What are your thoughts on these types of novels?

Stephen King did it well in The Stand, though IIRC his characters came together well before the end. I think the sooner the arcs intersect the better the reader will be engaged, but everything depends on execution.

I love those kinds of novels as well (writing, at least, but I'm sure I've also read some that I can't remember the titles of right now), and I say go for it. As a not-really piece of advice, what I like to do is put the characters who appear later on into the earlier parts of the story, but not show that they're as important as they are. Say there's an assassin who lurks and observes the square in search for their target; they can see a merchant walk by, a mother trying to collect their children and go home, the target and their suite stopping and grumbling as one of the kids recklessly runs across their path, and so on. Later on, the merchant casually noticed might get their own POV and prove important, but even when they meet the assassin to join forces against the Big Bad (or Big Good if that's how they roll), the assassin will probably not remember them since they were focused on the target at the time.
From my experience, readers appreciate that, plus it shows that the characters have been there all along and haven't just dropped into the world when you found it convenient.

I'm working on a story exactly like this. The POV characters don't actually meet, but I've been trying things together through background events, recurring side characters, and mirroring between the different plots. Most of the advice I've gotten has had a lot to do with making sure that there is a strong connection between the stories, and that they impact each other one way or another.

Are you writing with an alternating POV, or are you doing all of protagonist A, then all of protagonist B, and so on?

I've seen it done well, and I've seen it done badly.

Those who do it well - or at least that I've enjoyed - tend to loop back to previous characters before introducing new ones. I think the pattern goes in threes. (Not that I was counting, just guessing here). So you introduce 3 characters then loop back to one or more of them before introducing a fourth. Particularly if you've left one of the characters in a tense situation. I mean, if you dump character from section 1 in a cliffhanger and make me wait through four more character introductions before resolving the cliffhanger, I'm going to be frustrated and not as interested in the new characters. So there's a balance.

Those who do it poorly - or at least books I've thrown at the wall - tend to introduce character after character in one long sustained stream that rarely goes back to the other characters until halfway through the book. Worse, they leave the majority of them in cliffhanger situations. Escaping from a burning building. On a sinking ship. Just hit by a car. Attacked by rabid wolves. You name it. It's like an insanity trope. Up the tension! 10 characters later and I'm still waiting, but you've burned me out already and I'm pissed off because I'm still getting new character introductions and no resolution. I don't finish books like that. I could even name an example if you want because I ran across it recently.

So, balance, that's all the advice I can offer here.

I would definitely echo the advice to have some connection throughout, otherwise you have to re-engage the reader with each new "set". And if they aren't all that enthralled with the newest set, they may just quit reading. Plus, you run the risk of it seeming like a set of short stories instead of a novel. JMO, of course, but I would want to know that it's all leading up to something 'inclusive'.

I remember reading one story where characters merely passed each other on the street or sat in the same bar - but it was enough to pique my curiosity, and well worth waiting to see them join up later.

Sounds great. Do it.

I think a novel like that, if done well (always the caveat) could be intriguing. Maybe having some near close encounters of the characters before they finally meet up might be fun, but it would depend on your story since you can't force that either.

It can work, but you have to be careful. The main problem with these kind of stories is that they unravel easily because of the lack of a central story/arc for people to follow. If we have multiple sets of characters and multiple stories to go along with them, there is a risk that readers will end up preferring some of the stories over others.

To be fair, this basic risk is present in any work with multiple POVs, but it becomes more problematic when we're telling disconnected stories that only connect later on in the story. If people like one story and set of characters more than the others, they'll just wish the story was all about them.

Katharine mentioned The Stand, which is simultaneously a good and bad example. It's incredible how Stephen King weaved this massive cast of characters together, but I feel that some of the stories are significantly more interesting than others. For example, I always loved Nick's sections early on, whereas I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room every time the Trashcan Man showed up.

I believe it's called a "braided storyline".

