Introducing important characters late

[Griffith]

Would it be considered very bad planning if I were to introduce one of the main characters about halfway through the story. The character in question is investigating the main character, and it isn't until halfway through that the main character appears on his radar. Therefore, is it ok if I leave him out until then, or should I have him investigate other things which have nothing to do with the main character first, then move on?

 

[Commonmind]

It is completely acceptable to introduce an important character at any point in the book. I've read novels where memorable characters that played important roles in the story didn't show their mugs until three-quarters of the way through. The important thing is doing a good job characterizing the individual, so that the reader thinks them believable, and remembers them as being a large part of your story, despite them having only experienced the character for half the novel.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I'm thinking that the response to this is the generic It's Your Story! If a character can only come in at a certain point then do it, don't be afraid that it's not conventional or anything like that. You don't need to introduce every single character at the beginning and then let the story commence...in fact, it will probably add a lot of interest to your story if you introduce someone new, a fresh face, at a later point that the reader can follow.

 

[Talysia]

I can't really add anything to what Hoopy and Commonmind have said. It's nice to see a new character introduced a good way into the story. In most of the books I read, a lot of my favourite characters are introduced in a similar way.

 

[Commonmind]

Fizban comes to mind for me...

 

[Sapheron]

I'm doing this. I have so many characters that if I put them all in the first three chapters it would look silly. So... I think it's fine.

 

[Talysia]

Now that I think about it, like Sapheron, I have a lot of characters in one of my stories, and if I'd have introduced them all in the first few chapters, it would have looked ridiculous.

 

[Griffith]

Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions. I'll just stick to my original plan and introduce him when it makes the most sense.

 

[Sapheron]

Good old sense. You just can't beat it.

 

[Daniel Hetberg]

If you feel you're introduicing him too late, or that you can't sufficiently characterize him without it feeling crammed, maybe add a scene or two earlier, where he is shown going along his day-to-day things, like investigating other people or whatever it is he does.

Many stories do that, but I think you need to find a balance between "need to introduce" and "omg how obvious, he's going to be important later on".

 

[mosaix]

Not only is it OK, it can be very effective.

Hitchcock employed the technique in Psycho to good effect. Marion Crane (Janet leigh) was the original 'main character'. Some distance into the film Hithcock took the unusal step of having her bumped off. Audiences were suddenly left with no 'main character' but immediately the face of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) was inserted by Hitchcock to take over the role. This was why it was such a shock when he turned out to be the 'Psycho'.