As many of you guys already know...I absolutely LOVE to work with ensemble casts in my own work! It gives me so much freedom and extra room to build characters up (or tear them down) without having to resort to long bouts of exposition to do it. I’ve always thought that the true identity of a character was more impactful by centering on their positive or negative interactions with the other characters in my stories then just talking about them, second-hand. It says soooo much more than simply telling the audience that ‘this is who character is. And you should just believe me because I said so.’ That’s not really effective in my mind. I’m always like, “Show me!” Why should I just believe the writer because that’s who they need them to be in order for the plot to work? It’s not enough to simply say, ‘because I said so.’ I want to see your claims about this fictional person in action. I want to not only see your assumptions of this character worked into your story, but I want to see how it bounces off of other personalities in your fiction and find it’s own special niche spot among the rest of your characters. Who are they, and why are they a part of your story?

Now, if you write gay teen romance...you really only need to include a protagonist and a love interest to work with. And that can be a beautiful thing if you focus on the love and relationship between those two people. Maybe you add a friend here and there, or a parent if you feel it’s necessary...but the story is really about the bonding of your two main characters. And that’s awesome. You ‘stayed in the pocket’ with your focus and told the tale that you wanted to tell. Great! Thumbs up for that.

However...if you ever look back at your own work and find yourself doing more ‘telling’ than ‘showing’...you may want to see if there are places in your writing where you can add a few scenes or examples of the very suggestions that you made considering one character or another. When describing a certain character, whether it be in your story, or just in your notes beforehand...you should always always always be asking yourself why? This guy is a badass? Why? This guy always makes me laugh? Why? He’s such a sweetheart, or he’s so angry, or he’s such a pest? Why? Don’t explain it to me...show me the evidence, and let me come to my own conclusion about it all. Allow me, as a reader, to be a part of building my perception of this character and take it to heart. You know?

It makes a difference. Trust me. I speak from experience, despite having to learn it the hard way in the beginning.

The beauty of having an ensemble cast when I’m writing is knowing that I have multiple avenues to expose and explore these characters by showing my readers how they act and react in certain situations or interact with other characters with different personalities in my story. And character combos have become a BIG part of everything that I write for that very reason. I don’t want to narrate from an omnipotent position and tell the readers how to feel about a certain character ahead of time. I want them to be a part of the experience when it comes to developing their feelings and personal investments in the characters that I create. And sometimes that comes from the simple act of seeing them in action with other people. You know what I mean?

Character combinations are very easy to put together once you ease up on your complete and total control over your fictional characters’ lives and just let them exist with one another as you know them. The key is to concentrate on their individual personas, and allow them to blossom and display themselves through their actions and dialogue as the story progresses forward. Separate them! When you create a character for your story, make sure that there’s a real reason for them to be there. And USE that reason to your advantage! Even if it happens to be a side character.

This is where the power comes from when it comes to character combos. A combination of personalities and abilities all coming together at once. Sometimes peacefully...sometimes not so much! But the idea is very simple. As they say...”Teamwork makes the dream work!” Which basically means that everybody has something to offer in terms of a cohesive storyline. As I’ve said before, if you have a character in your work that can easily be taken out without affecting the story in any major way...then he/she doesn’t belong there. It’s fluff. It’s like having cotton candy for dinner. It’s not satisfying or fulfilling at all. Lose it. Always keep this principle in mind while you’re writing. If you have a protagonist with an obligatory best friend, a teen with an oblivious parent with no impact on the story, or a boss at work with no real effect on your protagonist...then lose them. If you can or have no future plans for them, that is.

The thing about character combos is the idea that you can get an ensemble cast of characters together all at once, but they all have a special skill, or knowledge, or a unique mindset, that will come in handy in the major scheme of things. Something that no one else on your fictional ‘team’ can do, or do the same way, than the character that you’ve picked for that particular task. THAT is exciting! That’s what people love to see! Hehehe!

I want you to watch this clip from “Wakanda Forever” that displays a lot of what I’m talking about here. Now, all three of these characters have the exact same goal in the long run, but they are still acting in ways that sort of conflict with one another, which I thought was BRILLIANT! Here, you have a young college student whose a tech genius who has been hiding out, so when the cops show up for a surprise raid, she just wants to burn the evidence and fly out of there so she can’t be caught! And looks like she’s having a blast doing it! Hahaha!

