A key part of revising a book is making the tough cuts. You might be an overwriter who needs to trim the fat from their story or drop your word count down by putting your crutch words in the line of the Delete key's fire, or you may need to scrap a scene that doesn't serve your story.
One of the hardest I've faced as a writer is cutting characters. I've had to do it a handful of times and MAN do I agonize over it. Characters are often the first thing I know about a new story idea and I have a habit of getting attached to them, as if they were dear friends or even family. Not to mention how overwhelming the number of changes I'd have to make after bidding them adieu was at first. But in the end, it made the stories less convoluted and easier for readers since it meant there was one less person to keep track of as the events unfolded.
How do you know if you have a character that needs to be cut from your story? Here are a few signs to keep in mind...
An Enormous Ensemble Cast
A key thing to note when cutting characters is the size of your cast. Do you have too many people running around?
I tend to think of my stories' casts in three separate groups.
Protagonists - This is pretty straightforward. They're the main character. The story revolves around them and would likely fall apart without them.
eg Lorelai and Rory Gilmore
Secondary Characters - They're not as central to the story as your protagonists but still contribute a fair deal. This could be a protagonist's cousin or a coworker, for example, or might fulfill an archetype such as the wise mentor figure or a love interest.
eg Luke, Sookie, or Paris
The Extras - In the simplest of terms, these are the characters that are just kind of there, like the customers in the background at Luke's. We might be able to identify one or two of them like Kirk or see Rory and Lorelai interact with them in passing, but we as the audience only care about the mother-daughter duo and Luke.
To put this all another way, your protagonists are the ice cream that is a must-have in a sundae, your secondary characters are the whipped cream and cherries that tend to be included when we picture a sundae but aren't a necessity, and the extras are your toppings like sprinkles or nuts that may add some texture and make the sundae look nice but aren't crucial to the dessert as a whole.
More often than not, the extras tend to be cut from my stories first because they're just taking up space. Readers typically don't need to bond with them in the same way as protagonists and secondary characters. They're certainly worth having, as they can help bring the setting to life and add a sense of realism, but you don't need to pay as much attention to them. Unless it's relevant to the overall plot that the taxi driver we see one or two times is named Lenny and he's lived in San Fransisco his whole life and wants to go back to school to become a film director, you can lessen their role or cut them altogether.
When it comes to cast sizes, you typically want to avoid having too many characters. Large casts can work in many instances, but overcrowded novels can be too much for readers to keep track of, so prioritize the characters who play a more vital role.
Someone Else Can Do Their Job Better
Speaking of playing a vital role, another thing to consider is the role your characters play in your story. What is their purpose?
Let's say you're writing a thriller and your protagonist, Mike, frequents a bar in town. Mike chats with the bartender, Pam, and gets some info about a killer on the loose. After this scene, we don't see Pam again not because she's been done away with by the aforementioned killer but because we don't go back to that bar for the rest of the story.
Mike also has a brother named Caleb who pops up frequently. Maybe Caleb knew the second victim and he and Mike share speculations surrounding the murders in town as things progress.
Here, it might make sense to have Caleb give Mike that first bit of information about the killer instead of Pam. Caleb is a character we're going to have more of a relationship with in this scenario, but he also plays a larger role in protagonist Mike's life than the bartender.
You could still have this interaction take place at a bar and mention Pam mixing cocktails or chatting with Mike briefly, but Caleb is probably a better fit for the job where the plot is concerned.
Speaking from experience, this can also make things easier on your readers.
I'll avoid going into detail to avoid spoilers, but one of my WIPs originally had not one, not two, but three people involved with a major conflict. All were secondary characters, but only two of them played a consequential role in the protagonists' lives. The other was a new acquaintance who was just there. Along with that, I had one character's longtime friend not playing as big of a role as she frankly should have been and could take on a similar part in the story.
In the end (and after a lot of the aforementioned agonizing), I decided to scrap the third conflict instigator. Dropping the party down to two simplified things for me when it came to plotting, made more logistical sense where character relationships were concerned, and allowed me to weave in a red herring.
Ease Of Erasure
When making changes to their WIP, one reason a writer might hesitate is how much work it might take to patch everything up after cutting something.
This ease of erasure was the basis of an exercise from a writing class I took in college that I still use today. How drastically would your story change if you did take that scene out? And if you did, could you convey any information gleaned from that scene more effectively?
That applies to characters, too.
If taking this character out of the action doesn't leave a noticeable plot hole in their wake, they may not be an essential member of your cast and therefore eligible for elimination.
Subplot Surplus
In addition to your story's main plot and conflicts, you might have a few subplots woven in. Subplots can be great for enhancing your story or adding new stakes, but they tend to be one of the first things on the chopping block when you're editing. Especially in the traditional publishing sphere, you only have so many pages to tell your story so you can't have too many side quests cutting into your time.
Let's say one of your secondary characters is the protagonist's childhood best friend, and you have a subplot about them going on the hunt at every gas station in the region to stock up on bags of chips because their favorite flavor has been retired.
This might lead to some comedic moments or provide insight into your protagonist's backstory or their dynamic with the chip stasher, but what else? What other purpose does this serve? Does it advance the plot or make it come to a grinding halt? Does it impact your main storyline at all? How involved is your protagonist, really? Would this slow the pacing or even divert it entirely?
These are questions you might ask when deciding whether to cut a subplot altogether, but take it a step further: does this secondary character have a significant impact on the story as a whole?
If they're only there for comic relief or exposition and are otherwise effectively crumbs rather than seasoning that adds flavor to your story, they might have to go the way of the Cinnamon & Sugar Pringles can and be kicked to the curb.
You're Trying To Force It
Lastly, a sign you may need to cut a character from your WIP is if you find yourself trying to force them into it.
Most if not all writers have been told to murder their darlings. In other words, be willing to trim away the things that aren't benefitting their story no matter how much they love or how willing they are to fight to save them. It ranges from favorite lines of dialogue to entire scenes and even characters.
You may have a secondary character who you wholeheartedly adore, but their inclusion in key scenes interferes with the pacing and they aren't too connected to the central conflict. Additionally, your betas have pointed out that this character doesn't fit within the tone of the story or feels underutilized. In spite of this, you're determined to make it work because you love this character so much.
Been there, done that.
This can lead to editing in circles and a string of failed attempts to weave this character into your story even though they're not meshing well at all.
Save yourself the time and frustration of trying to make it work. Instead, have that darling character pull up a chair in your graveyard doc for the time being. This way, it's not a total goodbye but a "see you later" that allows you to bring them back for a future story—one which might suit them even better.
Like any major changes to your WIP, cutting a character can be tough. It's probable that there will be some gaps to fill in their absence and things to rework, but it will also probably make your story a smoother read once it's done.
Deciding if you need to cut a character is going to be up to you as the writer, but there are plenty of common signs to be mindful of. And if one of your characters is falling into one or more of these zones, you may want to consider putting them on the bench.
Remember, they can always be brought back for a different story—maybe even as the protagonist!
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