# Usually, you choose how many characters for your story?



## Mans (Apr 29, 2014)

I don't know,  if you are a writer that you choose the limited number  of characters for your story or the large number? This is what I am  interested to know.


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## Bishop (Apr 29, 2014)

I'm a little confused by your question, but I don't really choose how many characters I have. I just add them as needed. 

In terms of main characters, I have two MAIN characters, one male, one female, and they're supported by five others who are constant presences. My first book focused mostly on these seven plus one villain with a handful of side characters. Book 2 was a little larger in scope, with my seven primary characters supported by a cast of about nine more who were big players in the tale. Lastly, in book 3 I have the seven primary characters plus two more, and I'm only about 1/3 of the way through. Given the nature of the story, I estimate I'll introduce only a handful more, probably less than five given my current ideas of where it's going.

Hope that answers your question, at least somewhat.


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## T.S.Bowman (Apr 29, 2014)

I don't choose how many there will be They just kind of show up.


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## Bishop (Apr 29, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> I don't choose how many there will be They just kind of show up.



They can be jerks like that!


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## N J Xkey (Apr 29, 2014)

Bishop said:


> They can be jerks like that!



One of mine showed up uninvited and called the cops! And two more were supposed to only be in the first Chapter and I'm still putting up with them at 50k in ;P


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## bookmasta (Apr 29, 2014)

Never. In one of my older manuscripts that ended stretching to about 155k words, I finished with some thirty characters. In a book series of mine as the plot expanded and unfolded over time, I finished with somewhere around seventy. Of course, these are just estimates off the top of my head. I tend to use a lot of characters at times for different purposes. However, some of my other manuscripts like One Last Cast are more fixated on a smaller cast of characters, in which I probably only had fifteen in that instance. The point is that trying to predict or manage how many characters you have usually doesn't work. I've actually never thought about limiting the number I have. They tend to come up depending on the basis for the plot, how it unfolds with its surroundings, and so forth. So in that aspect, its random.


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## T.S.Bowman (Apr 29, 2014)

N J Xkey said:


> One of mine showed up uninvited and called the cops! And two more were supposed to only be in the first Chapter and I'm still putting up with them at 50k in ;P



Oh GAWD I know that feeling.


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## Mistique (Apr 29, 2014)

I have characters showing up that won't even be in the book, but they sure want me to know them just the same  I imagine some of them are going to make their way into the second or third part of the triology, but don't tell them that  I have a hard enough time as it is trying to keep them quiet so that the ones that are actually in this first book can speak.


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## Jeko (Apr 29, 2014)

As many as the plot requires. Not enough and the plot won't work. Too many, and they're getting in the way of the story.


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## Bishop (Apr 29, 2014)

Cadence said:


> As many as the plot requires. Not enough and the plot won't work. Too many, and they're getting in the way of the story.



Well said!


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## dale (Apr 29, 2014)

i never choose characters to write. they choose me to write them.


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## Sam (Apr 29, 2014)

Cadence said:


> As many as the plot requires. Not enough and the plot won't work. Too many, and they're getting in the way of the story.



How are they getting in the way of the story? They _are _the story.


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## T.S.Bowman (Apr 29, 2014)

Sam said:


> How are they getting in the way of the story? They _are _the story.



I think he means (and correct me if I am mistaken, Cadence) that having too many characters can clutter things up. Some of the ones that show up wind up not being essential.


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## A_Jones (Apr 29, 2014)

dale said:


> i never choose characters to write. they choose me to write them.


So true.   Its like, I just know of them you know?  Like I was once a part of their life somewhere.  And somewhere they still live, beautiful and brave.  Even the ones who have died.


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## Morkonan (Apr 29, 2014)

Mans said:


> I don't know,  if you are a writer that you choose the limited number  of characters for your story or the large number? This is what I am  interested to know.



You don't "choose" how many characters a story will have. You have however many characters that the story needs in order to be fully told. 

However, the number of characters in a story does have an effect in determining the type of story you're actually telling. It can also serve as a warning that you may be trying to tell a story that is different than what you originally intended.

