I don't think there's such a thing as too many characters, just too many hands in the kitchen. In other words, don't have too many important characters active in the story at the same time. I'm not going to give you a number or anything because I'm lazy and don't feel like thinking.
The course skin of a thousand elephants sewn together to make one leather wallet.
This poll just made me realise that I have 2-3 'important' characters in all my novels (4-6 in some cases, I suppose). Weeeirddddd. I think it's because I get attached to specific characters and so I place a lot of the focus on them, which can be both a good and a bad thing I guess.
I agree with CowLogic though that having too many major, important characters is generally not a good idea because it can be awfully confusing for the poor reader, plus it's unlikely all 838972343 will be very well developed.
I think it depends on how you're writing your story. If you're writing in first person then that would probably lend itself to fewer characters because it might get confusing.
I'm writing from about 8 different perspectives in my novel so it kind of lends itself to having a lot of 'important characters'. Not only do you have the PoV characters but also the important people within their perspectives and so on...
'The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos.' - Hayao Miyazaki
Animal wrote:I write novels where everyone is important.
I agree.
I usually have two or three main characters and then some minor characters to tag along. The minor characters always play an important part in the story one way or another so I consider them important.
Noelle is the name, reviewing and writing cliffhangers is the game.
Writer of fantasy, action/adventure, and magic. Huzzah!
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"I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done." -- Steven Wright
The main characters in my stories are usually the ones who I can emphasise with, and when I say emphasise, I can really feel their emotions throughout the novels as I'm writing. If something happens where one of the main characters (this is just an example) watches a friend die or get seriously injured I'll feel the shock and sadness the main character is feeling.
I usually have about 4-6 (I should have picked that option) main characters in which the reader sees through their viewpoints. I tend to become attached to my main characters and I'll find it incredibly difficult to kill them off.
I can emphasise with minor characters but I'm not as attached to them and they're there to pretty much play their own part.
I went with 11-15, though that's more 'significant' character, rather than important. I have...
3 main characters: at least one of these is in every chapter. 7 supporting characters: These support the main characters and appear in at least three/ four chapters of the novel and 6 of them will appear in later novels. 2 villains: One main villain and one support.
To those saying that all their characters are all important, obviously this is true because why else would they be in the mis-en-scene (<--- not a very well constructed sentence fragment) but we're talking relative importance here. Characters you spend most of the time in the book with, the protagonists/antagonists, those that truly have the personal drive of the story on their side.
The course skin of a thousand elephants sewn together to make one leather wallet.
Guys, can you please tell me how to get a story/novel published and get its copyrights ?!!
The air of now is taking me to a road I don't know... A road I've never been before... Just feel something saying to me he's somewhere out there... Longing... you're far a way... missing you... Looking for you !!
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach
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