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Number of Characters

It really depends. The length, genre, style and plot of your story make all the difference. Are you writing a short story or something longer, giving more time to add & flesh out each character?
Also, your writing style. Are you one of those anal writers that make up outlines and such? If so, adding more characters may be easier for you.

Don't forget you don't really have to count all the side characters unless they're vital to the story. Not every orc, soldier or 32 yr old student at hogwarts needs a name and background story.

You don't want so many characters, that you forget about them or have them all just standing in a room looking at each other like a badly written high school play. You also don't want too few, then it will seem like the same two people never shut up.

So yeah, I would need a bit more info to help you narrow it down. But if you want a straight answer, it's 5.

I have had between 5 and 55 characters to deal with.

One story had 32 characters then 13 supporting characters and then 10 more extras but, of course, it was a long book and a big town I created and needed to people it.

I have about 30-40 characters now in a town that I created and each character has his/her own story but show up in the stories of other characters as extras or supporting characters.

I have a chart and illustrated town and the geneology of each character and supporting characters & sub-characters and extras.

I am working on six novels and rotate from one to the other and try to keep every character in line and in mind when working on a particular story. I don't know if that's being anal but, I work best when I have structure and order.

So, really the number of characters I guess depends on how many you'd like to have and can control.

I don't really think there's a formula or anything, it's just what you feel comfortable with, what you are able to write, and how individual you're able to make your characters. As been mentioned you can easily have a book with a single character or a mob.

Keep in mind though that secondary characters and especially antagonists are there for your main character(s) to react off of. If they're not helping the main character(s) to grow and advance the story, then you probably have too many, the same can be said for too few if the story begins to stagnate.

Is there a balance? Yeah, but for each person that balance is different, have confidence in your characters and they won't steer you wrong.

Then I would think that you'd have to disreagrd the reader, if the person reading the book can't keep up with the storyline and characters, however many there are then perhaps they should go back to reading Dick and Jane books.

A lot of the writers who actually write those big books, like War and Peace and novels that had not only multiple characters but, also changes of scenes and span for years expect their readers to be able to remember what happened and when and to whom.

Have new characters make an appearance and mingle with the ones already there, who seem to be loitering in the backgrounds not earning their keep--those writers aren't worried if the readers will keep up.

If the readers are readily confused then maybe, they aren't intelligent enough to be reading the kinds of books that are geared to the above average intellect.

Which is why many people don't get beyond the average popular books and into the classics. Characters aside, how many people are willing to take that leap of faith and up their mental game?

If you can write a story with multiple characters and most are creating a balance and some are just hanging around the reader should be able to tell them apart, maybe the loiterers will be of use down the ways in the story line.

Some people do need to have their hands held and to have everything explained to them as they read along, I don't think these people are stupid--just lazy.

I agree with that whole love triangle thing in that it is stupid. For the most part humans were created to be monogamous, isn't what that whole Adam and Eve thing was about--if that's to be believed?

I don't recall any part if the bible where God told Adam nor Eve "Oh, by the way if you should get bored...you know you can always pick up another partner at Satan's Bar down the street there. Don't worry about it, I'm cool with that. We'll just scratch that little: Thou Shall Not Committ(SP?) Adultery commandment off the list, not a problem." Not.

Romance and Erotica isn't something I would endorse. Not liking either one of these much.

One on One is a good game play, if you decide to become a pinch hitter for another team then go for it but, it's always best to know the score and who the players are.

In the game of life, keeping score and knowing who you sleep with can help you maintain not only sane but, healthy.

These days having multiple partners unlike having multiple characters can come back to you and bite you in the ass.

Some can keep up but, let's agree (or disagree) that most can't, it's that simple.

I guess, I can afford to disregard the readers the story, or rather my stories will be there--written regardless as to whether anyone reads them or not, so I don't really worry if they don't as I make my money in other ways.

I have the luxury in that I don't want to be a published writer and am self-contained and can share or not, and be read or not.

True but, most classics are. Perhaps, you think that the whole story was pointless and that Homer should have served his fellow man better as a civil servant. Lol.

I wonder if you feel that way about the bible also (not my business so, don't answer if you don't care to). Some people believe that Jesus was a silly prophet and that the bible was a book of made up stories, that didn't happen.

Just because, you understood it though doesn't mean that other people have--some people just like to have their hands held, makes them feel special.

I agree...I never did say anyone was stupid although, some are lazy in their reading. I didn't give specifics.

Again, I don't think 'cheating' is the way to go--I think I stated this in the above comment. Perhaps, you misunderstood what I wrote...

Really? Wow, that is a first--for me.

(I thought you were being sarcastic). (My Bad)

Note to self: Must brush up on social skills.

I guess I can take off my boxing gloves, and hang them up for
a while.

Absolutely. Good point.

I "database" all my characters - I generally have a 'key' tab, so I have about twenty-thirty 'main' characters, and anywhere up to 300 names on the database for a completed book. But almost half of those are background names I just record so 'Bill the plumber''s hair doesn't change colour or something like that.
But I ALWAYS database, and I swear by it! especially using Msoft Excel - I use the autofilter option to just look at my elves/females/brown-eyed people etc.