This regards my novel. I have a habit of promoting secondary characters to viewpoint characters, and I just did it again. Mr. Exposition here has been there from the start, and is the twin brother of the original MC, who is now one of about eight perspective characters. You might guess the main reason for his inclusion from the thread title, but I'll elaborate below. Big E was always a peripheral presence, but one which I put quite a bit of myself into. More specifically, myself when I was that age (or rather, those ages; he grows up over the course of the story). He is a shy, bookish child, very intelligent (this part is more fiction than truth) and goes on to train as a scholar (again, fiction). His learning would include history, geography, cultural anthropology, and what passes for science in his society. Potentially also matters of the occult, which is kind of a big deal in this setting. I included him foremost because he grew on me as a character, and because I don't have another pair of eyes in that part of the world after the, say, first fifth of the story. And, obviously, I want to use his lectures and studies to show bits and pieces of the wider world and its history. Of course, he has his inner life and plot lines beside that, and I'll doubt he'll spend the entire story in this role. I should also mention that I already had a Mr. Exposition of sorts, a character wise in the ways of folklore and legend, but that's a much smaller part of his character and he's otherwise much more interesting at this point. My question then becomes, would a character like this be annoying or boring to read? Large parts of his chapters, at least initially, would be experiencing his training through his eyes. Should I perhaps limit myself to a couple of scenes of this? What are ways in which I can make it less obtrusive? What are some alternatives? Thank you.
I understand him being a peripheral character in order for you relay the elements of your setting. If his promotion to viewpoint character however has his story arc stand alone against and not affect the plot—I think I'd spot your invention and see it as an indulgence. This might be less obvious mind if it's habitual on your part and you naturally apply the style to more than a few characters (safety in numbers). I'd likely then see it as intended structure and assume it a richer story for its subplots. Key thing though, for me, would be seeing a connection between the subplots and the main story.
His arc is rather rough-hewn at the moment, as his promotion was very recent. The intention is to eventually have him mixed in with the greater events of the story, but his first few chapters would indeed be rather isolated. I do need a viewpoint in that part of the world at a certain point, and it might as well be him. The thing I'm not so sure about is my usage of him "meanwhile". The alternative is to introduce his viewpoint just prior to the important bit. I like to think that my adding-on of viewpoints is not without some degree of control, but I'm hardly impartial. I'll admit that the complexity and scope of the story I'm trying to tell is a fair bit outside my comfort zone and skill level.
You might feel a need to reveal more information than is required in a single publication. Have you considered writing a series like Game of Thrones? Write one book focusing on a subplot within the bigger plot, or write a book from a perspective of one of the characters as this subplot overlaps other subplots in the series. I wouldn't have a problem reading a book sharing subplots with other books in the same series, providing the book offered new insight and a genuinely fresh experience.
Yes, nothing is set in stone yet, but the work I'm talking about is probably going to end up as a series. Either that or it'll be one hefty tome.
