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Multiple main characters



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Mon Dec 03, 2012 1:37 am
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OrionX says...



One or two main characters I can manage. But how do I write a story about multiple (main)characters?

To put it in simple words, there is a group of 5 friends who fight evil, and each one has their own story and history. There's also a 6th person on the "evil side" who fights the group. It tells a different side of the story, from it's perspective. So all-in-all a story with 6 "main" characters. Kinda like the scoobydoo gang. I often switch between first and third person narrative.

Does anyone know of a reference (fantasy)story with multiple main characters, or a group?
  





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Mon Dec 03, 2012 1:51 am
MagnusBane says...



George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. The first book alternates between the points of view of eight characters. The most recent novel, A Dance with Dragons, has eighteen different characters narrating different chapters.

Eighteen.

So yeah, I would say that six is definitely doable. I'm not sure about switching between first and third person views, though. Personally, I would pick one just so that there's some kind of consistency throughout the novel. Otherwise, the changes between characters might be too jarring for the reader.
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Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:14 am
veeren says...



If you'd like it to be well done, I mean really well done, it's going to be a hard task.
Each character his/her/it's own personality. Does their own things in different situations, reacts differently than others, and sometimes speaks in their own way. That's why it's so hard to write from the point of view of each character individually. I know this from experience ;). As the author it can be confusing from personality to personality, and that leads to bad writing.
What I'd suggest is to develop each character beforehand. Make sure you know everything you need to know about them, what makes them special.

A great fantasy book I've read that constantly switches between characters is Tales of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott. There are quite a few different characters throughout the entire series, but the majority focuses really on four or five main ones.
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Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:20 am
OrionX says...



MagnusBane wrote:George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. The first book alternates between the points of view of eight characters. The most recent novel, A Dance with Dragons, has eighteen different characters narrating different chapters.


Thank you for your fast reply. I'll try and find those books tomorrow.

I didn't mean I'm constantly switching between first and third, but I find it a bit hard to explain. I'm going to put some stuff on a blog so everyone can see what I mean. :)
  





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Thu Dec 06, 2012 5:18 am
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Rosendorn says...



The key is the voice. Especially for any first person segments. Properly done first person should read very differently for each character.

What I'd suggest you do is put your characters in an event, and figure out how each would respond to that event. In detail. Everything from if they're panicky to level headed in a crisis to if they use "cool" instead of "nice" to describe something they like.

While it will be difficult to develop each character before the first draft is finished, I'd get a general idea for how they behave when faced with crisis, a surprise, are in love, and their everyday, relaxed state. That helps give you a grip on each one's reaction and personality.
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Thu Dec 06, 2012 8:23 am
Thelios says...



Plot it out. Imagine yourself as the characters. See it through their eyes.

"They all go to a house, where they find the butler dead. John bends down, checking how cold the man is. Luke looks around for any clues. Nick steps outside to call the cops. Maria starts to explore. Tess is huddled up in the corner. Susan is following the blood trail."

Is John calm and collected, or anxious because suddenly he's in a house with a murderer for all he knows? Is Luke really looking or thinking about going and comforting Tess, missing important little details? Is Nick really calling the cops or thinking of the best excuse to run away and not deal with it? Is Maria scared or happy to be rid of the group and explore something unknown? What about poor little Tess? Is she crying, shaking, rocking back and forth while she tries to imagine she's on a beach in Florida, the waves crashing against the sand as she sunbathes? And is Susan even aware no one is with her or that she could very well be the next victim?

When you place them in a situation, slip into their shoes and imagine what you would want them to be like. John is studying to be a crime scene investigator. He would be calm and collected because he needs to be. Luke would ignore the clues, and go comfort Tess. Nick is outside, breathing heavily before he decides to man up and step back in. Maria is off in an unknown part when she meets a deformed dog getting ready to have it's next meal. Does she scream, run backwards, try to fight it off? Tess shrieks when Luke touches her shoulder before she collapses in his arms, crying her heart out and muttering about going home. And Susan has found what looks to be an old torture chamber, the blood dripping from a body hanging off the ceiling by shackles around it's wrists.

Each situation can have a varied result, but it's all about imagining yourself as them to give their personality life. (That's why a lot of writers actually have some sort of similarity to their characters or base their characters off someone they know in real life.)
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Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:05 pm
Creativeatheart says...



Sounds interesting- I would want to read it.

Btw I think your really brave for trying to do this because I have never even thought nor attempted to do so XD

I agree with Thelios. Plan out each characters individual chapter for the story and take your time because if you rush, everything will be confusing and jumbled together :3
  





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Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:03 pm
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crossroads says...



I can only agree with the said above - the voice is what it's all about. A writer wishing to write from more than one or a few points of view must know and must know how to show the differences between the characters' voices. And by that, I don't just mean that each of them should have some recognisable, over-used expression that makes him different from the others.. After all, it's called Point Of View. Which, in general, means one has to have a view first.
Perhaps it's the easiest to see it like this: write a couple of scenes, or the same scene, all from different POVs, but try to not mention the characters' names if you mustn't. Then let it rest for a bit, and after a while you come back and see if you can for sure tell which one is told by which character. It sounds really silly, I know, but, if you're not cheating and repeating the order as a mantra in your head while you're letting it rest, you may see just how depressing and educative it may turn out to be :p

I love using multiple POVs (though, ironically, the series I'm currently writing is told in first-person, lol), and I've designed that "exercise" above for myself.. I figured, if I as a writer can't tell for sure which one of my own character is talking in the scene, how could the readers ever?
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Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:40 pm
OrionX says...



Thelios wrote:Plot it out. Imagine yourself as the characters. See it through their eyes.


I am actually one of the characters, or perhaps I should say it resembles me. Same goes for 2 others while the rest of the characters are made-up, but they each have an individual background story and "standard" attitude. (the hero, the joker, the pretty one, the cool one, etc.) So at that point I'm on the right path. It's just a problem putting their words and thoughts on paper. But that's a process that can only be learned by doing. :smt024

At the moment I'm trying to write like the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. I experience the story as if I'm a bystander who hears the discussion between the characters. You are thrown into a situation at a specific place, and the more you read the more you'll learn about the characters, their names and age, and the surroundings. I'm trying to write that way but it's very tempting to keep writing: ".... he said" "... she replied". *sigh*

I'm writing my story on a blog so I can edit it on any computer. I'll post a link soon when there is actually something decent to read.
  








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