Minimalism and Minor Characters

If there was a spectrum ranging from “Authors Who Know Practically Everything about Their Characters,” to “Authors Who Know Very Little About Their Characters,” I’d be on the latter end. My preference for minimalism extends to character creation, especially with minor or supporting characters.

For example, my most recently-published novella, Love Costs, introduces a new secondary character, Vova. His primary purpose is to be a practical, level-headed counterpart to the idealistic, drama-king protagonist, Rado.

Vova also helps Rado at key points in the story. For example, he agrees to trade a shift at work when Rado needs to be somewhere else, and provides key information about things Rado doesn’t yet know (think cleverly disguised info dump.)

So what do I know about Vova? Honestly, not much more than any reader of “Love Costs” would. He’s young, but I don’t know his exact age (early thirties, perhaps?) His parents are briefly mentioned, but I have no idea of their names, where exactly they live, whether or not he has any siblings, etc. Since these things aren’t important to this particular story, I haven’t cluttered my book, or my brain, with them. Vova effectively fills the story “slot” he was created to fill, and doesn’t weigh the story down or take it on tangents. That’s the strength of the minimalist style of character creation.

The weakness is, of course, that very little description and backstory can leave you with vague or boring two-dimensional characters. To avoid this, it’s vital to make the most of every detail you do choose to include. For example, a brief description of a character’s appearance can do double-duty by hinting at both backstory and current state of mind. “A place for everything and everything in its place,” is easier said than accomplished, but that’s part of the fun…