The Comics How To: BUILDING A STORY AROUND THE CHARACTER ELEMENTS

Lance Lucero

6 years ago

To me, part of developing a character requires building story elements around the character, such as, a strong supporting cast. Aside from the hero verses the villain stuff, the main character needs to interact with other characters in order to create a voice and an attitude. Now, this may seem a little overwhelming, to create more characters while trying to define the main character, but as you build a supporting cast, you will naturally create a voice for your main character.

I took a very simple approach to creating a supporting cast. Basically, I examined existing supporting cast elements of every form of entertainment, films, television, comic books, etc., and found that there are two traditional roads to travel on. It’s either the basic sidekick or the mentor. I didn’t have to think about this too much because after I decided that the main character would have psychic abilities, and that his abilities where a result of genetics, the mentor angle easily presented itself. I decided that the mentor would be a great-grandfather. I wanted to skip a few generations in order to span more family history. Plus, there is always natural conflict between generations, which can create many dialogue opportunities.

While developing the mentor, once again, I looked at what I didn’t want. The mentor can easily fall into the typical Obi Wan Kenobi type. I think we all have seen too much of that, so I decided to take a different approach, which was primarily to run the opposite way. Now, it’s easy to say that by taking the opposite approach, the character is not a mentor. Not true, because you can still have a wise mentor that is not necessarily a good influence. To me, this is a more natural approach to story telling rather than automatically creating a mentor that we all want to be like or live vicariously through. Plus, I believe that our initial mentorship, our influences, good or bad, come from our family.

Now I have what I believe to be the makings of a strong supporting character. I wanted a much older and wiser family member, who was also a smart-mouth jerk. The mentor will teach and argue with the main character throughout their adventures. And when we’re talking about family, the interactions can be inspiring, funny, and cruel. Just looking at my own family, I experienced great dialogue, which will help me build a voice for the main character.

I’m doing well so far; I have defined the main character and his main supporting character. More story elements are beginning to present themselves. But this is not enough to fully develop the main character. Why? Because I don’t want Sherlock Holmes and Watson. I don’t want the dynamic duo of any type. Sure the two characters will be the driving force behind the stories, but I don’t want them to be the brains that will figure out all of the answers. In order for the characters to grow, they need to learn together.

I needed to add another supporting cast member. Yeah, I know, this seems overwhelming, but it’s not; realizing that my two characters need more support with their adventures presents the opportunity of adding another important character, and because of the environment I am creating, a world dealing with psychic abilities, turning to technology like the Internet will not work. I don’t want my characters to have to Google for answers; that’s a story killer. If my character is looking for answers in the psychic realm, I believe he must look in odd or real places. I’m dating myself for sure by stating this, but before the Internet, there was the library, or the bookstore. My characters will have to get up off their asses and do real research, just as I have to do as a writer.

Again, I wanted to keep the additional supporting character in the family, so I made him a cousin who owns a specialty bookstore. I need a place where my main character can go to in order to try and figure out answers. Plus, keeping with the family element will continue to add great conflict, which will continue to build a voice for the main character.

Plenty of developmental elements are in place to create a well-rounded main character and supporting cast, but what’s going to spring this character into action?

Next, the antagonist!

For more information about the BOB: NON-UNION PSYCHIC world, visit the Warehouse 9 Productions site HERE