Henry VIII's Cromwell. Frodo's Samwise. Robin Hood's Little John.
This writing tip is about sidekicks in a story. Friends, comrades, accomplices, supporters – all placed in their supporting role to the protagonist as an aid, a confidant, a boost during the protagonist's good and bad times. And yes, they can even add a little tension along the way.
This is another opportunity for you to add to the rounded-out personality of your protagonist. Creating a Tonto to your Lone Ranger might seem easy-peasy... but not so fast. Just like the research and development you needed to do with your protagonist and your villain/antagonist, the same holds true with the sidekick. Samwise Gamgee is, of course, the perfect choice to show the genius of Tolkein. He didn't just stand idly by as a filler character but he fulfilled a necessary role in the protagonist's life. He brought true depth and stability to Frodo, grounding him to the Shire even as the Ring continued to pull him farther and farther away. In other words, your sidekick needs to add memorable value to your story.
There are some easy ways to know if your story even needs to have a sidekick, and here are some questions for you to ask.
Do I really need a sidekick? Or does my historical character have one in real-life accounts?
Does my sidekick character add value to my story or is he/she a throwaway?
Is my sidekick character fully developed?
So, what is the definition of a sidekick or secondary character?
This character's role is to help the protagonist toward their goal, support them as they overcome obstacles, and give them a boost whenever they are facing deep internal issues. Sometimes a sidekick is doing this all at once or one at a time, whatever your story or individual scenes call for.
Do I have to have a sidekick?
No, you don't. And please don't put one in there just to take on the function of a sounding board for your protagonist. He or she must serve a purpose in the storyline. Think about yourself and others, after all, we all could use a little voice in our ear from time to time but more often than not, we figure things out on our own. Ask yourself, will my story benefit from my protagonist having a sidekick? If the answer is no, then move on. If the answer is yes, then this is another opportunity to for you to really draw out your protagonist's character, just make sure that the sidekick is pulling their own weight and that you are not using them as a throwaway... good for one-time only and then you never see them again in the story. As with any story-engaging character, this one is no different in that you need to define his/her details – personality, background, traits, etc. Sometimes the sidekick is used as a mentor character (which will be discussed in the upcoming “Mentor” article), which means that more depth needs to be given to them to establish such a weighty role. Think Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. A sidekick can be memorable or forgettable, so take care how you craft this character.
How can I make my sidekick memorable?
Make them serve a purpose. Use these touchstones to flesh out this character.
Make them contrast in either a negative or a positive way.
Make their goal the same as the protagonist.
Make them the “Jiminy Cricket” for the protagonist, their conscience.
Have them create tension by not always agreeing with the protagonist's choices or actions, and by confronting their bad decisions, encouraging them to the right course of action. Sherlock's Dr Watson, or again, Samwise Gamgee to Frodo.
Use this character to add depth to the protagonist's backstory or world, providing necessary details, conversations, or experiences that no other character can provide.
Again, in historical fiction, you are sometimes already given historical knowledge of a friend or mentor or family member of a historical figure so you can really utilize this to bring the story and the protagonist to life. This all might seem like a lot of work before the actual work of writing your story but crafting your characters is just as important as historical research. You might end up with stacks and stacks of notebooks but your story will be all the better for the time you expend on this task.
Previous article: Is Your Villain Truly Believable?
Next article: What About a “Mentor” Character? (Posting Sept. 21, 2022)
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