Hey all, So I've got to a point in my story that I am introducing a character to the reader, who is meeting with the hero of our story after he suffers a personal tragedy. The 2 characters are supposedly very close however there has yet to be any interaction between them. What tips, tricks and techniques do you guys use to introduce a new character? Thanks, -Del.
For me, if they are known to the MC they should not be a new character. The introduction should be natural and any authorial intrusion in introducing should be avoided. How would I do it? I would naturally Oh darling make it go away, give me these moments, give them back to me, give me that little kiss.. sorry Kate Bush took over.
It kinda depends on the relationship. If it's a close family member or loved one, the earlier you can establish the character's existence, the better. Even if the two don't talkfor five chapters, plant the seed early on. eg: "Even though I make a good living as a graphic designer, my parents are convinced it isn't stable work, frequently reminding me of my sister and her nice, reliable job at the bank." If you're still early in the story, you should be okay.
I would have the new character immediately know how your MC is feeling and how best to comfort them. Your MC can feel comforted just as the sight of new character. That says so much about their relationship without having to give complicated back story.
This is gold thank you! It's one of that sounds obvious once you know it but is a golden bit of wisdom for those less clued up. Thank you my friend! Thanks man, I'm actually quiet early on in the story so I'm pretty lucky there, but I'll bare that in mind about planting the seed! CALL THE EXORCIST KATE BUSH IS HERE!!!! -Del.
I agree it should be more natural if the character is close to MC. You always see it, they glide in, make some comment or question to the MC referring to their current situation, and the MC responds and then goes into how they know each other, background. All that fun stuff.
I always strive to show the world through my POV character. When a new character comes in, I introduce that character differently depending on how the POV character would see him/her. If it's a person the POV character doesn't know, I don't let the reader know either. I never step outside the character to objectively speak to the reader--my style is vehemently against that. My narration is fully colored with the POV character's biases, and so the reader doesn't know the character until the POV character does. If it's someone the POV character does know but the reader doesn't, then I take the reader for granted. Proudly. I've learned through extensively reading, writing, and critiquing, that excess information is never a good thing, and that the reader usually doesn't need as much information as we typically think he/she does. Anything the character knows, I presume the reader knows, even if he/she doesn't. But I always keep that fact in mind, and I make sure to find ways to sprinkle that information in when it makes sense to. Readers are different, of course. I can only go by what makes sense for me. But when I read, if I don't know what's going on immediately, I usually trust that the writer knows what she/he is doing and that I'm not supposed to know. I have faith that I'll be told at just the right time for me to piece everything together without my hand being held. And I appreciate it when that turns out to be the case. I find that to be evidence of strong writing and an author's full understanding of her/his own story. I try to emulate that in my own writing. So if the character is already known to your POV, I wouldn't waste words/space/time giving the reader an aside. It breaks flow and POV. Throw the reader into the middle of the conversation and make him/her trust that you know what you're doing. Then deliver on that trust. The reader will love you for it.
I introduce my main characters within the first 6 paragraphs. And it doesn't matter if it's a first person short story or a third person novel, that's my style. There's several others but I won't give away my person style of writing.
Primary characters are one thing, but secondary and below are another. You need to know your lead protagonist right away, but an infodump of the entire cast is off-putting.
