If a writer chooses to use the universal POV in a story (God's eye view) how many principal characters would you think is reasonable for the reader to follow?
I'm writing a longish short story at the minute - it's going to be over 5,000 words, I think - and I seem to be using too many characters. I'm going to re-write and pare down the number, but I'd be interested to hear what other people thought about the matter in the abstract.
Thanks
Penny
Personally, I'd use an omniscient narrator, one or two rounded characters, and the supporting cast of a few flat characters.
Hi Clare and Lorraine,
Thank you for your comments. 2,3,4 characters; yes, that seems about right. I've revised the story so far to restrict numbers to three. Although, Lorraine, I've stuck name labels on some of my props! They still don't count as characters, though. They're what my daughter would call 'plot devices'!
Clare, I'm posting the story on my blog rather than on W&A. Actually, I'm thinking of posting it in chunks, as it's quite long.
All the best to both of you,
Penny.
Hi Penny,
A short story needs to be tight; too many characters will overwhelm it.
It depends on how you use the characters, but for 5000 words, I'd say stick to no more than four main named ones. Unnamed people in the background are okay, but we don't need to know anything about them; they are there like props on a stage, to support or illuminate the main players.
Lorraine