Multiple Main Characters in a Long Series

[The Storyteller]

I have been having an idea for a story I want to write one day, and though I don't intend to actually start real work until I have finished other projects , I am brainstorming ideas and allowing things to simmer in the back of my mind, and I need a bit of help!


One of the things that is important for this story is that there is no one main character. The story is told through the eyes of many protagonists (all of which are equally 'main characters') as well as having POV of supporting characters ('good' and 'bad'). I intend to have a very large cast, with more characters being introduced as the series goes by. Each of these characters will be a string that is woven through the story, often meeting and encountering other characters, etc., and all of which will add to the overall plot and problems in addition to their own separate character arcs.


However, I am unsure how best to write this. Frankly, I don't like reading books when the POV is changing every chapter or so, especially when there are so many characters it could take ten chapters or more just get back to the first one. So I was wondering if there is any other method that could work? I was considering that the story was told so that each book was actually exclusively one MC, and might even be named after said character. It would include other POVs surrounding that character and that books events, but ultimately it would be that character's story. Each MC would have a book, and then there would be a final book that tied them all together for the 'climax'.


This method however has a set of its own problems. I can't imagine readers who invested in one character would have any interest in reading another eight books introducing different characters just to find out about the one they read about first. Also, because these stories are all happening at the same time it would mean that instead of the timeline progressing, readers would start back at the 'beginning'. Also, the outcomes of important events might be revealed in one book and then come up again in a later book; but at this point, the reader already knows what happens. Obviously, you could add information and twists they did not see previously, but still, they would know at least part of the outcome.


I think this idea is interesting but could it really work? Would the books feel too disconnected? I'm not sure it would work, but at the same time I dislike the idea of having each book jump between such a large cast of MCs and supporting characters that you never get more than a few chapters with any one before switching to the next.


Another thought is that I could have each book showcase 2-4 MCs and their stories, and then maybe have the series be a cycle of characters. For example, book 1 features Jane, Bob, and Alice, book 2 has Judy, John, and Jack, book 3 has Jill, Bill, and Suzie. Then book 4 would be Jane/Bob/Alice continued, book 5 Judy/John/Jack cont. etc. until the last book that would tie all the stories together and conclude the series. Or I could have all characters in each story, but have one character get 'main stage' per book as the story progresses, and pick the most important character for each 'phase' of the series.


In honesty, I don't feel like any of these options really works. I would love some insight and opinions from others. Is there a series that juggles multiple MCs in a successful and interesting way and what did they do? Do any of my ideas sound plausible? Any other suggestions of what could be done?


Thanks!

 

[tinkerdan]

A lot depends on what the objective is and whether you intend to go with close third POV or first person.

I'd go with close third multiple POV. It would be best to do it by chapters and it might be best to let the story drive the character POV rather than try to train-wreck into giving everyone a chance. You could possibly do the switch internally within a chapter but it would be better to try to separate into chapters. If it were a short story with multi third then you'd probably just use breaks, which means that it works that way so I wouldn't rule out internal breaks but you would need to avoid head-hopping.

Another thing to consider is the same scene in different POV. If it seems like something that would move the story and plot ahead or if for some odd reason the plot revolved around how each person sees things then that would have to be considered. Otherwise it would just become boringly redundant. So I'd think that the character POV changes would have to either chain together or intersect but not so much overlap-meaning when two or more characters get together you should decide which one needs to tell this portion of the story.

If it does become necessary to give each Character a POV piece in a chapter make definite breaks and continue the story with as little overlap of events as possible So character one leads in the reach X and character 2 takes over at x to reach y and so on.

If you are intending to do back-story for each character this could get tedious unless it can be clearly done within the active narrative.

If you have everyone in an action scene that you want to rotate the POV around -good luck. You would want to do it in some smooth fashion that looks like a hand off rather than the camera jerking around from face to face for a moments closeup.

Close Third multi and even third Omni can do what you want the advantage of Close is that you get more into the character's head and give the reader an experience from there.

As to story and plot you might have to fashion some of that ahead of time to understand how each individual thread from each POV moves the main plot forward and that way which parts of their back-story might be important and what might not. Then you will need to move those threads together to some main thread that completes the major plot. If this spans several books there is then the main plot of each book and any subplots that move that plot and eventually get into the main series plot.

You could try to drag as many POV as you can into each book or maybe pick a team of x number for one book and do that with several books until you draw them all together. If you do it all in one book then you'll have to test yourself to find out what the maximum limit is that you can handle in interesting characters.

If you look at David Weber's Honor Harrington series you will notice that he does this throughout most of his books often within the same chapter but many of his POV characters are not to be confused with main characters as much as they are supporting characters. Sometimes he does it so much that it looks like head hopping, but what it does is serve to see the various skills aboard the ship from various angles and is all the lace and ruffles around his world building and war making. Then he does the same for the political intrigue in the various governments. He also has some good and bad examples of POV changes in tense action scenes. Though I would characterize some of his later work to even handle the overlaps quite well.

If I remember correctly Robert Heinlein's The Number of the Beast has a place where the ragtag group of travelers can't agree on who should be in charge so we get a POV of each person as they are in charge. That might even have been first person but it's been a while since I read that one. And I think the whole book is written chapter to chapter in different POV throughout.

