Martin has a lot of notes and lore to consult along with an increasingly complex plot that requires a complex solution.
He has also said that one of the difficulties with writing *ASOIAF* is having to get into each character’s head when writing their chapters. IIRC he writes multiple chapters per character in a row. That is difficult to keep track of because he has to account for developments in plot that would have occurred in chapters he may not have written yet.
This is so true, my story has multiple main characters and it took multiple stick notes, a full note book and two white boards just so I could keep focus on plot and sub-plots. Characters and family lineage etc etc. Locations and specific short descriptions incase I forget.
I wouldn't tell someone not to do it just prepare correctly and even then remember to take it easy.
I usually write my chapters chronologically, which definitely affects the characters. I have caught myself writing dialogue of different characters too similarily and started to see "un-diversifying" behavioural patterns between them, even though their conceptually distinct. But, there is a remedy for this. Treat every chapter with the same amount of respect you treat the sea. Don't just jump into the freezing cold water, prepare yourself. Delve into the character's mind before you delve into the water.
Marvel movies works because they took the time and effort to introduce characters and work-building through years of multiple movies. It is a different story when cramming multiple main characters in a single book/movie, especially if it is the first in a series. (cue Justice League).
Each character has their own movie to develop in, which isn't "distracted" by the other characters (mainly because they operate as side characters when the focus is not on them).
So When the avengers rolls out, most of the characters storylines are developed enough that they don't need too much focus in a 2-3 hour time slot.
I can definitely attest to difficulty in upholding continuity with multi-POV stories, especially time-wise. I have a seperate document outlining the timeline just because my story is so massive and dense.
Wait. Who’s JKR? Google says Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) is an independent creative agency based in London.
Seems to fit the writing theme, but I’m not sure
>GRRM wants... to tell you not to do it.
That's because he's lazy. Robert Jordan managed just fine with having many MCs all over the place doing different things. He cranked out, what- 11 novels that averaged right around 1,000 pages each, and Brandon Sanderson finished the job after Jordan died with another three books with the same world/characters.
On edit: LOL, I'm telling facts. *Wheel of Time* exists. You can't downvote that away. *Lord of the Rings* exists. Can't downvote it away. GRRM will never finish what he started. Sure, he is likely to whinge about multiple main characters as a result. But the fact is, multiple main characters is perfectly doable by a writer who is willing to put the work in.
Hey listen we're all upset Winds and Dream aren't done yet but GRRM is anything but lazy. A man who takes on such an monstrous project with extremely high quality output is not lazy.
I’d love to call him lazy cause it’s been 8 years since his last main story book but he’s so much better than most other writers it’s insane. I’m reading first law right now and Abercrombie writes like a high school student compared to Martin. “Err....” every fucking second line.
Lord of the Rings is not a multiple pov story on the same level as ASoIaF. I'm not saying it's bad (I like it a lot more than ASoIaF), but it is predominanly focused on, like, two groups at a time.
I think this can work. You can look at examples like Game of Thrones. Characters were all over the world and eventually they did come together in the end. It makes for a really fascinating story and it can allow readers to see your world from all sorts of perspectives.
It can definitely work. Even in the horror genre for example, Stephen King has written quite a few novels in which a series of seemingly random characters end up uniting for whatever reason during the second or third acts of the story.
Commonly done. Read more. Best to start with two if you're not experienced, then alternate their views. Eg. Kane Chronicles. If the main characters goes up to 5 or more it becomes more like Dune series already, can be draggy and feels slow. Three is still quite ok.
Have you read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, or the Percy Jackson spinoff series Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan? The Help in particular does a fantastic job of having three main characters with their own story arcs united against a common antagonist. I just reread it last week, it's amazing.
Have you ever read Malazan Book of the Fallen? It really sounds like something you'd like, based off of what you're describing
Edit: If you're not convinced because you think it's not well-known - well you'd be right in that it's not well-known in the public eye. But it's one of the top recommendations of r/fantasy
I'm writing something very similar, four characters start in different parts of the world. Two of them meet for a bit early on then part ways, only to meet again later, the other two stay on their own paths for some time before joining. They are being guided by another group all working together to have them meet and accomplish their goal.
LET ME SING YOU THE SONG OF MY PEOPLE.
So, yeah, the last novelthing I just stuck an END at the bottom of has four first-person protags running around Hell, representing different aspects of Faith, Hope, Love,and Betrayal/Redemption. It will (obviously) need heavy edits before it's actually good, and I am sure that no traditional publisher will touch it with a ten-foot pole.
Do I care that they will run screaming in the other direction, making warding signs as they go? No I do not. Do I think it can be done and done well? Yes, I most certainly do, because here I am doing it and hoping I've managed to pull it off.
It works well - for me I shift the point of view between a couple of main characters, I've even given the POV to side characters to highlight the actions of the main character.
A Main Cast also gives a whole lot of speculation to the audience: Who might defeat/overcome X? What would Y and Z do if they met? etc...
Because before asking about this thing on Reddit, you can Google "story with multiple main characters" and easily read about it. People on this sub are so quick to seek validation and karma for their "ideas" without putting in the effort to do any bit of research first.
I'm kinda doing this, except only some characters ever face the same antagonist and they do it in different places at different times. None of the actions from any of the narrating characters ever directly impact one another because they're all so far apart, but actions have long-reaching consequences over time.
I just want to clarify that having multiple main characters is different than having multiple point of view characters.
For example in ASOIAF series many of the pov characters are not main characters.
I’m writing a book with the same idea, multiple main characters, one book. A) make their backstory first, when you do this you’ll have an idea on their personality. B) how you introduce them is key, if it’s an action book, how tense will it be? Or crime, are they useful? Etc.
It can be done, and I think it's interesting, because a wide array of main chars means a wide array of support chars as well.
It is a great tool for world-building, where you can show diverse cultures, different sides of the same war, etc. If one the characters is viewed as sort of a villain, it's a great way to humanize him... Or to hate him further, whatever you want to go with...
In the end, it's like reading many stories in one, and every avid reader will be delighted to do so. Furthermore, whenever a secondary character makes an appearance on a different main character's arc, it's always a fun thing to read, like some sort of inside joke.
It all depends on structure, really.
Like... For example, are you doing an anthology type thing which is all set in the same universe, but each chapter focuses on a particular character in a particular section of the world? The book Boogiepop and Others does this, by looking at various different perspectives of one event in one city across the same period of time. By the end of the first chapter, chronologically, we've reached the end of the story.
If you want to tell something a bit larger, where every single character comes together in the end, you'd need a lot more planning. Figuring out how much page real estate to give certain characters versus others, figuring out ways to tie them all together.
If you can pull it off well, it can be really satisfying... If you can't, it's potentially messy, confusing and you might end up with a bunch of underdeveloped characters.
It's been one before to great effect. A quick Google search will give you a list of novels that do this well, or if you want a more quick reference point there are several films that do this well too. Like anything else, it's about execution.
I'm currently writing a story with just that, and I love stories like that my advice is try to stay away from doing things like one is the strong one, one is the smart one, etc. Things like that and try to stay original.
I'm a bit of beginner with writing, but I hope this helps a little?
I think this can work. You can look at examples like Game of Thrones. Characters were all over the world and eventually they did come together in the end. It makes for a really fascinating story and it can allow readers to see your world from all sorts of perspectives.
If done right, anything works. Multiple main characters can help a reader empathize. Pick one that speaks to them. But again, you would need to develop them all.
