Ciao, SEers! Today I thought we’d talk about a character who isn’t used often enough and is discussed even less.

I’m referring to the sidekick.

Sure, we all write in friends and family. No one writes a single-character story. But I mean a true sidekick. Not a buddy, like in Lethal Weapon or Tango and Cash. Not a romantic partner like in When Harry Met Sally or The Proposal. I mean a sidekick. Like Watson to Holmes or Robin to Batman or Sam to Frodo.

Not sure of the difference? Let me explain.

First, let’s get a proper definition. A sidekick is an ally of the hero who has a beta role in the story.

That’s it. It’s that simple. He can’t outshine the hero, though he might be smart or funny in his own right. Look at Watson. He occasionally gets a brilliant observation…