Is 19 characters too many? http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590 Peacefulness Uh, yeah. Some characters only have a few lines so far. But, I mean, you know. Also, I am writing the second half of a book I started last year at nano, so the characters are spread out over 200+ pages. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:02:55 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_689101 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_689101 Navyblack Nineteen characters in the WHOLE book? It's fine, kind of like how the only characters you ever saw in Ed, Edd & Eddy were the same 12 kids. But nineteen principal characters of equal importance? You'd have to work pretty hard for it to not be confusing. Seven is the absolute maximum main characters you should have, I've read. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:57:22 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_689952 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_689952 MarcyT I don't think 19 is too many. I'm writing a trilogy with who knows how many characters. It can be confusing for the author, but it works. I've read some books with some very large casts. I would recommend honing in on a smaller group, though, just because it can get very crazy trying to extremely develop everyone. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:44:50 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_690270 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_690270 SandyGunfox My last year's NaNovel had about that many characters of any real importance. Really, it depends on the size and scope of the work. My NaNovel was also 170k words. (no I didn't finish all 170k in November - I wish!) If it's a large scope with a lot of things happening you may be hard pressed to minimize characters. Some works are huge epics with large casts; others are smaller in focus with as little as one character. I don't think there's a discrete number at which you have "too many" characters, because I think the limit of how many characters makes it confusing changes based on what I've said. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:42:08 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_693019 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_693019 cloister The number of characters isn't relevant, so much as the number of _important_ characters. You imply that some of your 19 are just bit players, relevant to one scene or something. Don't worry about those. Try to limit yourself to at most 3 major characters, though--ones whose goals and motivations we're aware of and/or concerned about. More than that is hard to handle for writers who are still honing their craft. And, no offense, I have to assume that's you because otherwise you would likely not have asked the question. :) Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:17:30 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_698021 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_698021 kirky Nineteen characters in the whole book, or nineteen major-ish characters? Nineteen major-ish characters is sort of too many, unless you're writing a mystery adventure novel. If it's only nineteen characters in total, you probably need a few more sub-characters. Actually, I shouldn't be one to talk. I have one book with eight main characters in and heaven only knows how many characters in total. (Actually, my document word count probably does since I had to write all of the names down so that I could remember them all for when I needed them. I think there are around eighty... probably more.) If it's part of a series of any sort, you can get away with more main characters if you want to. It also depends on the roles they play, the physical space and population density of the place your novel is set and various other things like that. Whatever works for your novel is probably going to be what's best. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:04:45 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_698816 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_698816 Vyctori Plenty of works have loads and loads of characters. I think my characters home village alone has more character's than 19. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:16:22 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_769452 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_769452 Will64 I think 4 is enough- but you can have as many as you want Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:21:27 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_769512 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_769512 LEwolfwriter No, 19 isn't too many. My reasoning is that's how many I have this year. Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:08:57 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_854624 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_854624 Arya Svit-Kona Depends upon whether you mean main or just characters. Main characters and it's definitely too many, but characters in general and it's too few! That many main characters is too hard to keep track of and some will probably get lost eventually. I would limit the important characters to no more than five. Regular characters pop up everywhere, and unless you character lives in the middle of nowhere, much more than 19 would pop up. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:24:24 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_921885 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_921885 Stratadrake Let's see. 2011 is a sequel to my 2007 Nano, but my cast of characters is as follows: MC and other protagonists with primary presence/roles in this story arc: Skiro, Kitan, Hiran, Nirae, Sakan Other characters with noticeable prominence in this story arc: Rava, Sevann, Lutra (unnamed) male and female antagonists Other named characters (from 2007 Nano) Surai, Kal, Naram, Raiak, Velaar, Zorra and Zura (new) Astri Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:03:37 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926596 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_926596 Piper the Perfect I wish I had 19 characters. It's hard finding ones to kill off. Then I have to replace them. It's a pain. I realize I sound like a psycho. I'm used to it. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:55:13 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_941043 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_941043 Zaramora_Gladen 19? that IS a lot, but I believe there are NO LIMITS! If they're all MC's, are they together, or separated in subplots and whatnot. I don't think 19 is too many Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:10:37 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1011001 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1011001 Kittyhawk No, 19 characters is by no means to many. I adore large and varied casts with tons of interweaving subplots- I think it makes a story feel more like a world if there are lots of people around. I'd say, as long as you can keep track of them yourself and not get confused, go for it, and have fun! Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:03:31 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1011383 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1011383 booksntea I think it really depends. If the work is going to be long, like say a trilogy or a series, then 19 major-ish characters would be fine. If it was a stand alone novel of say 400 pages and there were 19 major-ish characters, then that would become confusing. And, if we're talking major-ish characters, you may have to work hard to establish individual voices for them that way readers don't get confused. If we're talking only 19 characters total in the story, then that is fine too. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:02:01 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1033152 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1033152 dancer_kirsten Just an idea that you could try to give the characters distinctive, fairly easily-remembered names, and a good ratio of men and women. I don't think it would be too hard then. But 19 people named Rob, Bob, Tom, Thom, Thomas, Robert and so on, and I'll probably quit. Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:04:20 +0200 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1207570 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/adventure/threads/35590?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1207570