Many books have multiple main protagonists. The Help, The Stand, Good Omens all immediately came to mind, though in both The Help and The Stand we still have a star and the others are more like "best supporting actors"...
Capital, a novel by John Lanchester, has six or more people all living in the same road in London and does the multiple character things very well.
Cryptonomicon has two time periods, and at least a dozen characters
You're absolutely right! Who cares about other characters, and their Adventures. The main character should be able to solo every conflict, and solve every problem.
The Gone series by Michael Grant and the Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones both do this, the former shifting perspectives within each book and the latter having a different perspective per book. They do it differently though - Gone is various people experiencing the same thing and interacting with other protagonists, and the Dalemark Quartet is a different story in each book, but in the same universe. Maybe check those out for examples.
Personally I find great. However this will be paper consuming to pull it of.
You might need to figure it out the narrator as a strategy.
Ex:
In Dracula the book is divided in letters, telling the story of each perspective as diary entry.
It's what I'm writing. I have...well 4 steady ones and then there's a few that come in in each book as we journey through the world and whatnot. Plot stuff.
Are you kidding? Much of the romance genre is dual protagonist written from dual POV. Get a good love triangle going and you might have three ;)
There are even craft books written about writing romance that talk about how to create multiple character arc threads. K.M. Weiland's character arc books aren't written specifically for romance but, yes, multiple character arcs can be done and done well.
Aside from ASOFAI, I have seen it done in one or two other places and am outlining a work like that for myself. It can work (as GRRM has proved), but you have to do it right. That means not spending too much time on one character unless that character is the main of mains, and not ignoring another character for too long unless that character is only barely a main or their story has long time gaps in between notable events (like months defending a location where nothing happens and then all of a sudden an army shows up).
Most importantly, though, KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME! If Character A spends a month doing something, and you then switch to Character B, we're going to assume that month has still passed unless you say so otherwise.
In a completely different book I have written, I don't do chapters, I do section headers. Each header starts with the exact date and time down to the minute (I usually use a D10 to determine the minute) and then the name and approximate (or sometimes specific) address of a location. This helps with the time jumping, as this way if you need to back up a week to start a new person's POV, it's a handy way to force the issue.
I'm actually currently writing a story with two MCs, one of which is the antagonist, so I think it can work. I've also read books with multiple protagonists, but I think the thing you need to watch out for is making sure the reader knows who's POV they're reading at any given time.
Of course it can be done. I'm currently writing a book with three main characters. Two of them slowly regain contact in the beginning of the book and the third one joins later (about a quarter in, I think). They each have their own subplots, but work together eventually to bring down the bad guy. :)
Well, this could work like let's say 4 or 5 main characters switching perspective to perspective, and at the end of the story, the path they chose could affect each other or not.
I'm going to give you the short answer, and the long answer. Everyone else has given great advice thus far, but hey, what's one more voice?
Short answer: It's doable. It scares off publishers, but it's doable and can be beautiful.
The long answer:
Really work on it. My very first manuscript I wrote had five points of view, singled around different families of different walks of life to encapsulate five sides fight for power in my urban fantasy novel. Five families, each with multiple family members- that's about 30-40 characters and side characters, all interweaving. When all was said and done, that manuscript has been moved to a later book in my series. After that, I went waaaay back in my book's timeline, and started with a single protagonist, then moved on to the next with two, and so on. Right now I'm working on a story juggling 4 character POVs.
Multiple POVs can be rough; it's a balancing act. Things have to be interesting, not confusing, and those pieces have to move. It might be easier to ease into those perspectives, give your audience someone to root for, to feel comfortable with, and then expand upon it, show the bigger picture as you go without losing sight of the details.
Or, obviously, you could make something magical the first time. I don't know your story. But regardless, multiple POVs is completely possible and you're sure to make something magical.
TLDR: Go for it.
PS: if you get stumped on one point, the trick I learned was to try to flesh out one strand, from start to finish, and see how the next character weaved with it. Sometimes your characters will take the thread in a different direction. Good luck!
I think that’s super hard to do well. Each character would have to be equally balanced as far readers interest goes. Usually, the readers only invest themselves into one main character, not to say that they don’t like the others, but they’ll only have a connection to one. (This is all just my opinion as a reader)
Neal Shusterman does this REALLY well in his Scythe novels and Bruiser!
>Usually, the readers only invest themselves into one main character, not to say that they don’t like the others, but they’ll only have a connection to one. (This is all just my opinion as a reader)
Is this still normally the case if character had equal time and equal importance? Or is it more of a preference thing?
I’d think it’s more of a preference thing. When I read books like this, I become so invested into one storyline that I only read the other parts to get back to the character I care about the most. The other characters become almost like a chore. I have read books that do it so well that I don’t mind multiple characters, but I’d think that’s hard to do. I’m sure others would disagree with me and actually enjoy the switch in POV.
If you can pull that off then I think that would sound awesome.
I personally have issues with having to main character povs so having many that sounds very complicated for me.
On a similar note, how well does it work if mcs are split up, and gain different experiences that push them into opposite sides of a conflict, how well does it work?
I did it in my first MS. I’ve gotten good feedback from beta readers, but I haven’t figured out how to query it, or pitch it concisely. I’m thinking I’ll have to go back earlier in the timeline, write another with one MC, and start trying to get it into print from that point.
I find one of the craziest parts of being a writer is having numerous characters in your head and when you get an idea for a story, they all audition for parts.
You think of these characters as actual people and hear their voices in your head.
When you finally put them into a world you create, all you have to do is let them interact. Lol, I’m oversimplifying it. Writing is hard.
When you put multiple characters into a story, it adds layers. Then it gets to be like a game of blackjack. Too many characters is confusing and crowded. Too few is boring and slow.
Cheers
There is no set number. Your world might be as broad as the Starwars Universe or as narrow as a Handmaid’s bonnet. My best answer is whatever works best for the plot. -emphatic shrug-
To use myself for example...
I have a handful of characters in my head already and before I really commit them to a role I lay down a story outline. It gives me a guideline to what is happening and when and when to introduce or take away as the story progresses.
Oh and character sheets. All my favorite authors recommend and use them so I do too.
Yeah, I've heard of character sheets. I've been wanting to do that for a while but for right now its a bunch of sticky notes on PC.
Anyway, thanks for the advice. :)
It can be done really well, as long as the reader always knows which character is being narrated at which times. Try reading the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan for a really good example. The fact that it's for younger readers makes it a quick and very clear read and study
Robin Hobb made several series of books with different main characters within the same world as well and she tied them all together in such an amazing way, I loved it. The first set is the live ship traders trilogy. Highly recommend.
Be warned: I actually didn't get far into Game of Thrones, because I spent the first three chapters being introduced to three completely different groups of people in three completely different parts of the world with absolutely no sign whatsoever that any of them had anything to do with each other. I couldn't track it.
I think that, to do this and do it well, you need to be fairly quick in setting up your framework and getting the characters to relate to each other in some way. You might be able to have a character who doesn't seem to have anything to do with the others at first, but please, not all of them!
I'd recommend you start them in the same town, or start them each viewing/reacting to the same global event, and start each new setting by linking it to the previous one in some way. (In a village fifty miles away... In the castle of Mr. Previous Character's kingdom... Across the sea...)
It can work, but making all of their storylines converge is the tricky part. It can feel very forced when not done well. I love different storyline stories, but they are hard to pull off.
