Using A Bit Player To Reinforce A Point
I’ve begun to revisit my novel Under The Darkened Moon. I know I last said that I was going to do some free writing exercises and post them here. However due to some computer an server issues this past week getting online has been problematic.
So instead of pulling my hair out over those things I went back to something I already had started. I have nearly done a full rough edit of the novel, finding some major things that needed work including plot holes and inconsistencies you could drive a MAC truck through sideways and taken care of them. Other items I marked for review and further pondering. Now I am nearing the end of the novel and I am struggling with the way it was originally written. Towards the end of the novel I introduce a couple new characters who are just really bit players in the story. They are not there for the reader to become attached to. Although each has their purpose they roughly appear for no more than 50 pages of overall story.
One of these characters I introduce to show and reinforce in the minds of the reader the concept of the racism that exists in the world from humans directed at elves. Throughout the book up to this point the reader experiences this racism through the POV of the main character which is third person limited in nature. The main character’s friend who appears in many scenes with him serves as the major conduit for the expression of this racism throughout the novel previously. But by introducing a second character whom the main character interacts with on a similar level, while at the same time removing the original character who expressed these feelings, I originally felt that this reinforced this part of the story. It was meant to get the reader to understand that this racism is much deeper than just one particular character. While this is implied often throughout the story there is never the other heavy handed antagonist to reinforce it.
Now however I am not so sure about this tactic. This character’s part in the story is so small that it almost seems out of place and awkward. But at the same time it still seems to convey larger sentiments that I wanted conveyed.
I will have to ponder whether or not the introduction of this bit player at such a late point in the story is good for the overall story or not. I still think it is but I am not as sure of it as I once was.
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