12. Two guys one pail

Is your supporting cast propelling the story along or stalling things? This week we have examples of both

Photo by Lex Melony on Unsplash

When we meet a new character in a novel, we often don’t know how big a part they are going to play. And sometimes our instincts can be wrong. We think they might be a gun – a reference to the line that if you introduce a gun in act one, it had better go off in act three – but in fact they are inconsequential. And if they are inconsequential, then… do they really need to be in the story? I’m not saying every single person has to play a crucial and key part in the plot, but you will see from this extract why Mr Hetherington can be cut and it doesn’t affect the story at all. If that’s the case, and they can be removed with no consequences, then it’s probably best to remove them. I suppose the exception would be if the character is the main character’s best friend, who can play a sort of advisory role and doesn’t drive the plot along.