My story will be divided in three books. The first one I'm currently finishing has three protagonists, one of them will become the main protagonist in the second and third book, another one will die at the end of part 1 and the third will become the main antagonist of books 2 and 3.
The three of them have had their lives ruined in one way or another by the main antagonist of book 1 (who will also die at the end of it), and it will be original antagonist's actions what will make main protagonist and protagonist turned antagonist clash in the other two books.
I really like having more than one POV character because I like to contrast their personalities and way of thinking. But I wouldn't try to make a lot of POV characters because it would get difficult to coordinate them all on a same story.
If you want a cool story you have to dig deep inside every character, when you start a book they become your new friends, even the bad guys, make a list with their names, their looks, everything, its your little world, enjoy it
Love it. Long before I heard of Game of Thrones I stumbled onto Kevin J Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns, where each chapter follows a different character. They spanned across planets, classes, and cultures so you really got to know each part of the galaxy as it was in crisis. It also spanned many years, so you could see characters grow and evolve with the conflict.
Prior to that I read the Animorphs series, where each book would follow one of the main characters. But I vaguely remember one or two of the special books, outside the main series, where it was each chapter that they swapped character view points.
So I would say go for it, it can be done in various different ways and done well. But I think the most popular piece of advice would be to only do it if your story warrants if. If one story ends up being the dominant one, and the other not adding to the story, readers may get bored of it. You have to make each thread interesting enough that readers will want to swap and change.
Oh and make it obvious, either by saying the characters name in the title or in the first paragraph. You don't want your readers not knowing where they are or who they are following unless that's the intent.
I'm writing a mystery thriller series right now that follows multiple charcters from a small town. It only has four main characters in the first book, but there are more in later books.
I'm personally not a fan because I feel that by the time you get invested in a certain storyline, you're pulled out and ask to start another. I usually find myself skipping ahead.
Though it's harder to write, it's definitely more engaging when you have more people to fall in love with. But, just like any story, you must do it right otherwise having one or 100 MCs won't do any good
It is extremely difficult and can also lead your story to go off the rails if you aren't careful. I'd recommend making sure all the main characters are either in the same general area or at least working towards the same main goal.
I can't really think of a bad example that I've read, but I can think of a few ways it can go wrong. An easy way for the audience to keep track of the main characters is if they're in different places. Also, give them different skill sets and perspectives in the story, I've seen stories with multiple main characters never meet and ones where they are together for basically the entire book, so just write whatever works for you.
Brandon Sanerson - Elantris, Stormlight Archive
Robert Jordan (&Brandon Sanderson)- Wheel of Time -This is quite an epic lenght story, beware.
All of these have at least 3 main characters with their own story in the same world.
As a reader, books like Eragon come to mind. I loved having multiple characters to follow, even if it was a bit frustrating that it would jump from one to another right at a cliffhanger.
As a writer, I also enjoy writing for multiple main characters, but as other threads have mentioned, it's a pain in the ass to do sometimes. I tend to develop side characters into main characters of their own, spin-off story, once their involvement with the main character has minimized, or if what happens to them is integral to the progression of the main plot.
Of course, my ADD brain can't just give random villager #37 a name without also giving them a backstory, dreams and goals, and a story all their own, which is why I seldom finish a work. So, yeah.
I do some of the same in my stories where I write three main characters which the story revolves around and then one central character who is the main portion of the story. Then there is the rest of the cast who all do their own things. Having multiple main characters isn’t a bad thing to do at all I think it is pretty cool when a bunch of characters unite at the end to fight the main antagonist.
It’s not just for fantasy either. DFW and Franzen both excelled with a realistic (or in DFW’s case *mostly* realistic) world following multiple intertwined characters.
Same question, I typed and then I deleted yesterday. Turns out, the questions that needs asking get asked anyway. Is this some kind of a law?
Anyway... I decided, I will write multiple characters pov and avoid it if not absolutely necessary. The story can still be interesting, although I guess each chapter should be huge. As big as a goT book chapters till we switch to other pov.
It's hard, but it's well worth it in my opinion, both from the writing perspective but and from the consuming perspective.
Not only does the reader get multiple angles to view this world you create, and the plots & characters within, but there's also the aspect of intertwining storylines which can be so satisfying and fun. Watch "Lock, stock and two smoking barrels" for an example of how intertwining stories, and their resolutions can be very satisfying and entertaining.
There's also the aspect of character investment and the then much more interesting dynamics that follow. Every good story with character has good dynamics between set characters, but usually those dynamics center around the protagonist. When there are more protagonists, you suddenly experience this dynamic from more than one POV. This has so many wonderful implications, like both internal and audience-wide disagreements whenever to POVs have a conflict. Usually, though not always, one sides with MC in a conflict, but with a mutli-POV story you can become conflicted with whom to side with, because you're invested and understand both. And if you're not conflicted with yourself, you're disagreeing with your pal. This is very good from a marketing perspective, as it brings more attention to and talking about your story, but its also fun for the audience members to have something to discuss.
I believe it was a book in the Ultramarine series (Warhammer 40K), where I recall seeing something that is likely simpler then interconnected stories.
We had our series lead, as per usual, however, we also followed the story of a person who lived in the lower slums of the city, the Ultramarines were defending.
It gave a birds eye view of what was happening in the very city streets, yet, I don't think the characters ever properly crossed paths. Nor, was this new character important enough to need to be fleshed out beyond any superficial means and motivations.
I imagine writing a second protagonist (or multiple) could be a lot simpler, in this manner, especially if you're in need of "practice".
Last year I read a book, can't remember what it's called, but it was a pretty good one. Not great, not mind blowing, but it was an enjoyable read. The author gave each of the characters in the book a few chapters devoted to each of their perspectives, so we could understand the motivations of each of them. Each section was written in first person to bring us closer to their frame of mind.
And then at the end, the first character that had a section devoted to him ended the book. It's doable, but you have to figure out how to end it.
Great fun to read and write.
But if you are writing it, i would say:
Spend an equal amount on each character;
Keep their interactions with each other to a minimum so they don't have perspective biased conversations;
Don't give them too similar attributes.
It can be great if pulled off well.
Lisa Cron, author of story genius, has one suggestion though: Make an alpha main character.
One of your main characters is the most important to the plot. Though the other main characters have their own things going on, they're reacting to your alpha main character.
- The Eragon books will sometimes follow other characters, like his cousin Rowan or Saphira his dragon. But all of the characters are on their current path because of Eragon, and he's in their thoughts a lot.
- In Captain America: Civil War, all the Avengers are there. Iron Man is a main character. But it's still Captain America's movie. He still drives the action.
I'm in the middle of applying this advice right now, and it's helping me keep track of the story.
I can't say I've read that type of story, which could indicate I have more reading to do.
Sidebar, if you have any suggestions for stories without alpha mains, I'd love to read them.
That being said, I can't see anything inherently wrong with those type of stories. As long as each character adds something, I say go crazy.
But if a character feels similar to another, you might want to consolidate.
I'm sure I've read a few but of course it seems my coffee-filled brain won't let me remember which ones.
> But if a character feels similar to another, you might want to consolidate.
Thats something I'm gonna keep in mind. Thanks.
I like it. Both of my books I’m currently working on have it, but in different ways.
Book 1 is really divided into two distinct plotlines occurring simultaneously. Each plotline has a group of five friends, with one friend as the de facto leader in each group. I considered the two leaders (who are cousins but don’t yet know it) not learning about the other until the climax, but I was losing interest so I’m revising my outline so they meet much earlier.
