How many main characters should be in a novel?

Most novels of every genre have 2-5 main characters. Romance novels almost always have 2-3 main characters, usually with two love interests and a buddy/sidekick for the male or female lead. A mystery novel usually has 2-3 main characters, perhaps even up to 5.

How many main characters can there be?

So can you write a story with more than one main character? The short answer is: yes. You can write your novel any way you like, so long as it works in practice. Many writers, especially those writing in genres such as fantasy and sci-fi, have multiple main characters in their novels.

How many characters should a good story have?

So how many characters do you really need? In essence, there are only two characters that any story needs – the Protagonist and the Antagonist. All other characters are secondary or peripheral. They will either be relatable or connected to the protagonist or the antagonist in some way.

How many characters is too many in a short story?

There’s no right or wrong number of characters in a short story, but there are general principles that tend to work better. In my practice, I find the shorter the story the fewer the characters. In a story of 1000 words or less, I like to use at most two characters.

Can too many main characters be?

The short answer is: no such number exists. You can include as many characters in your novel as you want to. It’s your story, and there’s no rule book you need to follow on how to write a great story. The creative process is yours to own.

Can a story have two main characters?

Very few stories have multiple Main Characters within a single story. Usually, when there is more than one Main Character, there is more than one story going on. Stories that have multiple Main Characters work because the MC’s share exactly the same world view and they “hand off” the role back and forth.

Do novels have too many characters?

How many side characters should a novel have?

A good rule of thumb might be: Include as many characters as needed to tell the story and evoke the proper style and scope—and no more. For intimate novels, this number might be as small as 2-5 secondary characters, and for broader stories, this number might be 20-30.

How many characters is too much in a novel?

How do you know if you have too many characters?

Do you have too many characters in your novel?

Each character is in your story for a reason. However, your main characters need to be the driving force behind your story. These are the characters your reader empathises with and wants to succeed, so they need to be the focus of your story. If you have too many characters in your novel, it will be difficult to share the spotlight around.

How many POVs should you have in your story?

If every character, no matter their importance to the story, gets a point of view, your story can start to feel crowded and overly complicated. Having two or three POV characters usually works well. Having more than that can not only confuse your reader but make it hard for you as a writer too. Each point-of-view character needs a unique voice.

How many characters should be there in a play?

Unless you are writing a screenplay or stage drama the specific number of primary and secondary characters (ie: speaking roles) doesn’t matter. There are no budgetary concerns from too many characters. If you say the characters are necessary then they are necessary.

What’s the point of having multiple main characters?

The point of having multiple main characters is to allow your story to expand geographically. But you may find, as I did, that eventually your perspective characters wind up in the same scene. Then from whose perspective do you tell it?