I have a story about a boy at the age of sixteen and it is important that the reader learns about the origins of this boy, so the first part of the book deals with his step from complete amnesia before a tragic accident and how this forgotten childhood has effected him in his adolescence. it is also important because he comes to cherish his serrogant family who took him in in his hour of need. basically i have gotten into a hole where i feel like i am giving his uncle who takes him in is almost becoming a main character, i do not bring him back to the story once he has left
Could he remain a main character in the thoughts and memories of the boy? You could reference him often if appropriate. If your story is developing a mind of its own then go with the flow, if you fight it you'll end up with something that reads as a very forced piece of writing.
the uncle will come up again in the thoughts of the boy in his adolescence, really in an emotional point where the sweetheart of the boy finds out he is a little damaged. so the uncle needs to exist in the story to make the reference make scene, but i don't know if i really need to talk a whole lot on the estrangement of the uncle from the boy's mother, his sister. the uncle gives up the boy when he is six years old, the story the book is about is the boys coming of age and learning to deal with being different, maybe i can give the uncle some biographical info later in his moment with his girlfriend, thanks for pointing that out, great suggestion Sonata
Even if you write it and take out what you think is unnecessary at a later date, it won't be a waste of time. If the uncle is important to the main character's development and to the storyline then developing the uncle's character is important, even if most of it's just for your own mind.
I don't think that's a problem. Actually that is the way it should be. Secondary characters should also be well develop. You are following the life of a char... there is bound to be secondary chars (good or bad) who plays a prominent role in his life, and you need to tell how they affect him. This requires character development because if you were to say somewhere in the story something like: Andy told him his uncle died that morning, and he wept like a boy. Now, the readers are not going to feel anything emotionally if we haven't had a chance to know his uncle. Don't worry, his uncle is never going to replace the MC because, as you said, his uncle is there only until the MC is there with him. The only thing you should keep in mind is that whatever you tell about the uncle should somehow relate to the MC in some way. You should ask what kind of a person you want the uncle to be seen as by the MC and the readers? Accordingly tell the story of the uncle.
thanks for that info i know were the fat is and what to cut out. the uncle has a place and it is mainly to portray the impact the boy had on his uncle, and the first person to care about him opened up a new phase in the boy's life it is definitely a story about the impact one individual can make so the biographical info is important excellent advise thank you
Main character isn't a character who has a lot of screen time (my bad, no other word suite better than this) but the character whom story is about. The uncle is there to tell the boy's story. The boy is main character no matter how much screen time the uncle has. Watson has a lot of screen time but he wasn't the main character (even he could be main character in a way), Holmes did.
If the uncle is an overt institution it might be awkward to inexplicably demote his character. Not sure if that's what you mean. He absolutley must not come back?
the uncle begins the boy's journey he is only present in the beginning minus reference later to him. he isn't a side kick he is more a primer. good comment and the uncle is there definitely to tell the story, he has a function that cannot be removed otherwise my story will not work