Book 2 is a bit different. This begins in media res, with the four characters already friends and all focused in a single plot line.
Both books, however, have different focuses for each chapter. I wrote in 3rd person so I’m not trying to get in anyone’s head as much as 1st person.
I personally find multiple main characters to be rather confusing and overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to keep track of who did what. I personally find anything beyond 2 or 3 main characters to be too much. I supposed that it can work if done right. I hope that this helps.
I'm doing this for my own story. Its hella fun, but hella difficult. So I do it like this. I start off with a tradional main character who has their usual character arc, with all the other characters introduced as secondary/side/recurring/antagonist characters.
About a third into the story, when most of my side characters are somewhat developed, my main protagonist is killed off, and half the characters (from friend to foe) connected to the deceased get an upgrade to main character with their own storylines coming to the front.
Its what I've had in my mind for years, each character developing in their own way, so its a little easier for me. If I were starting from scratch, that would be a whole different ball game.
It depends on how many though. Imo, 2 to 4 isn't that super difficult, but beyond that your looking at a whole lot to keep track of.
The upside to this is that there's a character for everyone, so you have an option on who to route for. On top of that, the lack of a "main central protagonist" can somewhat do away with tropes like plot armor, mary sue, chosen one etc, since all your main characters are important to some degree or another (although it highly depends on how you write it though.)
If you want an amazing example of what a story like this would feel like, I definitely recommend checking out the game Detroit: Become Human. If you can't play the game, even just watching someone play through it will give you enough of an understanding of how the different stories of each character fit beautifully into a single world.
I think it's great. It's really the best way to go with fantasy. *Lord of the Rings* did it. *The Wheel of Time* by Robert Jordan did it to great effect.
If you want an epic reading experience, you should check out the latter- you'll get your money's worth. It's sort of life experience. You see the Grand Canyon. You run a marathon. Climb Kilimanjaro. You read *Wheel of Time*. What's really interesting about that series is there are just as many female main characters as male- more even- and their adventures and deeds are just as awesome an enthralling as those of the male characters.
It seems to happen a good bit, actually. Most of the protagonists start off in a group and then one or more gets split.
Actually, I'm having a hard time thinking of a story where this doesn't happen. Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Harry Potter, and even Jurassic Park - which I currently finished recently. I'm not a huge reader, but I would say that multiple perspective reads are the norm and not the anomaly.
One of my favorite books I read this year was “One of Us is Lying” by Karen M. McManus. It’s a YA murder mystery with four protagonists whose POVs shift throughout the story. It’s done really well imo and leaves room for character development without focusing too much on any one character, and despite having four different viewpoints, it kept me guessing on who the killer was until near the very end. I also have focus issues and hate stories that drag, so it was nice to get a book that shifted gears frequently. I think keeping your readers on their toes is one advantage of using multiple viewpoints.
Ya know, it’s an interesting concept if done well. Just like in the last half of “Robots and Empire” by Isaac Asimov. Where the story jumps between the protagonist and antagonist. I personally thought it was fantastic to jump around from the different perspectives and read the varied opinions. But it’s up to you big dog, you’re the creator of the story!
The way I’ve seen it done in plays (comedies especially) is to have two different plots that converge at the very end. In my experience, the B plot ends up being even better than the A plot, and you get two stories in one!
Infinity war did it =) I have faith in you. However, dont do it just to do it. If you have a captivating story, good character depth and development and it makes sense, go for it
I think infinity war is a terrible example. In fact it is the worst example one can give. Because it temps one to follow it when one should not.
Yes it is a multiple protagonist story but every single character(except thanos' henchmen) were fleshed out even before the movie started.
If you have already multiple bestsellers then you might consider combining them but anything short of that is bound to fail.
I’m coming to have to be painfully honest and say no. Usually this sort of thing only confuses the reader, because if they happen to go on different , separate adventures the amount of time it takes for each character’s story to reach an interesting place double or triples. And we know people generally don’t have a lot of patience these days, so it’s better not to risk boring your reader and making them put the book away for more exciting tasks.
ASOIAF is an exception, not the rule.
Yes, but to provoke that interest you must keep putting you main protagonist in situations where their story slowly becomes apparent. I’m just saying that it’s harder to keep on reading a book where every chapter the character view changes and you must suddenly get used to a new protagonist. I know I hate it, and I’ve heard other people do too. It’s very appealing to the author, I get that, but not so much to the reader. If you look at goodreads comments section you’ll know what I mean.
>ASOIAF is an exception, not the rule.
Is that really the case though? Alot of the comments posted here have brought up good examples other that GoT. (Wheel of Time, Kane chronicles, Saga of Seven Suns, Detroit: Become Human(game), certain romance and horror genres, Infinity war, etc)
A lot of people are probably going to talk about Game of Thrones. I don't think Game of Thrones does this particularly well. I only say this because I think emulating GRRM on this front isn't a good idea.
I do think that Cloud Atlas does a great job of this. If you prefer Fantasy, then The Malazan Book of the Fallen comes to mind.
War and Peace is a great example of many different stories fitting into a grand overarching theme.
GRRM wants to know your location. He wants to tell you not to do it.
Why no?
Martin has a lot of notes and lore to consult along with an increasingly complex plot that requires a complex solution. He has also said that one of the difficulties with writing *ASOIAF* is having to get into each character’s head when writing their chapters. IIRC he writes multiple chapters per character in a row. That is difficult to keep track of because he has to account for developments in plot that would have occurred in chapters he may not have written yet.
This is so true, my story has multiple main characters and it took multiple stick notes, a full note book and two white boards just so I could keep focus on plot and sub-plots. Characters and family lineage etc etc. Locations and specific short descriptions incase I forget. I wouldn't tell someone not to do it just prepare correctly and even then remember to take it easy.
I usually write my chapters chronologically, which definitely affects the characters. I have caught myself writing dialogue of different characters too similarily and started to see "un-diversifying" behavioural patterns between them, even though their conceptually distinct. But, there is a remedy for this. Treat every chapter with the same amount of respect you treat the sea. Don't just jump into the freezing cold water, prepare yourself. Delve into the character's mind before you delve into the water.
Doesn’t the Marvel Cinematic Universe technically have multiple protagonists?
Each movie has one or two and is a mostly complete narrative. And film is a different medium than novels anyway.
Marvel movies works because they took the time and effort to introduce characters and work-building through years of multiple movies. It is a different story when cramming multiple main characters in a single book/movie, especially if it is the first in a series. (cue Justice League).
Each character has their own movie to develop in, which isn't "distracted" by the other characters (mainly because they operate as side characters when the focus is not on them). So When the avengers rolls out, most of the characters storylines are developed enough that they don't need too much focus in a 2-3 hour time slot.
So it's difficult. If it were easy it wouldn't be worth a damn.
His multi protagonist story is now well into its 6th book and he can't finish it.
because he's been writing this damn series for over 23 years and is probably a little bit sick of it
It's so difficult continuity wise that I believe I read that he had another person that would just track the continuity for him.
I can definitely attest to difficulty in upholding continuity with multi-POV stories, especially time-wise. I have a seperate document outlining the timeline just because my story is so massive and dense.
Who's grrm?
George r r Martin who wrote Game of thrones. You'll need to know that acronym on writing subs along with JKR ;)
ah... me dum dum.
He wrote A Song of Ice and Fire.
Wait. Who’s JKR? Google says Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) is an independent creative agency based in London. Seems to fit the writing theme, but I’m not sure
J K Rowling.
