Walk-on characters

In writing, I find there are two types of characters:

- the ones I create and put on the board
- the ones who walk onto the board and say "Here I am".

The first usually result from a story need, there's a role to fill so it's filled. They tend to be well behaved, but this can make them dull to write.

The second appear in the story, often for no apparent reason, or they're minor characters who are given a bigger role than originally intended. These are the ones who like to take the story into interesting or different places. If they're not the main character, they believe they're entitled to their own subplots, and then their own book. They walk on, and take over their little corner of the story

It's these characters who bring in interesting plot twists, who offer interesting world building details, who make the stories worth writing.

But where do they come from?

Deliberately trying to create them just leads to more type one characters. They come from the dark pool as story ideas, no doubt. Story ideas come from random thoughts, little details, interesting phrases and odd concepts that fall into the pool where they float around looking for other bits to join up with, until they spark and create a storyline. Maybe walk-on characters take a swim in the pool, and pick up the bits that make them spark.