Let's say you wanted to tell a small, yet no less dramatic, adventure story. You start out with the crew of a spaceship. Let's say it's a freighter and the crew is a bunch of misfits bound together by common cause. So, they go off into space, going from port to port, getting caught up in some kind of adventure. You decide that the adventure is some sort of conspiracy. So, others have to be involved in it for it to qualify as a "conspiracy." You bring in a few other characters as "conspirators." You then decide that you're going to have to have this conspiracy stretch across several different sectors/space-stations. You also decide that it should involve several major powers or political players. So, you add some more minor characters and sets of characters involved in or threatened by the conspiracy that your major characters will have to interact with. As you develop your story, you find the need to add a few colorful characters, here and there, as well as some interludes including some characters you need to sacrifice in order to increase the drama.

From its beginnings as an intimate adventure story, you've ended up with crafting something that is more similar to a space "opera" or maybe even an "epic." Examples of this sort of story, which could have been told in several different ways, would be the "Chanur Saga" series, by C.J. Cherryh and "The Expanse" series by James Corey (pen name of the collaborations of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). Either of these two series could have gone "either way" with a focus on a smaller, more intimate, picture, despite the stakes, to a larger, more epic piece, with more of the major characters being outside of the central group of actors.

So, if you don't want to write anything that could be considered an "epic", one of the things you must cut down on is "Characters." Epics are broad in scope, time, locations and character lists... There's a reason why one of those variables is solely focused on the number of characters in the story.

(*As an aside, one of the things you do, in my opinion, to cut down on the list of actual characters is to use "Powers", instead. This use of some sort of primal-like "force" involved as an antagonist, ally, enemy or obstacle helps to reduce the number of actual characters necessary. Instead of named characters, you end end up with lots of walk-ons and "redshirts" that happen to be associated with some sort of "Power" in the Setting. That's so that these otherwise inane characters continue to take on the attributes you have given those associated with the "Power", but without distracting the Reader from the intimate nature of the story or without the Reader insisting that they all be treated like full-fledged "Characters." A Redshirt that you give a bit of dialogue to, or even a PoV narrative moment, doesn't have to be "built up" in order for them to be effective - You've already done that by building up the Power that they are associated with.)

In the end, though, the only time you'd have some sort of predetermined number or limit of characters would be due to production budget constraints or some other outside force or goal that acted on something other than the traditional writing of stories. (IMO) Otherwise, it's just_ not done_.


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## InstituteMan (Apr 29, 2014)

My policy for long pieces is to go back and eliminate at least half of my characters. In a first draft I have a tendency to introduce this person and that person who just happen to be in the scene, complete with a name and a backstory, but then never bring them back again. Without editing, the result is confusing and wastes the reader's time. I guess the answer to the initial question is that I write about half as many characters as I start.


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## EmmaSohan (Apr 29, 2014)

I think it depends on whether the reader has to remember who the character is.


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## Greimour (Apr 29, 2014)

I am going to second many comments made.

I don't choose how many members are in my cast.... in fact, if you wanted to be literal about it, I could honestly say I have thousands in one story... though they are just "an army of x thousand" so do they not count?

I tend to start with one nameless character. A person I can see in the act of something. I describe that scene and it goes from there. Characters could be in the tens or hundreds by time I am finished... I would say I generally have 1-21 main characters. 

For example, 1 MC is merely trying to get home but the adventure on the way is huge and life changing.
Another, I had 7 main characters on different paths telling different stories but leading to the same result/place/conclusion. Each main character ended up with 2 _sidekicks_ or .. supporting members. Like, Ron Hermoine and Harry in Harry Potter - that kind of trio. One MC ultimately but were the others really any less for the roles their characters got? 

So, my answer is - I don't decide ahead of time, it is pretty impossible to know unless its a short story or poem or something.


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## Mans (Apr 30, 2014)

EmmaSohan said:


> I think it depends on whether the reader has to remember who the character is.



I didn't get it, may you explain more please :unconscious:


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## Greimour (Apr 30, 2014)

Mans said:


> I didn't get it, may you explain more please :unconscious:



I thought that was vague too... but I think she was referring to how necessary a character is - in reference to institute mans comment. Deleting characters is fine, but some are needed. Or, perhaps she meant that she only thinks of the important characters ahead of time... like the 1-3 Main Characters + The Villain/s .. the '_extra_' cast come later as the story develops... maybe.

 You can have 100 characters and the reader only really remember seven... because the rest were nameless or unimportant but helped the story along etc. 

Is there not a story where you can't remember more than several characters even though you knew there were more?

I have read, watched, seen etc... more of Sherlock Holmes than I care for... but besides Sherlock and Watson, I don't really remember any characters.

On the other hand, I remember almost all characters in Harry Potter, whether I wanted to or not... they just stuck with me after reading the books... like every character had importance and value and ought to be remembered.