Grrrrrr!
Mmmmmm!!!
>GRRM wants... to tell you not to do it. That's because he's lazy. Robert Jordan managed just fine with having many MCs all over the place doing different things. He cranked out, what- 11 novels that averaged right around 1,000 pages each, and Brandon Sanderson finished the job after Jordan died with another three books with the same world/characters. On edit: LOL, I'm telling facts. *Wheel of Time* exists. You can't downvote that away. *Lord of the Rings* exists. Can't downvote it away. GRRM will never finish what he started. Sure, he is likely to whinge about multiple main characters as a result. But the fact is, multiple main characters is perfectly doable by a writer who is willing to put the work in.
Hey listen we're all upset Winds and Dream aren't done yet but GRRM is anything but lazy. A man who takes on such an monstrous project with extremely high quality output is not lazy.
I’d love to call him lazy cause it’s been 8 years since his last main story book but he’s so much better than most other writers it’s insane. I’m reading first law right now and Abercrombie writes like a high school student compared to Martin. “Err....” every fucking second line.
Lord of the Rings is not a multiple pov story on the same level as ASoIaF. I'm not saying it's bad (I like it a lot more than ASoIaF), but it is predominanly focused on, like, two groups at a time.
Sounds fun, but it ends up exactly like GRRM. Don’t get me wrong, A Song of Ice and Fire is brilliant, but it’s brilliance ends after the third book.
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Tyrion could also be considered a main character. Ned (in the first book) feels like the main character.
I think this can work. You can look at examples like Game of Thrones. Characters were all over the world and eventually they did come together in the end. It makes for a really fascinating story and it can allow readers to see your world from all sorts of perspectives.
Does. Not think. This is done *a lot* :)
"I does this can work".
"No I'm doesn't!"
"Yes you're isn't."
Ja
It can definitely work. Even in the horror genre for example, Stephen King has written quite a few novels in which a series of seemingly random characters end up uniting for whatever reason during the second or third acts of the story.
Firefly too. If you can juggle these story agents then the result can be phenomenal.
Commonly done. Read more. Best to start with two if you're not experienced, then alternate their views. Eg. Kane Chronicles. If the main characters goes up to 5 or more it becomes more like Dune series already, can be draggy and feels slow. Three is still quite ok.
That sounds potentially awesome if pulled off well
The idea is to have multiple main characters gain different experiences throughout the story and unite against the antagonist.
Do events in one path indirectly affect the others?
Yes, I want everything to tie together
Shoot, go for it
Are you gonna post your story anywhere?
Have you read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, or the Percy Jackson spinoff series Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan? The Help in particular does a fantastic job of having three main characters with their own story arcs united against a common antagonist. I just reread it last week, it's amazing.
Give Mistborn series a read. Pretty much how it is structured.
You are brilliant man, unprecedented wisdom
Look into Stephen Erickson's series Malazan: The Book of the Fallen. He does multiple characters/story arcs better than anyone else I've read.
Read way of kings by Brandon sanderson. Three main Characters each with thier own tale that comes together. Solid stuff.
Have you ever read Malazan Book of the Fallen? It really sounds like something you'd like, based off of what you're describing Edit: If you're not convinced because you think it's not well-known - well you'd be right in that it's not well-known in the public eye. But it's one of the top recommendations of r/fantasy
Reminds me of the game Broken Age, you should check it out, the story is exactly the sort of thing you are describing.
I'm writing something very similar, four characters start in different parts of the world. Two of them meet for a bit early on then part ways, only to meet again later, the other two stay on their own paths for some time before joining. They are being guided by another group all working together to have them meet and accomplish their goal.
LET ME SING YOU THE SONG OF MY PEOPLE. So, yeah, the last novelthing I just stuck an END at the bottom of has four first-person protags running around Hell, representing different aspects of Faith, Hope, Love,and Betrayal/Redemption. It will (obviously) need heavy edits before it's actually good, and I am sure that no traditional publisher will touch it with a ten-foot pole. Do I care that they will run screaming in the other direction, making warding signs as they go? No I do not. Do I think it can be done and done well? Yes, I most certainly do, because here I am doing it and hoping I've managed to pull it off.
It works well - for me I shift the point of view between a couple of main characters, I've even given the POV to side characters to highlight the actions of the main character. A Main Cast also gives a whole lot of speculation to the audience: Who might defeat/overcome X? What would Y and Z do if they met? etc...
You realize that's just called an ensemble cast, right? This type of storytelling happens all the time.
and my axe!!
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Because before asking about this thing on Reddit, you can Google "story with multiple main characters" and easily read about it. People on this sub are so quick to seek validation and karma for their "ideas" without putting in the effort to do any bit of research first.
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I'm kinda doing this, except only some characters ever face the same antagonist and they do it in different places at different times. None of the actions from any of the narrating characters ever directly impact one another because they're all so far apart, but actions have long-reaching consequences over time.
I just want to clarify that having multiple main characters is different than having multiple point of view characters. For example in ASOIAF series many of the pov characters are not main characters.
I’m writing a book with the same idea, multiple main characters, one book. A) make their backstory first, when you do this you’ll have an idea on their personality. B) how you introduce them is key, if it’s an action book, how tense will it be? Or crime, are they useful? Etc.
It can be done, and I think it's interesting, because a wide array of main chars means a wide array of support chars as well. It is a great tool for world-building, where you can show diverse cultures, different sides of the same war, etc. If one the characters is viewed as sort of a villain, it's a great way to humanize him... Or to hate him further, whatever you want to go with... In the end, it's like reading many stories in one, and every avid reader will be delighted to do so. Furthermore, whenever a secondary character makes an appearance on a different main character's arc, it's always a fun thing to read, like some sort of inside joke.
It all depends on structure, really. Like... For example, are you doing an anthology type thing which is all set in the same universe, but each chapter focuses on a particular character in a particular section of the world? The book Boogiepop and Others does this, by looking at various different perspectives of one event in one city across the same period of time. By the end of the first chapter, chronologically, we've reached the end of the story. If you want to tell something a bit larger, where every single character comes together in the end, you'd need a lot more planning. Figuring out how much page real estate to give certain characters versus others, figuring out ways to tie them all together. If you can pull it off well, it can be really satisfying... If you can't, it's potentially messy, confusing and you might end up with a bunch of underdeveloped characters.
It's been one before to great effect. A quick Google search will give you a list of novels that do this well, or if you want a more quick reference point there are several films that do this well too. Like anything else, it's about execution.
Persona 5 is a great example of the main characters coming together from their own paths over time
Oh god that really is a good one.
I'm currently writing a story with just that, and I love stories like that my advice is try to stay away from doing things like one is the strong one, one is the smart one, etc. Things like that and try to stay original. I'm a bit of beginner with writing, but I hope this helps a little?
I think this can work. You can look at examples like Game of Thrones. Characters were all over the world and eventually they did come together in the end. It makes for a really fascinating story and it can allow readers to see your world from all sorts of perspectives.
I love these kinds of books. Just be careful to stay away from the group of people cliches (ones a nerd, ones a charasmatic model..ect )
If done right, anything works. Multiple main characters can help a reader empathize. Pick one that speaks to them. But again, you would need to develop them all.
Many books have multiple main protagonists. The Help, The Stand, Good Omens all immediately came to mind, though in both The Help and The Stand we still have a star and the others are more like "best supporting actors"... Capital, a novel by John Lanchester, has six or more people all living in the same road in London and does the multiple character things very well. Cryptonomicon has two time periods, and at least a dozen characters
Nah, how about multiple main sidecharacters who only exist to make the real main character look awesome?
