Side characters are a staple in stories of every kind, but some side characters are asked to be a little more involved in the protagonist’s journey. In order to reach the end goal, sometimes a hero needs a crew. A team. A squad. A company. A troop.
Tolkien’s masterpiece The Lord of the Rings is a perfect example. When Frodo arrives in Rivendell with the One Ring, a council is assembled and folk from all over Middle Earth discuss what to do with this dangerous weapon. A fellowship of nine travelers is chosen and they set out for Mount Doom where they hope to see the ring destroyed.
In Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, a criminal named Kaz Brekker is determined to pull off the heist of all heists. But it’s a big job and to do it, he needs a team of experts.
In Ally Carter’s Heist Society, Katarina Bishop is the daughter of a famous thief, and when a mobster’s art collection goes missing, he becomes the only suspect. To clear his name, Kat must steal the collection back, but time is short and she needs the very special gifts of some of her favorite teenage masterminds.
In my fantasy adventure, Winter, White and Wicked, a rig driver named Sylvi must travel across an island cursed by eternal winter to a rebel camp so she can save her friend. Only, she doesn’t know where the camp is, and the road is deadly this time of year. She can’t get there without help.
These books are very different, but they all feature a crew whose success depends on teamwork. And so, as storytellers, we ask the question: What makes a good crew member?
Skills
The best way to assemble a crew for your story is to put yourself in the head of whichever character needs the job done. What kind of help do they need, and what kind of expertise will get them where they’re going?
In Six of Crows, Kaz chooses a sharpshooter, a thief, a convict, a spy, and a Grisha heartrender. He has the criminal genius, but each crew member has attributes or skills that will allow him to execute his plan.
Katarina Bishop of Heist Society is also a thief, but her crew is made up mostly of family members. The Bagshaw brothers have a gift for disguise, while Kat’s flirtatious cousin, Gabrielle, is great at distraction. Nick is a skilled pickpocket, while W.W. Hale the Fifth is Kat’s best friend, a blossoming thief himself, and filthy rich. His pocketbook, limousines, and jets are a great help to Kat and crew.
When I think of assembling a team, I always come back to what my editor, Emily Daluga, once said as we were working on Winter, White and Wicked:
“It’s important to know each team member’s role so that if they die, the reader is both upset that they’re dead, but also worried about who will fill that niche on the team.”
Her words changed how I viewed the whole process, and a crew member’s role is now the very first place I start.
Diversity
As important as they are, skills aren’t the only attribute your crew members should offer. Every element of your book should accomplish more than one thing, and that includes your characters. You want them to feel like living, breathing members of your storyworld. To do that, they must all have their own backstory, opinions, and reasons for joining up. If you choose well, your crew members can help you introduce the different corners of the world they inhabit.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and his three hobbit companions are joined by a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, a man of Gondor, and a ranger from the north. As they travel, we get to learn about the various folk of Middle Earth. Tolkien’s storyworld fills with color and depth as we connect with each member of the fellowship.
In Winter, White and Wicked, I attempted to do the same. Sylvi’s crew of four includes a Kerce man with magic in his veins, a giant warrior woman from across the sea, and a Shiv youth who’s grown up very disconnected from the ancient stories of his people. As they truck across the island, we learn about these groups and their nuanced views of the world they inhabit. Their actions and dialogue, together with their varied responses to the obstacles and antagonists on the road, allow us a wider view of the story.
Conflict
The closer characters are to one another, the greater the opportunity for conflict. Working together is challenging in the best of circumstances, and the greatest gift you can give yourself is the opportunity for tension. Look for ways to rub your characters up against one another. That’s when we get sparks. And sparks make for great storytelling.
The tension between Boromir and Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring is fascinating. They both have ties to Gondor, but their perspectives are very different. Boromir’s father has been stewarding the kingdom, and his family fighting to keep the enemy out for years, while Aragorn, the heir to the throne, has been reluctant to take up the crown. The friction of two such men working together raises the tension, giving the reader a glimpse into the complicated politics of this world, the depth of the characters, and their reasons for going on such a quest. All things readers will appreciate.
Pulling together a crew to accomplish a task is both fun and challenging, but the hard work will pay off when you’ve presented the reader with an unforgettable cast of characters.
On that note, I have some fun news for you today. If you subscribe to my newsletter or follow my Instagram account, you may have heard, but since many of you are not on social media, I wanted to let you know:
The pre-order campaign for my October 13th release, WINTER, WHITE AND WICKED is live (!!!) and it features an artwork of my main character and her crew! For more information, tap the picture and follow the link.
NOW! You tell me! What’s your favorite story featuring a team or crew? It can be a movie, TV show, or book. I’m a sucker for ensemble casts, and I’d love to check it out.
Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.
Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.
It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.
To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.
For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
*This is a long one, brace yourselves* The Wars of the Realm Trilogy by Chuck Black – specifically Light of the Last has a good crew. Validus, an angel warrior has the task of protecting Drew Carter an unbelieving human from the Fallen. (It’d be really hard to explain why, so I’m going to skip that part.) Anyway in Light of the Last, Validus assembles a crew of angel warriors who all had their own unique skills and were vital in helping protect Drew. I remember when some of them died in battles with the Fallen, I had felt what you were talking about with the reader being upset and worried. That’s why this one stuck out in my mind.
