Step 4: Create More Characters
Last week we created our sleuth. This week we’ll create characters to surround the sleuth. These include sidekicks, mentors, antagonists other than the villain, the victim, the killer, and suspects. You can use some of the same characteristics you learned in creating your sleuth but to a lesser degree depending on the needs of the story.
Sidekicks and Mentors
You’ve learned that your sleuth must be a well-rounded person with both talents and faults. Sidekicks and mentors help round her out a bit more. A sidekick might be a cop, either one she works with if she’s an officer, or a friend who helps her. Monika (Monika Everhardt Medical Mysteries) has BJ, a girlfriend from childhood, who tells her how the justice system works but mostly tries to keep her from investigating murders! A sidekick could also be a friend who has some other specialized knowledge, such as computer tech able to find discreet online info.
Mentors help your sleuth in all kinds of ways. Adelaide (Singular Village Mystery sleuth) has Emma, her surrogate parent who taught her midwifery and herbal medicine. Mostly, though, she is a thoughtful, intelligent woman who, despite being blind and disabled, continues to ponder Adelaide’s dilemmas, offering valuable advice.
Also, when your sleuth interacts with a sidekick or a mentor (as well as other characters), she reveals details about herself. In the same way, when they question, disagree, or challenge her, we see more of her character. And the more we get to know her, the more we want to know. That’s what keeps readers coming back!
Antagonists
In addition to a killer, other characters must cause the sleuth problems–just like in real life. Maybe she’s about to lose her job because she’s spent so much time trying to track a killer and if she does, she might be evicted from her apartment. Maybe her father is demanding her help, her son is in trouble in school, or her boyfriend wants more of her time. The people and the problems you can give her are endless. And they are ways to build subplots (in a future post). Just be sure you don’t give her so many antagonists that she doesn’t have time to solve the murder.
The Victim
You learned some things about the victim in Step 1: Start with Murder. You know he may be evil or a saint. But the one characteristic all victims have in common is that the killer wanted them dead. Why? The threat might be real or imagined but the killer beliefs it’s so. Maybe he hurt the killer or his family in some way or maybe he’d done no harm. The killer might think he could do him wrong. Maybe he thinks the victim might steal his wife or his money. Or he might be selling his son drugs. One woman took a bat to a drug dealer for that reason. (I can’t make this stuff up.) Nonetheless, he has to die.
Yikes! I’ve done it again! Written too much and now must delay telling you how to create killers and suspects. Coming next week, I promise.