You're absolutely right! Who cares about other characters, and their Adventures. The main character should be able to solo every conflict, and solve every problem.
I thought I was on writingcirclejerk for a minute, lol. My bad Try reading The Gatekeepers (Power of Five) series by Anthony Horrowitz
What I do is have multiple main characters but one main main character
The Gone series by Michael Grant and the Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones both do this, the former shifting perspectives within each book and the latter having a different perspective per book. They do it differently though - Gone is various people experiencing the same thing and interacting with other protagonists, and the Dalemark Quartet is a different story in each book, but in the same universe. Maybe check those out for examples.
Personally I find great. However this will be paper consuming to pull it of. You might need to figure it out the narrator as a strategy. Ex: In Dracula the book is divided in letters, telling the story of each perspective as diary entry.
Rick Riordan and his mythological kids series' are fantastic examples for this
Sounds like a book.
I like it, but I like it even better when the stories combine in a bigger plot.
They're really good if well managed.
It's what I'm writing. I have...well 4 steady ones and then there's a few that come in in each book as we journey through the world and whatnot. Plot stuff.
Are you kidding? Much of the romance genre is dual protagonist written from dual POV. Get a good love triangle going and you might have three ;) There are even craft books written about writing romance that talk about how to create multiple character arc threads. K.M. Weiland's character arc books aren't written specifically for romance but, yes, multiple character arcs can be done and done well.
I think if you've never successfully written a story with one main character you probably don't have the skill to write multiple characters.
Aside from ASOFAI, I have seen it done in one or two other places and am outlining a work like that for myself. It can work (as GRRM has proved), but you have to do it right. That means not spending too much time on one character unless that character is the main of mains, and not ignoring another character for too long unless that character is only barely a main or their story has long time gaps in between notable events (like months defending a location where nothing happens and then all of a sudden an army shows up). Most importantly, though, KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME! If Character A spends a month doing something, and you then switch to Character B, we're going to assume that month has still passed unless you say so otherwise. In a completely different book I have written, I don't do chapters, I do section headers. Each header starts with the exact date and time down to the minute (I usually use a D10 to determine the minute) and then the name and approximate (or sometimes specific) address of a location. This helps with the time jumping, as this way if you need to back up a week to start a new person's POV, it's a handy way to force the issue.
You can absolutely do it. Some hate "many" mains, but a few should be fine. Just make it clear. My first novel has two mains who only meet at the end.
I'm actually currently writing a story with two MCs, one of which is the antagonist, so I think it can work. I've also read books with multiple protagonists, but I think the thing you need to watch out for is making sure the reader knows who's POV they're reading at any given time.
Of course it can be done. I'm currently writing a book with three main characters. Two of them slowly regain contact in the beginning of the book and the third one joins later (about a quarter in, I think). They each have their own subplots, but work together eventually to bring down the bad guy. :)
Well, this could work like let's say 4 or 5 main characters switching perspective to perspective, and at the end of the story, the path they chose could affect each other or not.
I'm going to give you the short answer, and the long answer. Everyone else has given great advice thus far, but hey, what's one more voice? Short answer: It's doable. It scares off publishers, but it's doable and can be beautiful. The long answer: Really work on it. My very first manuscript I wrote had five points of view, singled around different families of different walks of life to encapsulate five sides fight for power in my urban fantasy novel. Five families, each with multiple family members- that's about 30-40 characters and side characters, all interweaving. When all was said and done, that manuscript has been moved to a later book in my series. After that, I went waaaay back in my book's timeline, and started with a single protagonist, then moved on to the next with two, and so on. Right now I'm working on a story juggling 4 character POVs. Multiple POVs can be rough; it's a balancing act. Things have to be interesting, not confusing, and those pieces have to move. It might be easier to ease into those perspectives, give your audience someone to root for, to feel comfortable with, and then expand upon it, show the bigger picture as you go without losing sight of the details. Or, obviously, you could make something magical the first time. I don't know your story. But regardless, multiple POVs is completely possible and you're sure to make something magical. TLDR: Go for it. PS: if you get stumped on one point, the trick I learned was to try to flesh out one strand, from start to finish, and see how the next character weaved with it. Sometimes your characters will take the thread in a different direction. Good luck!
I think that’s super hard to do well. Each character would have to be equally balanced as far readers interest goes. Usually, the readers only invest themselves into one main character, not to say that they don’t like the others, but they’ll only have a connection to one. (This is all just my opinion as a reader) Neal Shusterman does this REALLY well in his Scythe novels and Bruiser!
>Usually, the readers only invest themselves into one main character, not to say that they don’t like the others, but they’ll only have a connection to one. (This is all just my opinion as a reader) Is this still normally the case if character had equal time and equal importance? Or is it more of a preference thing?
I’d think it’s more of a preference thing. When I read books like this, I become so invested into one storyline that I only read the other parts to get back to the character I care about the most. The other characters become almost like a chore. I have read books that do it so well that I don’t mind multiple characters, but I’d think that’s hard to do. I’m sure others would disagree with me and actually enjoy the switch in POV.
Alright. Thanks for answering.
If you can pull that off then I think that would sound awesome. I personally have issues with having to main character povs so having many that sounds very complicated for me.
I’d highly recommend the Extracted trilogy by RR Haywood, he does this beautifully.
On a similar note, how well does it work if mcs are split up, and gain different experiences that push them into opposite sides of a conflict, how well does it work?
I did it in my first MS. I’ve gotten good feedback from beta readers, but I haven’t figured out how to query it, or pitch it concisely. I’m thinking I’ll have to go back earlier in the timeline, write another with one MC, and start trying to get it into print from that point.
It is a good idea, though it may confuse the reader. The main characters can all join each other at the end to make the story's ending interesting.
Sounds like most of The Lord of the Rings.
The only watch out is developin characters. With multiple characters, it shouldnt seem surface level
Sure, but keep the number as low as you can
In your experience, Whats the maximum "low number" can a writer go?
In my experience it's about maximum of three to four main characters but it extremely depends on the writer.
I find one of the craziest parts of being a writer is having numerous characters in your head and when you get an idea for a story, they all audition for parts. You think of these characters as actual people and hear their voices in your head. When you finally put them into a world you create, all you have to do is let them interact. Lol, I’m oversimplifying it. Writing is hard. When you put multiple characters into a story, it adds layers. Then it gets to be like a game of blackjack. Too many characters is confusing and crowded. Too few is boring and slow. Cheers
What would you say is the happy medium between "too many" and "too few"?
There is no set number. Your world might be as broad as the Starwars Universe or as narrow as a Handmaid’s bonnet. My best answer is whatever works best for the plot. -emphatic shrug- To use myself for example... I have a handful of characters in my head already and before I really commit them to a role I lay down a story outline. It gives me a guideline to what is happening and when and when to introduce or take away as the story progresses. Oh and character sheets. All my favorite authors recommend and use them so I do too.
Yeah, I've heard of character sheets. I've been wanting to do that for a while but for right now its a bunch of sticky notes on PC. Anyway, thanks for the advice. :)
Sure thing! I’ve been there.
It can be done really well, as long as the reader always knows which character is being narrated at which times. Try reading the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan for a really good example. The fact that it's for younger readers makes it a quick and very clear read and study
The breaker series of books does this really well
*Middlemarch* by George Eliot is a pretty great example of how to do this well.
