Besties and Kissyfaces - Side Characters Take Center Stage

In August we attempted a series on characters: Episode 240 was about the protagonist. Episode 241 was about the antagonist and Episode 242 was, too. Last week we were off to assist SCWA with their one-day Indie Author Camp and that was too much fun. We’d promised we’d do best friends and love interests and longtime listeners might think, “haven’t ya’ll done that?” and the answer is yes, kind of.In Episode 100 (way back in June 2020 – COVID anyone?) we talked about Romantic Subplots and in Episode 159Catherine Peace made her first appearance and we talked about romance as a genre and in Episode 160, we added Ella Shawn to the mix and the three of us giggled through all the subgenres of romance.And in Episode 98 (also way back in 2020) we talked about the role of the best friend and in Episode 131 just six months later we talked about why you have to kill the best friend character. We hit that topic again in Episode 214 earlier this year when we advised our friend Abby to kill one of her characters off.So why do it again?Because best friends and love interests are NOT the protagonist or the antagonist (except in romance working the friends-to-lovers trope). They are supporting characters who can do a variety of things:Complicate the plot - make it harder for the protagonist to choose to pursue his goalOffer encouragement to the protagonist – prop them up, cheer them onServe as a foil – show what the protagonist is not i.e. impulsive, cowardly, or ruthlessProve the protagonist is likable – the thing about friends is, they teach strangers that we can be trusted, that we have redeeming qualities; in a story like After December, Brian’s friends tell the reader that people like him and if we don’t because we’re in his head, that’s less because he’s actually a jerk and more because he’s showing us who he really is.Give the protagonist something to lose – Raise the stakes! When the best friend disapproves or the love interest is in danger, the protagonist has to make a tough choiceSegment 2Let’s talk through some frequently asked questions about best friends:Do they / should they have their own character arc?Yes examples - Hermione Granger, Samwise GamgeeNo examples - Melanie Hamilton, Goose, Sam in CasablancaShould they support the protagonist?Yes examples - Ron Weasley (until he defects in the last book), Kit from Knight Rider, Nick Carraway (doesn’t question Gatsby)No examples - Watson to Holmes, Mercutio to RomeoShould they challenge the protagonist?Yes - The Last Starfighter - Centauri challenges Alex to become a Starfighter, so does Grig, Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Charlotte Lucas to Elizabeth Bennett in P&P; George Knightly to Emma Woodhouse in EmmaNo - Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow to DorothyShould they betray the protagonist - especially if the protagonist is in the wrong?Yes - Neville Longbottom is a tattle tale; Benedick tricks Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing because Claudio humiliated Hero under false accusationsNo - Iago betrays Othello because he’s jealous and in that way becomes the enemy of the protagonist; Edmund betrays his siblings by going to the witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Fredo betrays Michael Corleone because he feels he’s not getting what he deserves.Read more on the blog