Dumbledore, McGonagall,  Lupin, Quirrel, Hagrid, Lockhart, Flitwick, Sprout, Snape, Hooch, Umbridge, Moody, Slughorn, Barty Crouch Sr and Jr, 8 Weasleys, Hermoine + both parents, 3 Dursleys + Aunt Marge, Harry Potter + Parents Lilly and James, The 4 founders - Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Nymphadora Tonks Draco Malfoy + Both Parents, Bellatrix Lestrange, Padma and Parvati Patil, Luna Lovegood + her father, 

There is over 50 characters and I haven't even tried... I could have given first and last name for them all and continued for at least another fifty characters, perhaps a hundred or so more. For example, Sirius Black and the black family tree, Voldermort (Tom Riddle) and his family tree... Griphook, Dobby, Kreacher, Buckbeak, Fawks, etc...

I could do the same with other stories... name 50-100 or more characters off the top of my head...but the majority of the time, I don't remember many characters, usually around the 7 area. The 7 most active and most important characters. I think that's why I rate Harry Potter so high for it's written value. How many stories can claim to have such a high cast of memorable characters? I don't think there is another book out there that had me successfully memorize so many people/characters...

Perhaps that was the kind of thing Emma was referring to...


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## midnightpoet (Apr 30, 2014)

Several publishers rejected my first novel and one of the complaints was that I had too many characters.  I realized the problem was too many major characters (I think I had about 20, at least).  The darn people just kept showing up.  I counted 50 in 60,000 words.  It's a subjective thing, but how many do your actually need to tell the story?


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## EmmaSohan (Apr 30, 2014)

You could have a scene with someone named Larry, and the reader never hears about Larry again. I think you can have as many of those characters as you want.

If you have a scene with someone named Larry, and then two chapters later Larry enters the story again and the reader has to remember who Larry is, that's completely different. I think you have to limit those characters.

If you give a back story for Larry in a scene, then we never see him again, that's a problem too. Because if you give a back story, that signals that the character is important and will occur again.


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## Greimour (Apr 30, 2014)

@ Emma, I can agree to that easily. 

@ Midnight. Depends on perspective or point of view. You can easily tell any story from first person, therefore you only need one person to tell a story. Likewise, you are one person, so you are the only one telling the story. But how many characters are needed to be involved in the story... Well... That is dependent entirely on the story. It takes as many as were involved. Real life or fiction, it doesn't matter or change the fact. 
If it took seven people to sneak in to a castle and successfully open the gate, then it took seven people... if it took 14, then it took 14... the question then becomes, how many of those people were remembered by name. William Wallace was famous for his deeds, but how many of his men can you name? How many of his men could he name? 

I think that comes under Emma's umbrella of "importance of rememberance" - know the why, when, where and how doesn't necessarily mean you have to know the who. Nor do you have to know the reasons for each character being of the party to commit the act or how they came to be one of the ones chosen.


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## ToriJ (Apr 30, 2014)

I'm the person who used to go into RPs claiming I was only going to have one character this time around. Then one turn into two, two turn into three and three turn into ten. When writing an actual story the most I ever choose is how many I want to be in the first chapter. From there it's entirely depended on what the story demands. I go with the flow a lot when I'm writing so things I don't see coming always happen. A minor character meant as a plot device will turn into a fully fleshed out character who has more stage presence to my readers than the characters whom I've been writing for for years. A major character will go into the background and act like a minor character. It's crazy. I love it.


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## Terry D (Apr 30, 2014)

This is another place where the difference between planning and writing organically rears its head. Someone who writes using an outline will probably have a very good idea about how many characters will eventually be on-stage before s/he ever starts the actual manuscript creation. A non-planner may know of only one, with no idea of how many will be met along the way. One of my favorite characters in _Chase_ was a complete surprise, and another, who was intended as a simple spear-carrier, has convinced me to write him into his own book. For me, the discovery of these people (and animals--I can't forget Shotgun) is part of the joy of writing.


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## T.S.Bowman (May 1, 2014)

Terry D said:


> One of my favorite characters in _Chase_ was a complete surprise, and another, who was intended as a simple spear-carrier, has convinced me to write him into his own book. For me, the discovery of these people (and animals--I can't forget Shotgun) is part of the joy of writing.



Although I know that Pantsing doesn't work for everyone, I do have to admit that I hope the people who outline and plan things out get the same kind of joy from the process.

