The Sam Gamgee Principle

                 In the course of writing a story, most authors are going to focus their efforts on the main character.   Their actions are the ones that drive the story forwards. They have the love interest and the Arch Enemies and the snappy dialogue, so naturally they are going to get our A game while what is left gets divided up amongst all the secondary characters.  Frequently these second tier characters only purpose is to give the Hero someone to talk at, rescue, or bounce exposition off of, sometimes they’ll die so the hero can find the motivation to beat the bad guy.  I feel this is a wasted opportunity.

                The thing about heroes is that the exceptional qualities that make them so interesting to read about separate them from us.  They inspire and amaze us, but because we know deep down that we can never do what they do, most of us will never even try.  Even when we feel connected to the hero on a level, such as when Spiderman struggles to make rent there is always that ability gap that excuses us from following his example.  This is why, even though the Hero gets the bulk of your efforts, you should not neglect the sidekick. Circle back for him. Develop him. Give him something real to say and do, because ultimately, the Sidekick is your reader.

                Most of us probably have times when we do not feel like the heroes of our own stories.  We are not gifted athletes, or prodigies of any sort. We rarely feel like the coolest person in the room.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, how chaotic would the world be if everyone was an Alpha type? But what are the qualities of a good sidekick?  They are loyal. They are frequently braver than they ever thought they could be. They stand to be counted, even if what they have to contribute to the cause isn’t much.  When the hero falters, as he will at some point if he has any depth at all, when he loses faith or hope or confidence, the sidekick encourages him and gets him through it. When the hero has exhausted his last reserves of strength, the sidekick says “Take mine.”

 When you think about it, these are not just the qualities of a good sidekick. They are the qualities of a good friend, and they are all things that I can do even though my abilities are not exceptional.  A Hero can inspire you. He can give you hope and purpose. But a sidekick can teach you how to be a better person, and that’s not an opportunity a writer should miss.