 

[Tecdavid]

Tinkerdan touches on some good points, especially in regards to tedium. If you spend too much time introducing numerous characters, then the reader might eventually lose patience.
It might be a better idea to handle this by focussing on just a few characters to start with, then gradually introducing more as the plot permits. And I think it is important that there's a clear-cut plot in the works, as frequent switching between characters might seem pretty directionless without one.

 

[Erin99]

(I'm rushing, so I haven't read any of the comments before me. Sorry if I'm repeating anyone.)


IIRC you're writing an epic, aren't you, like me and Brian? Most epics switch between multiple characters and have big, epic cast lists. However, you're right in your assumptions, because personally I think I'd miss a character I liked a lot if I had to wait another 9 books to see them again other than in starring bit-part roles. But what's wrong with doing it the standard way? As long as you don't have too many POVs in each book confusing readers, people will enjoy it, especially if the characters are vastly different and interesting and their storylines weave. Then you can add more characters in later books and keep using all your characters when their storylines need to come into play...


As for what has done the multi-POV thing successfully, I will say the Wheel of Time. Heh. Everyone knows I'm such a huuuuuuge fan of it. Big cast list, big plots, great characters that change so much by the end, character POVs that can go on for a few chapters if needed (or only for one chapter, if it's all that's required)... And in - was it book two? - the main character was absent throughout most of it, until the end.

Oh! Which brings me onto this: why not have a main character? A lot of books have one main character that is central to the story regardless that you may have a huuuuge cast list. That's how I'm working, too. It's sort of a focus for your plot and other characters.

Anyway, another example of a recent well-done series (so far it's up to book two) is Malice, by John Gwynne. I've just read book one, and while it took a while to get into with the POV changes, it's fantastic and gripping. By the end, I loved it so much I bought book two even though I'm trying not to buy books unless they're on sale. And I'm still loving book two... and there are new characters added, new plots... It's sort of a cross between Game of Thrones (yes, there's a death toll, but not a ridiculous one) and the Rigante series by Gemmell, repped by our very own John Jarrold.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I was considering that the story was told so that each book was actually exclusively one MC, and might even be named after said character. It would include other POVs surrounding that character and that books events, but ultimately it would be that character's story.

I've suggested before that this is a method I think would have worked well for GRRM's A Song of Fire and Ice series. I can't think offhand of any series that use this method - I'm sure there are some - as it's perfectly valid in terms of storytelling.

The big caveat is that stories always evolve and grow in the writing - so there's always a huge danger of new elements of the story opening up once you're a couple of books in. Plus the issue of forgetting key details. Both of which are going to create potential continuity problems that may put off readers.

 

[Nick B]

We write in multiple close third person pov, as we also have no 'real' main character ( though a beta reader did think one of them is more main than the rest and it may be sort of true for the first novel). There isnt another way to write what we are working on and keep true to the original vision.
It is quite hard work, and i understand why for some readers it may become alot to try and remember. I think the main thing is to make sure all the characters are strong enough to be 'real' in the readers mind and not forget who is who.

 

[The Storyteller]

Tinkerdan, I am pretty sure it would be close third. I agree that planning ahead and deciding which POV best furthers the plot is important! Perhaps by doing this it will become clear which characters to focus on, and to only add them as their stories become relevant and juggle back and forth according to the plot, even if this means abandoning one for a long time and focusing on a different one a lot. Though, many of the MC's will be so distanced from each other that they will not overlap much till later and will each have their own story to follow... which is part of the thought behind separate books. I don't want to divide it up so much you lose interest in or forget what is happening to any of the MCs. And to both you and Tecdavid, I agree; I will need a pretty clear plot planned out!


To Leisha, yes, I am planning an epic! I actually have a different epic I'm planning to finish first, but I like to start doing some brainstorming and thinking when the idea hits, so I'm letting myself get carried away on far future thoughts for a while!
As for why I don't want to do it the standard way, as I said, I am not really a fan of it, especially for larger casts, and it doesn't really fit the feel I envisioned for this story. Also, because I would like to have multiple POVs surrounding each MC (and then have multiple MCs) I feel that trying to fit them all in together would be overwhelming! Which is why the thought of doing one MC per book occurred to me. There would still be more than one POV in each book, but only one main character.
And to your other question, a big part of my initial inspiration for this book was not to have a singly main character. I like the idea that in this event, there are dozens of people affected by and affecting the course of events, and that no one is more important or more main than the next. But perhaps this is silly thinking? Then again, maybe there are no main characters, and just a large cast of supporting characters who all get their time in the spotlight! I guess I'll give it more thought, but if at all possible I want this series to feature multiple MCs.

I, Brian, it is nice to hear that you consider it a valid idea for storytelling! As for what you said about stories growing, I couldn't agree more. I have a personal hope that I will be able to write all my series entirely before attempting to publish the first book in them; I like to consider the story as a whole, not just in book installments. At the very least, I would want to have the first drafts for the remaining books written out so I have a good idea where it is going. If and when I get to writing this, I would probably write all of the books before trying to publish any, as this particular method of storytelling would require going back and forth between stories a lot to make sure it all fits together properly.

Quellist, I agree about strong and memorable characters!

Hmm, well I'm not sure what to think. The idea of each character having their own book is kind of staying with me, though I can certainly see the downsides of it.

Thanks for all of the input and for the suggestions and examples from other books! I don't feel very decided, but it is nice to be able to bounce my thoughts off of other people and find out what they think. Any other thoughts are welcome, as always.