How many POV characters should my book have?

[Brian G Turner]

For anyone new to writing, or on a first novel, my advice would be to stick with one character.

I agree - IMO it's better to learn to write one character very well, rather than trying to do many weak ones.

Having multiple ones from the start as a new writer is just asking for trouble - more to the point, the danger of being unable to properly develop any one of the cast to any real degree and not even realise this.

One of my earliest mistakes was to confuse personality with character - IMO they are different, because only the second can grow and change through the experience of the story. Personality alone is not enough.

2c.

 

[Aleph]

Agreed Brian. There's a difference between knowing implicitly that your story will need to be told by multiple characters, and being not quite certain enough that multiple POV is the right thing to do that a writer has to seek other opinions: ie, this forum post asking "how many is too many".

A lot of fine debut stories have been written with multiples, but even as the previous posters have pointed out the authors all knew, somehow, it was the right choice. If there is a nagging feeling that you're uncertain with proceeding inside the heads of a lot of people, the gut instinct is correct. Stick with one unless you're absolutely sure you can pull it off without seeking anyone else's permission!

 

[Phyrebrat]

Oh dear. I wish I hadn't read this. Now I'm worrying about my palette of characters.

pH

 

[The Judge]

Don't worry.

My advice to anyone is to write as many characters and POV characters as you feel you need to tell the story. When you come to revise -- whether that's at the end of the first draft or the end of the first chapter (or first page) -- you have to justify everything you've written, to see if it does enough to warrant its place in the novel. That includes the number of characters and POVs you've chosen. In revision the characters and/or POVs can be consolidated or removed, or new ones added as needed.

The problem with Thou Must Only Have One POV Character, is that if she's not at an important event which the reader needs to know about, then you're reliant on the detail being given to her second or third hand. It's perfectly possible to do that well, but frankly I think a new writer who is still finding his writing feet is better off going the route of bringing in another POV, someone who is there at the event, since the writing of that will be more direct and interesting, whereas in inexperienced hands the second/third hand relation can all too easily become badly dumped backstory.

To my mind the problem TheAlchemist has isn't the number of characters or even POV characters, it's the number of main characters and the wish to show each of them in his/her own quest. Writing an ensemble novel, where every character has to be given equal weight and time is difficult, and especially so if there's a need to show all of them in a short space of time. That is certainly something I wouldn't recommend to someone just starting out.