I know that there is absolutely no feeling in the world like having characters become more and more vibrant. To have a character take an unexpected turn, especially if it's what they would call a "heel" turn in professional wrestling, can be one of the greatest joys in life.


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## Kyle R (May 1, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> Although I know that Pantsing doesn't work for everyone, I do have to admit that I hope the people who outline and plan things out get the same kind of joy from the process.
> 
> I know that there is absolutely no feeling in the world like having characters become more and more vibrant. To have a character take an unexpected turn, especially if it's what they would call a "heel" turn in professional wrestling, can be one of the greatest joys in life.



I can't speak for all outliners, but, speaking for myself, that joy of discovery happens during the outlining process. It's not like plotters don't have unexpected things happen—it's just that, at least for me, that period of surprises occurs during the outlining phase, not during the writing phase.

This is where all the "What if...?" and "Oh, how about...?!" ideas get kicked around, and where I stumble upon "heel turns" in the story. The outlining process is a fun time.

_Pixar Studios_ is known for spending a lot of time in this development phase, hammering the story from many different angles before diving into writing the actual script.

Once I've created an outline I'm happy with, the process turns into a different kind of discovery: discovering the characters as they bring the plot to life, and the way they fill all the gaps with their own unique thoughts and actions. :encouragement:

As for the OP, I plan my main characters based on their roles in the story: Protagonist, Antagonist, Love Interest, et cetera.. However many roles the story needs is however many characters I'll have.


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## Elvenswordsman (May 1, 2014)

Infinite possibilities, although I try to limit myself to 10 major characters.


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## Morkonan (May 1, 2014)

Terry D said:


> ....Someone who writes using an outline will probably have a very good idea about how many characters will eventually be on-stage before s/he ever starts the actual manuscript creation. ...



Just a comment from a hybrid-plotter - I wait with eager anticipation for the discover of new characters.  That's part of the joy of writing, isn't it? I may have a good idea of where I'm going, but I can always be pleasantly surprised by discovering a "new" place with "new" characters... That's part of the joy of not being married to "Plotting."


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## EmmaSohan (May 1, 2014)

This discussion has me thinking. Is there any problem with too many characters except forgetting? I mean, as a reader, I don't like it when the author mentions a character and I don't remember who it is.

IF that's true, I have to ask myself if the reader will remember the character. I can give clues, or make my characters distinctive. Or not care.

So, on page 107 I mention a character, then on page 126 he unexpectedly reappears. When I read it now, I can see I should have given the reader a better clue that he's the same character.


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## Greimour (May 2, 2014)

Kyle. 

You make plotting sound appealing. I will (just because of you) try my hand at plotting once more. I doubt I will be any more successful than in the past, but what the hell. The first time I tried gherkins, I hated the green pickled cucumber mimicking.... 
... After reading the BFG, I tried them again and I have loved them ever since... ^_^

Maybe plotting will be my gherkin.


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## InstituteMan (May 2, 2014)

EmmaSohan said:


> This discussion has me thinking. Is there any problem with too many characters except forgetting? I mean, as a reader, I don't like it when the author mentions a character and I don't remember who it is.
> 
> IF that's true, I have to ask myself if the reader will remember the character. I can give clues, or make my characters distinctive. Or not care.
> 
> So, on page 107 I mention a character, then on page 126 he unexpectedly reappears. When I read it now, I can see I should have given the reader a better clue that he's the same character.



To me, this is a major concern. I try to not name a character that doesn't matter to the story I am trying to tell, unless the character is only named in a sideways kind of fashion that lets the reader know that they are not going to arrive in a big way later in the story. When I am reading, I get frustrated as all get out when Suzy becomes a big freaking deal on page 210, and all of the other characters seem to know who the heck Suzy is, and I have to flip back through the book to discover on page 97 that Suzy played the lead in a middle school play 15 years prior to current events or something. There are authors who can pull that sort of thing off, but I am not one of them, at least as of yet.


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## Kyle R (May 2, 2014)

Greimour said:


> Kyle.
> 
> You make plotting sound appealing. I will (just because of you) try my hand at plotting once more. I doubt I will be any more successful than in the past, but what the hell. The first time I tried gherkins, I hated the green pickled cucumber mimicking....
> ... After reading the BFG, I tried them again and I have loved them ever since... ^_^
> ...



_Muwahaha~_

Another author lured to the dark side. ride: 

Let me know if you want any book recommendations on the subject.

Just don't shoot me if it doesn't work out!


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