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Q&A My cool character is doing nothing for the plot. How do I deal with him?

So I have this great character( not the main protagonist), who is funny and intelligent. Each scene I write for him is a delight. But the problem is, he is doing nothing for the plot. I have tried...

4 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Shantnu Tiwari‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question plot characters
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T02:22:44Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/5705
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Shantnu Tiwari‭ · 2019-12-08T02:22:44Z (about 5 years ago)
So I have this great character( not the main protagonist), who is funny and intelligent. Each scene I write for him is a delight.

But the problem is, he is doing nothing for the plot. I have tried to fit him in a few places, but he always stands out, looking uncomfortable.

I have tried reasoning with him, trying to help him out, but like a bad coin, he always turns up and accomplishes nothing. He's always like "Look at me, I'm so funny, so cute, why do I need to add to the story?"

Now I love this character, but I am stuck on what to do with him. Should I :

a. Kill him?

b. Change him?

c. Anything else??

As I said, the character isn't boring, just not that useful to the story.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2012-05-20T01:04:48Z (over 12 years ago)
Original score: 20