I have so many characters that I am planning on using in my story, and I want some of them to develop, but most won't because they aren't really plot relevant, I just REALLY need filler characters... (Plus, most of them die or just get cut from the plot all together.) Where do I start? (Note, I have these characters written out, ffs, I gave them in-depth flaws/quirks just to make them feel more human, just not sure what to do with all of them.)
Do they advance the plot or main character development in any way? If they are not relevant to the story, why are they there?
Many characters are there to advance the plot in SEEMINGLY little ways, but they end up having a larger impact on the story. My novel specifically takes place in a dystopian Finland, and the prince of FN needs to find a wife (God I love being a dystopian romance writer) but he's like, sorta like, aha... gay. but the other issue is that most of the girls who would be living with him are basically at his disposal. (Stolen from the selection, ha ha, very good sneaky steal) The way his homosexual narrow rear end needs to develop by the end of the story is... a lot... but I'm also not sure how his mindset will start at the beginning of my story. (Yes, I am a stingy writer, I hate planning, but I will absolutely NOT be having plot holes in my story, don't feel like plucking gray hairs.) Meaning, yes I am writing this.. in order of chapter. I pain myself by writing through the boring things.
what what does that mean in terms of the filler characters? im a bit confused and would like a bit more clarification. Are you wondering how to develop this character (the Prince) more? or how to develop minor characters? Or how to make your filler character relate to the over all story?
I'll just refer to them by names because it might get confusing-- Kota, The prince, starts out as a total diva, with the amount of stinginess that Henry James Hanover Stuart Fox (rwrb) has. He basically starts out being an absolute prude. Enter, "The Five", a group of five girls from around the world, ranging from models, to princesses. One of the important ones, Chula (Love her, she's basically me but like, a girl.) decides to wingman Aleksander. Oh, and yeah, Alexsander is my MC, probably should've mentioned that before to be honest. Alek is a commoner (A heartthrob, but a egotistical one at best) who got enlisted in the draft, and ended up training for 2 years to be Kota's sisters guard, but before he could work his way to the sisters. (who I have not written in yet. Seeing as they are such minor characters, I really only put them into the story for the sake of having an extensive royal bloodline.) He ends up getting placed with Chula as her combined Assistant as well as guard.
There are different approaches to developing characters. But you want to make sure they're developed alongside (or rather intertwined with) the plot and theme if there is one. One really good way to do that is by developing a character web. There are some good videos about it on my blog.
If they are more than a cameo with a line or two, think Stan Lee in any MCU movie. Then you need to put some effort into them.