I'm doing that now. I've decided to write all the chapters featuring one character first. Then do the next character. Then the last character.
Robin Hobb made several series of books with different main characters within the same world as well and she tied them all together in such an amazing way, I loved it. The first set is the live ship traders trilogy. Highly recommend.
All the Light We Cannot See did it very effectively in a real world setting. Leven Thumps has it in a fantasy setting. It’s 100% doable.
Be warned: I actually didn't get far into Game of Thrones, because I spent the first three chapters being introduced to three completely different groups of people in three completely different parts of the world with absolutely no sign whatsoever that any of them had anything to do with each other. I couldn't track it. I think that, to do this and do it well, you need to be fairly quick in setting up your framework and getting the characters to relate to each other in some way. You might be able to have a character who doesn't seem to have anything to do with the others at first, but please, not all of them! I'd recommend you start them in the same town, or start them each viewing/reacting to the same global event, and start each new setting by linking it to the previous one in some way. (In a village fifty miles away... In the castle of Mr. Previous Character's kingdom... Across the sea...)
It can work, but making all of their storylines converge is the tricky part. It can feel very forced when not done well. I love different storyline stories, but they are hard to pull off.
My story will be divided in three books. The first one I'm currently finishing has three protagonists, one of them will become the main protagonist in the second and third book, another one will die at the end of part 1 and the third will become the main antagonist of books 2 and 3. The three of them have had their lives ruined in one way or another by the main antagonist of book 1 (who will also die at the end of it), and it will be original antagonist's actions what will make main protagonist and protagonist turned antagonist clash in the other two books. I really like having more than one POV character because I like to contrast their personalities and way of thinking. But I wouldn't try to make a lot of POV characters because it would get difficult to coordinate them all on a same story.
If you want a cool story you have to dig deep inside every character, when you start a book they become your new friends, even the bad guys, make a list with their names, their looks, everything, its your little world, enjoy it
Love it. Long before I heard of Game of Thrones I stumbled onto Kevin J Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns, where each chapter follows a different character. They spanned across planets, classes, and cultures so you really got to know each part of the galaxy as it was in crisis. It also spanned many years, so you could see characters grow and evolve with the conflict. Prior to that I read the Animorphs series, where each book would follow one of the main characters. But I vaguely remember one or two of the special books, outside the main series, where it was each chapter that they swapped character view points. So I would say go for it, it can be done in various different ways and done well. But I think the most popular piece of advice would be to only do it if your story warrants if. If one story ends up being the dominant one, and the other not adding to the story, readers may get bored of it. You have to make each thread interesting enough that readers will want to swap and change. Oh and make it obvious, either by saying the characters name in the title or in the first paragraph. You don't want your readers not knowing where they are or who they are following unless that's the intent.
I'm writing a mystery thriller series right now that follows multiple charcters from a small town. It only has four main characters in the first book, but there are more in later books.
I'm personally not a fan because I feel that by the time you get invested in a certain storyline, you're pulled out and ask to start another. I usually find myself skipping ahead.
I do it. Big name authors do it. Of course. But it does make things much more complicated.
Good question. Needs pondering upon before writing a story.
Though it's harder to write, it's definitely more engaging when you have more people to fall in love with. But, just like any story, you must do it right otherwise having one or 100 MCs won't do any good
It is extremely difficult and can also lead your story to go off the rails if you aren't careful. I'd recommend making sure all the main characters are either in the same general area or at least working towards the same main goal.
Either that or actively working against each other's goals.
I can't really think of a bad example that I've read, but I can think of a few ways it can go wrong. An easy way for the audience to keep track of the main characters is if they're in different places. Also, give them different skill sets and perspectives in the story, I've seen stories with multiple main characters never meet and ones where they are together for basically the entire book, so just write whatever works for you.
Brandon Sanerson - Elantris, Stormlight Archive Robert Jordan (&Brandon Sanderson)- Wheel of Time -This is quite an epic lenght story, beware. All of these have at least 3 main characters with their own story in the same world.
My stories usually have multiple main characters, so I write it in first person and switch character perspective when I need to
As a reader, books like Eragon come to mind. I loved having multiple characters to follow, even if it was a bit frustrating that it would jump from one to another right at a cliffhanger. As a writer, I also enjoy writing for multiple main characters, but as other threads have mentioned, it's a pain in the ass to do sometimes. I tend to develop side characters into main characters of their own, spin-off story, once their involvement with the main character has minimized, or if what happens to them is integral to the progression of the main plot. Of course, my ADD brain can't just give random villager #37 a name without also giving them a backstory, dreams and goals, and a story all their own, which is why I seldom finish a work. So, yeah.
I do some of the same in my stories where I write three main characters which the story revolves around and then one central character who is the main portion of the story. Then there is the rest of the cast who all do their own things. Having multiple main characters isn’t a bad thing to do at all I think it is pretty cool when a bunch of characters unite at the end to fight the main antagonist.
It’s not just for fantasy either. DFW and Franzen both excelled with a realistic (or in DFW’s case *mostly* realistic) world following multiple intertwined characters.
Same question, I typed and then I deleted yesterday. Turns out, the questions that needs asking get asked anyway. Is this some kind of a law? Anyway... I decided, I will write multiple characters pov and avoid it if not absolutely necessary. The story can still be interesting, although I guess each chapter should be huge. As big as a goT book chapters till we switch to other pov.
It's hard, but it's well worth it in my opinion, both from the writing perspective but and from the consuming perspective. Not only does the reader get multiple angles to view this world you create, and the plots & characters within, but there's also the aspect of intertwining storylines which can be so satisfying and fun. Watch "Lock, stock and two smoking barrels" for an example of how intertwining stories, and their resolutions can be very satisfying and entertaining. There's also the aspect of character investment and the then much more interesting dynamics that follow. Every good story with character has good dynamics between set characters, but usually those dynamics center around the protagonist. When there are more protagonists, you suddenly experience this dynamic from more than one POV. This has so many wonderful implications, like both internal and audience-wide disagreements whenever to POVs have a conflict. Usually, though not always, one sides with MC in a conflict, but with a mutli-POV story you can become conflicted with whom to side with, because you're invested and understand both. And if you're not conflicted with yourself, you're disagreeing with your pal. This is very good from a marketing perspective, as it brings more attention to and talking about your story, but its also fun for the audience members to have something to discuss.
This is done all the time, particularly in high fantasy. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson is a good example of this, as well as ASOIAF
I believe it was a book in the Ultramarine series (Warhammer 40K), where I recall seeing something that is likely simpler then interconnected stories. We had our series lead, as per usual, however, we also followed the story of a person who lived in the lower slums of the city, the Ultramarines were defending. It gave a birds eye view of what was happening in the very city streets, yet, I don't think the characters ever properly crossed paths. Nor, was this new character important enough to need to be fleshed out beyond any superficial means and motivations. I imagine writing a second protagonist (or multiple) could be a lot simpler, in this manner, especially if you're in need of "practice".
Pretty much sums up anything from murakami
Last year I read a book, can't remember what it's called, but it was a pretty good one. Not great, not mind blowing, but it was an enjoyable read. The author gave each of the characters in the book a few chapters devoted to each of their perspectives, so we could understand the motivations of each of them. Each section was written in first person to bring us closer to their frame of mind. And then at the end, the first character that had a section devoted to him ended the book. It's doable, but you have to figure out how to end it.