Oh, I forgot. Thank you for the post, I’ve gotten some good ideas on how to help build up my own team in my current WIP.
I’ve read some of Chuck Black’s stuff! He’s fun. And you’re absolutely welcome. Good luck as you assemble your team.
Warning ⚠️ DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE LUNAR CHRONICLES OR KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES
The Lunar Chronicles and Keeper of The Lost Cities are both book series with an excellent crew. In TLC, I especially like it when Emperor Kai is first awake onboard the Rampion, because he all: “We’re on a spaceship, Cinder. In SPACE.” And freaking out because there’s a wolf mutant onboard and the fact that his country is being threaded with war and he got kidnapped from his own palace by the world biggest bounty. You know, the usual. The tension is thick. It’s great.
And in Keeper, one of my favorite relationships is between Keefe and Tam because they hate each other but they’re so similar it’s hilarious. And the thing with the self-dubbed “Sophie Swan Squad,” two of their most important members have a blood relative on the bad side. Poor Keefe, with his mom (the evil, evil woman) and Fitz, with his older brother. (Whom he hate the guts of.)
I actually love making my side characters in my own stories. Half the time they get more thought before the book even starts.
Thanks for the post!
Sorry if I just spoiled something. ??
My kids are superfans of Keeper of the Lost Cities. You’re absolutely right. Shannon Messenger is great at assembling a team. And Marissa Meyer is fantastic.
I’m working on assembling a team as well for my WIP. I started out with just two characters, who are the protagonists, but then I realized I needed more to make it believable. I think these are all things I’ve thought a little about, but I definitely need to dig deeper into their beliefs, goals, and relationships. I’ll probably also need a team for the antagonist as well.
Wishing you all the writing magic as you pull your teams together!
I agree with Ally M.J., The Lunar Chronicles cast is amazing! They’re all so different and interesting. I also liked the group of seven from Rick Riordan’s Hero’s of Olympus series, he did a great job of making them all unique.
Thank you for this very helpful post!
Oh yes! Rick Riordan is fantastic at assembling teams.
Thanks for the post! I looooove “gangs” in fiction. The book I’m currently prepping for centers around the stories of estranged siblings which will end up in them banding together against greater evil (hopefully. They don’t always behave like I ask them to), which will be a sort of gang, I hope? One of them also runs an army, so.
Awesome and very helpful post, Ms. Shannon! My current WIP has a crew too… And they are all quite different.
I have a humble genius loves roses and denim, a narcissistic king who’s obsessed with his reflection, an abused prince fighting for his right to the throne, a pessimistic girl who is the genius’ apprentice, an old bookkeeper of the kingdom, the “Three Musketeers” (they aren’t called that, but that’s basically what they are,) and the commander of one of the kingdoms’ armies, who’s also the king’s advisor.
My bad guy also has a sort of “squad.”
I love crews in stories! They’re alot of fun, especially when there’s a certain two who argue all the time over stupid stuff… (There’s a show I watch, and two of the characters fight all the time. They’re my favorite characters on the show!)
Ooh, this so sounds cool, Reily! The idea of a humble genius who loves roses and denim just warms my heart. 🙂
Ahh this is a hard question!! I’m going to have to go with The Weaver Trilogy, by Lindsay A. Franklin. Everybody gives something unique to the team, and each one is too valuable to be lost. I love the interesting ways different characters interact with mutual friends.
I am so excited for Winter, White, and Wicked, by the way!
Oh my goodness! I just remembered (and can’t believe I didn’t think of this before,) how awesome the team in The Mysterious Benedict Society is! (Trenton Lee Stewart.) Definitely one of the best teams of children’s fiction!
Ahhhh, yes! The Weaver Trilogy is one of my favorite series ever!
I love a good squad cast, and my WIP has this sort of dynamic in it, so this is great advice. Thanks!
Ooh, this post was wonderful! My current WIP is superhero, and I’m having an absolute blast brainstorming my characters (character-first novelist, here! 🙂 ). Lord of the Rings is definitely my favorite example of a team, but I also love the Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy/Revengers, Keeper of the Lost Cities teams, The Hobbit gang, and so many others!
This is perfectly timed! I realized not long ago that my current WIP is headed toward being a heist story, and I wasn’t really sure how to approach that. I have a list of characters already but I’m not sure what to do with all of them (or if I even need them all), so these tips are super helpful. I’ve known the MC for a long time but assembling his crew has been a bit more of a struggle, haha!
Six of Crows and Heist Society both sound interesting! I’ve been looking for some heist stories to help me get a feel for them, so I’ll have to check those out. Another fictional crew I love is the League of Princes from the Hero’s Guide trilogy––it takes them a while to figure out their roles, but I love the character development that goes into each one. And they’re hilarious, which helps. 🙂