and companionship in their differences. Playful in spirit, with vibrant illustrations, this book has appeal beyond those directly affected by its topic, as kids in this age group can easily relate to the push-pull of independence versus safety. First Prize: Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Ben Stubenberg's The Jamaican Bobsled Captain: Dudley "Tal" Stokes and the untold story of struggle, suffering, and redemption behind Cool Runnings is a book that makes us glad we expanded our Creative Nonfiction category to include narrative journalism and biography. A former US government worker, private pilot, and current magazine writer in his adopted home of Turks and Caicos Islands, Stubenberg is dedicated to chronicling the cultures and history of the Caribbean. First Prize: Genre Fiction Jessica Mann's ecological fantasy novel Uplift tells a story of interspecies cooperation through the coming-of-age journey of a Clark's Nutcracker, a bird of the high mountains of the American West and a member of the crow family. Breaking with her family's insular ways, Columbina learns about loss and legacy from creatures whose lifespans range from a season to centuries, and returns with fresh ideas to save their habitat. First Prize: Graphic Novel & Memoir Pumpkin Guts: The Hellbound Halloween, written and illustrated by Jacoby A. Matott, is a colorfully grotesque graphic novel that pays homage to teen slasher movies, with sassy characters who crack jokes about the tropes that they're reenacting. (The one Black teen, for instance, decides to nope out of the adventure early on, knowing that such movies treat the token minority sidekick as disposable!) First Prize: Mainstream/Literary Fiction Rashid Darden's literary novel A Peculiar Legacy lovingly portrays a tight-knit Black neighborhood in Washington, DC where a newly arrived gay couple and a Quaker matriarch do their best to mentor the local teenagers after one of the youths is murdered.       First Prize: Middle Grade Michael Wardner's middle-grade novel Kris Kringle and the Great Magic Swindle is a witty romp that will entertain both children and adults. Santa's elves have quit, and the Supreme Council of Sorcery, Witchcraft, and Tricks is about to revoke his magic license. But there's a bigger conspiracy afoot to steal all the magic in the world. With help from trolls, elves, the Easter Bunny, and Ms. Kringle in her airplane, our jolly friend discovers that dividing people into "naughty" and "nice" may be the root of the problem. First Prize: Poetry Kathleen Spivack's poetry chapbook Homage is comprised of tributes to guiding figures in her life as an artist, from cellist Pablo Casals and painter Gustav Klimt to poets Robert Frost and Elizabeth Bishop, as well as personal mentors and ancestors. This tightly conceived collection shows a mature poet's mastery of craft and insight. LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT Prefer to enter by mail? You may mail your entry and $95 fee to Winning Writers, Attn: North Street Book Prize, 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060-3998, USA. Send a check or money order drawn on a US bank, or enclose $95 in US currency. You may also send the fee via PayPal to adam@winningwriters.com. Please postmark your entry by July 1. Please note that feedback will only be provided for entries submitted online, and not those entries submitted by mail. If you would like us to return your book at the conclusion of the contest, please request this at the time of your entry and enclose an extra $10 for postage and handling.

© 2001-2026 Winning Writers. All rights reserved except for fair use. Winning Writers 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222 Northampton, MA 01060-3998 Unsubscribe | Change My Email Address | Help | Contact

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

An Idea from UPPAA Writers Group Every Writers Group Should Emulate

Dear SWWriters Visitors and Subscribers:

Heads Up!

Time to make yourself essential to whatever writers group is lucky enough to have you as a member.  By now, you. might know that I believe in borrowing from others--other industries, even ther authors as long as you credit their largess. This comes from a group I presented for them way back when Covid demanded that every event be done via Zoom and fell in love with them and their far- North peninsula  I knew so little about at the time.  So, naturally I get their newsletter announcing this amazing way for a writers’ group to serve its members!  Here is an excerpt from it explaining my enthusiasm: 

"MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA) is inviting authors to participate in its U.P. Libraries Program, a unique opportunity to place books directly into the hands of librarians attending the U.P. Regional Library Conference on September 21–22 in Marquette, Michigan.”

We all know how important it is to keep in touch with our local libraries, but that idea can easily be extended all while making closer friends of librarians (and serving their needs, while doing it! ) It comes from @Victor Volkman and I bet when you search the name, you’ll find him (and his newsletter?) a great addition to that information stream that keeps you marketing your own books.  

Sending summer hugs to you all.  I’ve been kind of out of it recently caretaking my husband and trying to keep up with writing duties--the latter with very limited success. 

Best,

Carolyn

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. 

 Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon .

Why Should You Edit Before Self-Publishing?

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer and Self-Publisher

 Self-publishing is amazing. It has brought the world of publishing into the hands of everyone and anyone who wants to write a book. It has brought writing power and freedom to all.

But, with writing power and freedom comes responsibility. This is especially true when writing for children.

This means that while it’s true that self-publishing has opened a tremendous amount of doors and anyone can now write and publish a book, it doesn’t mean you can slap anything together and self-publish. You need to produce quality (edited) content for three reasons.

There are at least three reasons you should edit your manuscript before you self-publish:

Reason number one: You have an obligation to your reader.

You want to give the reader her money’s worth. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, you want to create a book that will engage the reader. You don’t want the reader to stumble over grammatical and content errors while reading.

One drawback to the ease of self-publishing is that those new to the arena don’t realize they should hone their craft before actually publishing a book. This means taking the time to learn about writing and self-editing, and realizing the importance of hiring a professional editor to edit the book before giving it to the world.

Reason number two: You have an obligation to other writers.

Part of the problem today is the ‘I want it now’ syndrome that self-publishing tends to foster. Authors don’t want to take the longer ‘proven’ road. But learning the ropes really does matter.

Once your book is ‘out there,’ it becomes another determining factor as to whether self-published books are of the same quality as traditionally published books. This is where your obligation to other writers comes into play. It’s not fair to diminish the value of self-published books.

Reason number three: Self-editing is a good book marketing move.

In book marketing 101, the first step is to create a quality product. In a webinar, pro marketers Daniel Hall and Jason Fladlien discussed the importance of ‘the offer’ (your product) compared to the sales copy. By far, a quality product is much more important.

If your intent is to publish only one book, then quality may not matter from a marketing perspective. The saying goes, ‘if you fool me once, shame on me.’ If this is the scenario, then you don’t have to worry about readers/purchasers buying more from you. But, you’ll need to be careful here, because word-of-mouth is lightning fast in the internet world. This could easily stop your one-time purchasers as well.

On the flip side, let’s assume you love writing and have decided to earn an income from it. Then, self-editing will play a huge part in your book marketing success. If you produce a substandard product (book), it will discourage a customer from buying your future books.

Remember, a great product will not only sell itself, but it will usually write its own copy. Editing before publishing helps create a quality product.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, writer, and self-publisher with clients worldwide. For more tips on writing for children or if you need help with your children’s story, please visit Karen Cioffi Writing for Children. While there, you can check out Karen’s books. 

And don’t forget to CONNECT. 

-----

A feature in the right column of this blog lets you subscribe to #SharingwithWriters so you don’t miss any of Karen’s posts on writing for children.   

-----

 

A feature in the right column of this blog lets you subscribe to #SharingwithWriters so you don’t miss any of Karen’s posts on writing for children.  

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.