The Power of the Sidekick

In all the epic journeys of literature, there is a sidekick or two. But, sometimes, the sidekick is more often than not the actual hero of the story. Even when they don't reach such heights, you can clearly pinpoint parts of the journey that would have failed had the sidekick not been there.

Examples:

• Frodo would never have reached Mordor or destroyed the ring if it wasn't for Sam.
• Harry would have died or never solved the mysteries of his numerous journeys without Ron and Hermione.
• Luke would never have succeeded without Leia or Han.
• The dwarves of The Hobbit would never have made it without Bilbo.
• The Pevencies wouldn't have returned home without Aslan or Tumnus.
• Dorothy would never have reached the Wizard without the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion or the Scarecrow.

Even in Disney: Belle would never have saved the Beast without Chip. Cinderella would never have made it to the ball without Jack and Gus, or her fairy godmother. Sleeping Beauty would never have survived Maleficent's curse without the three good fairies. Tiana would never have become human again without Ray and Mama Odie.

You'll find sidekicks in most books and movies that involve adventure. And when you do, you'll find that they offer some critical insight at one point of the journey, or more.

So, how do you write your own sidekick? It depends on your story. For this example, our adventure is one of life or death. There's an evil force out to destroy everything, but only one (or a band of a few) individual can save the world.

Your sidekick will need to provide a little levity, so they need to be funny, good with one liners, and generally good natured and not easily frightened (unless this can be used to comedic value). Never let your sidekick become so hilarious that it becomes incredulous or uncomfortable. Think Ron Weasley, Merry and Pippin, Han Solo. All were funny without effect and without becoming inappropriate.

Your sidekick also has to be helpful, intelligent and it helps if they can see the world in a completely different way to your hero. Examples: Hermione, Samwise, C3PO and Ray (Princess and the Frog). These characters provide clues, positivity in light of dark times and have a broader view of the world than some of the other characters. They use these traits to lead the way, spot clues or generally keep up morale, as the fight for Good against Evil reigns.

It's also important for your sidekick to never overshadow or take the limelight from your hero. Your hero is the hero for a reason and it needs to stay that way. So give your sidekick some insecurities: aversion to blood, a physical or mental weakness, phobias, lack of a sense of direction or an uncanny knack for being clumsy or getting in trouble. That will stop them from becoming the 'too-good-to-be-true' hero. Again, think about Ron Weasley (fear of spiders and insecurity about being poor), Samwise (not adventurous in the least, too curious, can't swim), C3PO (natural coward), Scarecrow (made of straw) and the Tin Man (rusts!)

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There are so many ways that you can create a believable sidekick without making them weak-willed or pathetic. If you want some inspiration, check out the great movie 'Sky High' which is about a school for superhero's, where a bunch of 'sidekicks' or 'Hero Support' end up being the only ones capable of saving the day, thus becoming the real superhero's. It might give you a glimpse of how to balance the characteristics of a sidekick with a hero and how any small talent can win the war.

Plotting Against You

Do you ever find yourself in the midst of writing a story and you suddenly realise that you're going down the really obvious route?

Never happened to you? Or happens all the time?

Personally, it happens all the time, to me. I often have to sit there and second guess my need to travel that route. Most of the time, with just one or two small re-writes, you can go the non-obvious track, without having to re-do your entire manuscript. Sometimes you don't even have to re-write anything, because it's a simple matter of revealing the "surprise" and then explaining it in a way that absolutely makes sense.

I've done this twice, in a book I was editing recently. It's not a Simply Sexy Reads book, but one for teens. I had a bad guy about to be revealed and just as I was about to reveal their name, at the moment then the teens finally found out who was causing all the trouble, I stopped and realised it was far too obvious. I'd written the entire book, building up to the reveal of this certain character - let's call them Character A for now - as the bad guy. But then, as I was about to write the name, I realised that I wanted to make it a shock. That I wanted to go really out there and choose someone who the reader would never expect, Character B. Character A could be the decoy; the one so obvious that it would make absolutely no sense for them to really be the bad guy. But, when the revelation that it's really Character B comes out, it's a shock factor and the reader begins to wonder how they never saw it coming.

That's a much better way to go.

I did the same thing with a romance, in the same book. I'd had the set up practically perfect - the two characters (C and D) became best friends through book 1 and 2, then had hints of getting really close in book 2, before finally revealing in book 3 that they were a couple. UNTIL I realised that they didn't fit, at all. Character C was way too innocent and non-romantic for Character D, who was a real romantic and a little too feisty for C. So, I switched it up in book 3, revealing the shocking surprise that Character D was actually going to end up with Character E, who was Character C's twin!

Most of the time, I'd say that it's perfectly fine to follow the plot where you'd always planned to take it. But not in this case. Sometimes, when it's really obvious, you have to switch it up, to offer your readers something that they didn't see coming. In the end, it might not work. But you'll have tried it and you can know that the obvious route was the right one.

Or, it will be fantastic! My two changes read so much better, now that they're not at all obvious. What will readers think? Who knows. Maybe they'll have seen it coming, maybe they won't, but I'll know that it was the route less travelled, when plotting out my story.

The biggest tip here is to listen to your characters. The romantic love interest changed, because my characters were telling me it wasn't right. And some instinct, whether plot or character driven, made me stop and second guess writing that 'bad guy's' name down, while writing the big revelation scene.

Don't be afraid to change your mind and don't be scared of scrapping an entire chapter or two, if it makes your story better. In the end, you'll know what works and what doesn't, when you read your story like a reader. That's when I do my best editing. Get away from it for a while, come back fresh, and you'll see whether your changes work or not.

Either way, you'll have taken the risk of finding out.