-19: The Ensemble Cast

I have to admit to a total cop-out when it comes to minor figures. If I was smart, I would (in advance) decide the following:

Who are Finn’s friends and how important are they to the story?
What is their function?
Does Finn really need them to do what he has to do?
How do they relate to one another, if at all?
How many lines do they get?
If they are not “growth” characters, i.e.  if they are not given the opportunity to grow and change over the course of the novel, how much attention do I need to pay to their personalities? And how do I stop them from being stereotypical?
Are they worthy of names?

The list of questions should probably be longer, but there’s no point in going any further because I don’t actually ask any of them. I would truly like to be that thoughtful and organized, but I’m not holding my breath that I ever will be.

The truth is, for me, dialogue determines the cast. Nothing more. Finn goes places and does stuff, and when the scene seems to require someone else in it, I add somebody. The characters talk, and as the conversation evolves, my sense of the new cast member resolves. In later scenes and later conversations, additional characters may be added, and some will be taken away if their role turns out to be puny or their dialogue weak.  I truly don’t know when I start how all that will go.  Yes, this approach sounds a little loosey-goosey even to me, but it is unfortunately the truth.

I think the overriding consideration is function. I don’t need understudies. Each member of the ensemble cast has to have something to do, or they need to find another book.