Why fictional characters have to fight for the right to exist

[John Dean]

I am returning to a familiar theme for this blog, namely the right of a character to exist. The subject comes to mind because I am working on the latest DCI John Blizzard novel and, although some of my regulars appear, there is a cast of new characters as well.

The key to creating characters is not to confuse the reader. Indeed, the good people at my publisher The Book Folks know that a range of characters can bewilder some readers, which is why their books always feature an easy-to-use Dramatis Personae as a reference tool.

When it comes to the actual narrative, a key way for the author to avoid confusion in the reader’s mind is to create characters that are strongly defined and easily identified as individuals. That should ensure that they are not mistaken for other characters.

So, for my latest novel, I needed some new characters and, for me, new characters often start out with the jobs I need them to do within the story. They must have something to contribute, to confront trouble, to solve crimes, to agitate, to keep secrets, to antagonise the police, to terrorise the community, to make the reader think etc etc.

Once their job is identified, they can take their place in the novel. If they do not have a job to do, it’s time to hit the delete button!