The Wheel of Time series came to mind when I read your question. That had the POV of many characters to follow. The problem with that is we (the reader) will like one or more and dislike other characters (if you are good) so you take the chance of the reader skimming over many words to past the chapter with the character (s) they don't like. I skippped a whole book in the Wheel of Time series. Create the characters well enough and make their struggles engaging and you may write the next Lord of the Rings, which also has many braided stories.

I like them too and have one it the works as well.

veinglory said:

I believe it's called a "braided storyline".

Click to expand...

Eons ago (it seems like) I thought I about something like this called a split story, but a braided story makes more sense.

As mentioned above, 'The Stand' is a good example of alternating multiple voices. The idea you have in mind is doable, and can be very enjoyable if done well, but it requires a lot of work. I have a plot outline for a novel that involves 8 characters, and introducing them while moving the story forward is one of my major concerns. It's about eight people from different countries who are selected for a revolutionary TV show they know nothing about and wake up in a deserted island with their memories completely wiped out; it's like a Big Brother with (actual) primitive contestants. Like Katharine Tree said, the sooner the arcs intersect, the better. My advice is to be careful with the setting so there are no later inconsistencies in the story or the characters don't deviate from their personalities.

Write one. Get in published, and then we can all express our thoughts on it.

caw

Dune. A Game of Thrones. Jurassic Park. Those are just a few that use multiple character POVs. I completed an epic fantasy earlier this year and it was by far the most difficult thing I've ever written to date. At 180,000 words, the sheer size and scope of the story was daunting, and sometimes things came out of nowhere, leading to places I didn't expect. I'm still letting the first draft sit, but here's my take:

1. Read as many novels that utilize this technique as you can.

2. Be patient and don't rush. You won't, more than likely, finish something this big in three months. Took me eleven.

3. Know your characters like the back of your hand before you start writing. I wish I had.

4. Put enough effort into your world-building for a reasonable start. You don't have to have every city and clump of trees on the map, but have enough revealed so that the character's dialogue will make sense when talking about travel plans (always a snag for me).

Explanatory addendum to my previous comment: I'm a very eclectic reader. Every novel to me is an individual thing, not a "concept". It's all about execution, not the "idea". So ya gots ta write the thing before it's really judgeable. Some readers don't like Fantasy novels categorically, so they won't like (or probably read) it. That's the real world.

Just write it.

caw

Whether The Stand in horror, or Lonesome Dove in westerns, etc., I love such stories, if done well. But I agree there must be a central problem all characters are somehow involved in, else it won't hold up when they come together.

sure, go for it

I'm not sure. I started one like that, myself, a few years ago. I almost finished it (got about three chapters left) but then I started to doubt it so I stopped writing it. Don't know how you plan on doing yours, but I wrote mine first person present tense, and I'm not sure if that was a good idea.

I'm sure it can be pulled off. I'd be interested to know other people's opinions on it, too, honestly myself.

I like them sometimes, but I get frustrated when I'm really into a story, and all of a sudden there is a POV change, so I would say you should give some kind of resolution each time. So if your characters are running away from a demon/dog hybrid, rather let them face the creature and kill it, than stop just as the thing catches up to them. Personally, I won't wait 5 chapters to figure out what happens, I will just move onto another book.
The exception is when the characters start drawing together towards the end of the book, and you are building towards the grand finale.

-Make sure that everyone's stories are equally engaging, and that you hook the reader at the beginning of every POV change, just like you would if you were starting any other story. I found with the Wheel of Time, you would have Mat's point of view- (now Mat is a fun, mischievous character who is always getting into trouble, and there's a lot of action and excitement) and then it would swap to some random granny who spends 3 chapters bickering with other nobles and fussing over her knitting, and tugging at her shawl. I love the WOT, I think it's one of the greatest series ever written, but I can't tell you how many times I left a book for months because I just couldn't face pages and pages with a boring character. Funny enough I'm currently on just such a break in book 11, and the break's lasted over a year now.