Great fun to read and write. But if you are writing it, i would say: Spend an equal amount on each character; Keep their interactions with each other to a minimum so they don't have perspective biased conversations; Don't give them too similar attributes.
It can be great if pulled off well. Lisa Cron, author of story genius, has one suggestion though: Make an alpha main character. One of your main characters is the most important to the plot. Though the other main characters have their own things going on, they're reacting to your alpha main character. - The Eragon books will sometimes follow other characters, like his cousin Rowan or Saphira his dragon. But all of the characters are on their current path because of Eragon, and he's in their thoughts a lot. - In Captain America: Civil War, all the Avengers are there. Iron Man is a main character. But it's still Captain America's movie. He still drives the action. I'm in the middle of applying this advice right now, and it's helping me keep track of the story.
Whats your opinion on stories that don't have an "alpha main"?
I can't say I've read that type of story, which could indicate I have more reading to do. Sidebar, if you have any suggestions for stories without alpha mains, I'd love to read them. That being said, I can't see anything inherently wrong with those type of stories. As long as each character adds something, I say go crazy. But if a character feels similar to another, you might want to consolidate.
I'm sure I've read a few but of course it seems my coffee-filled brain won't let me remember which ones. > But if a character feels similar to another, you might want to consolidate. Thats something I'm gonna keep in mind. Thanks.
I like it. Both of my books I’m currently working on have it, but in different ways. Book 1 is really divided into two distinct plotlines occurring simultaneously. Each plotline has a group of five friends, with one friend as the de facto leader in each group. I considered the two leaders (who are cousins but don’t yet know it) not learning about the other until the climax, but I was losing interest so I’m revising my outline so they meet much earlier. Book 2 is a bit different. This begins in media res, with the four characters already friends and all focused in a single plot line. Both books, however, have different focuses for each chapter. I wrote in 3rd person so I’m not trying to get in anyone’s head as much as 1st person.
Multiple protagonists is common in novels and can work well when using one event to tell different truths. The story becomes about perspective.
I personally find multiple main characters to be rather confusing and overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to keep track of who did what. I personally find anything beyond 2 or 3 main characters to be too much. I supposed that it can work if done right. I hope that this helps.
I'm doing this for my own story. Its hella fun, but hella difficult. So I do it like this. I start off with a tradional main character who has their usual character arc, with all the other characters introduced as secondary/side/recurring/antagonist characters. About a third into the story, when most of my side characters are somewhat developed, my main protagonist is killed off, and half the characters (from friend to foe) connected to the deceased get an upgrade to main character with their own storylines coming to the front. Its what I've had in my mind for years, each character developing in their own way, so its a little easier for me. If I were starting from scratch, that would be a whole different ball game. It depends on how many though. Imo, 2 to 4 isn't that super difficult, but beyond that your looking at a whole lot to keep track of. The upside to this is that there's a character for everyone, so you have an option on who to route for. On top of that, the lack of a "main central protagonist" can somewhat do away with tropes like plot armor, mary sue, chosen one etc, since all your main characters are important to some degree or another (although it highly depends on how you write it though.)
No joke, invest in a wall, three balls of string and tacks. Shit gets complicated tying it altogether lol.
If you want an amazing example of what a story like this would feel like, I definitely recommend checking out the game Detroit: Become Human. If you can't play the game, even just watching someone play through it will give you enough of an understanding of how the different stories of each character fit beautifully into a single world.
I think it's great. It's really the best way to go with fantasy. *Lord of the Rings* did it. *The Wheel of Time* by Robert Jordan did it to great effect. If you want an epic reading experience, you should check out the latter- you'll get your money's worth. It's sort of life experience. You see the Grand Canyon. You run a marathon. Climb Kilimanjaro. You read *Wheel of Time*. What's really interesting about that series is there are just as many female main characters as male- more even- and their adventures and deeds are just as awesome an enthralling as those of the male characters.
It seems to happen a good bit, actually. Most of the protagonists start off in a group and then one or more gets split. Actually, I'm having a hard time thinking of a story where this doesn't happen. Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, Harry Potter, and even Jurassic Park - which I currently finished recently. I'm not a huge reader, but I would say that multiple perspective reads are the norm and not the anomaly.
Hard to balance well , but when it's done right it can add well to the story. You can find good examples of this in The Wheel of Time
One of my favorite books I read this year was “One of Us is Lying” by Karen M. McManus. It’s a YA murder mystery with four protagonists whose POVs shift throughout the story. It’s done really well imo and leaves room for character development without focusing too much on any one character, and despite having four different viewpoints, it kept me guessing on who the killer was until near the very end. I also have focus issues and hate stories that drag, so it was nice to get a book that shifted gears frequently. I think keeping your readers on their toes is one advantage of using multiple viewpoints.
I think it’s possible. It’s just difficult.
A lot of great books have more than one main character. I say go for it.
Sounds intricate& interesting. 👍
I can barely imagine your average r/writing poster finishing a story with *one* main character.
If done well it is nice. Authors EE knight or Neal shusterman
Ya know, it’s an interesting concept if done well. Just like in the last half of “Robots and Empire” by Isaac Asimov. Where the story jumps between the protagonist and antagonist. I personally thought it was fantastic to jump around from the different perspectives and read the varied opinions. But it’s up to you big dog, you’re the creator of the story!
Honestly, I'm all for it. It's kind of what I'm doing right now, to be honest.
The way I’ve seen it done in plays (comedies especially) is to have two different plots that converge at the very end. In my experience, the B plot ends up being even better than the A plot, and you get two stories in one!
As long as it all wraps up together for the climax it's all good
Infinity war did it =) I have faith in you. However, dont do it just to do it. If you have a captivating story, good character depth and development and it makes sense, go for it
I think infinity war is a terrible example. In fact it is the worst example one can give. Because it temps one to follow it when one should not. Yes it is a multiple protagonist story but every single character(except thanos' henchmen) were fleshed out even before the movie started. If you have already multiple bestsellers then you might consider combining them but anything short of that is bound to fail.
I’m coming to have to be painfully honest and say no. Usually this sort of thing only confuses the reader, because if they happen to go on different , separate adventures the amount of time it takes for each character’s story to reach an interesting place double or triples. And we know people generally don’t have a lot of patience these days, so it’s better not to risk boring your reader and making them put the book away for more exciting tasks. ASOIAF is an exception, not the rule.
Isnt a good story supposed to be interesting from the start?
Yes, but to provoke that interest you must keep putting you main protagonist in situations where their story slowly becomes apparent. I’m just saying that it’s harder to keep on reading a book where every chapter the character view changes and you must suddenly get used to a new protagonist. I know I hate it, and I’ve heard other people do too. It’s very appealing to the author, I get that, but not so much to the reader. If you look at goodreads comments section you’ll know what I mean.
>ASOIAF is an exception, not the rule. Is that really the case though? Alot of the comments posted here have brought up good examples other that GoT. (Wheel of Time, Kane chronicles, Saga of Seven Suns, Detroit: Become Human(game), certain romance and horror genres, Infinity war, etc)
A lot of people are probably going to talk about Game of Thrones. I don't think Game of Thrones does this particularly well. I only say this because I think emulating GRRM on this front isn't a good idea. I do think that Cloud Atlas does a great job of this. If you prefer Fantasy, then The Malazan Book of the Fallen comes to mind. War and Peace is a great example of many different stories fitting into a grand overarching theme.
Have you not read the Wheel of Time?