Meanwhile, you’ve got Shuri...the defiant and reckless princess, who immediately wants to go after her. BUT, she’s being heavily guarded by the Queen’s own General Okeye, who’s only priority is to protect the princess and get her out of there at all costs! No matter what! So, our college student, Ri Ri, flys off, and Shuri sneaks behind the car to basically lock the female general in the car and turns on the computer remote controls to spin her off in the opposite direction to get her out of the way! (Something she had obviously planned for beforehand, just in case) Leaving Shuri to jump on a motorcycle and chase after her target without being restricted or worried about her safety. Something the general would NEVER allow if she had known ahead of time.

Conflicting methods, but all trying to reach the same goal by using their specific gifts to make this happen. Gifts that can finally match one another when they work together. There is so much GENIUS in how this scene was put together...but more on that after you watch it...

The thing about the previous clip is all about the switch off. One is young and naive but highly intelligent, one is extremely smart but reckless, and one is dedicated and loyal to the throne...but can be easily tricked if the warrior lets down her guard. Strengths and weaknesses are all on display here when put it into the proper context, and it says something that’s very simple. ‘Everybody has something to do here.’ This is a character combo. It gives importance and interest to everyone in your story, and this is crucial when it comes to keeping your story tight and concentrated, because you’re not wasting time trying to find a purpose for one of your other characters in critical situations. If they’re there, show us why. What are they bringing to the table? What particular skill set or bit of knowledge are they adding to this particular scene? Again...think about what their strengths are, and what their weaknesses are...and how can they work together to fill some of those holes where they might be lacking.

In the story, “New Kid In School” (https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/newkidinschool) I have a cute couple that just want to be together, but I also have someone else who wants to separate them and take one of the boys for himself. But I have another character that knows all of this boy’s sneaky tricks and deceptions who can step in and fend him off with the insults and sarcastic remarks needed to keep him at bay while our couple remains solid. He’s the character that can fill in that spot of weakness or inexperience for our favorite boyfriends...and that’s why he’s there. (Sorry if that’s vague, but I was trying to avoid spoilers) He has a reason to be there. There is something that he can do, that he can know, or that he can see and anticipate...that the other two can’t. So I focus on his special skill with this story, and he’s obviously bringing something unique to the table. And this makes for a more interesting character who’s there just for the sake of trading dialogue or being a random plot device. He’s woven into the very fabric of what is going on there, and readers will connect to him because they will clearly understand why he’s needed in this part of the story. In the “Savage Moon” story, every single member of the wolf pack has a specific role to play. In the story “S-K-Y-L-I-G-H-T”, everyone has a different personality and a different collection of attributes that might help them all survive. Same with “Shelter”. By having everyone be a part of the solution, or even a part of causing more problems, not only do you connect your audience to them as individuals, but it keeps you away from Mary/Gary Sue characters who can seemingly do everything all on their own without any help from anybody. That erases tension and can sometimes make for a boring main character. Spread the problem out a little bit, and let a few of them show your readers what they can do.

Sorry to bash and batter you guys with Marvel stuff as much as I do...but I grew up reading comic books, and they taught me how to handle character, action, drama, plot, etc. It’s how I learned to write at all. Hehehe, so sue me!

This clip is from the first “Avengers” movie. Just watch this scene. You’ve got your team leader who’s capable of quickly putting a plan together, you’ve got a tech genius who can fly and guide the enemy in the right direction, you’ve got a couple of spies/assassins who can help to save civilians in harm’s way, you’ve got the muscle, you’ve got the muscle...each and every single person on this team has a skill that is specific to them and them alone. Nobody feels left out. Nobody feels wasted. They’ve all got a killer hand to play, and this is exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to your own projects!

Develop your characters earlier on in the story, and when it comes time for them to put their advantages to use...it means something special, and it sets them apart from your other characters. For example, in “Raiders Of The Lost Ark”, the first time we meet her, she’s drinking a guy nearly twice her size under the table! That’s more than just a random scene, that’s character building. Because that talent of hers shows up later in the movie, and you believe it because it’s already been introduced as one of her attributes that even the main character might not be able to pull off. So she’s proven herself to be more than a worthy member of the team she’s working with. You’ll see examples of this in movies like “Mission: Impossible” or the “Oceans Eleven” remake! Get everyone involved, flaws and all. Make it work, and you’ll have an easy time of letting the story build up around them. Get it? Good!

That’s it for now! I hope you guys have fun! And I’ll be back with more soon!