How big is your cast?

Coco82 · 11-20-2012, 11:19 AM

How big is your cast of characters, MCs and secondary characters?

GeekTells · 11-20-2012, 02:32 PM

I'll bite:

1 MC, four supporting characters, another few minor characters, and all manner of people that the MC encounters. 1 main villain with a few supporting roles.

How about you, OP?

randi.lee · 11-20-2012, 04:34 PM

I have 3 MCs, one antagonist, two supporting characters and that's really it. Sure, I have the lady who pours coffee in the cafe, the wacky mailman and that uncle no one likes to talk about, but the story would be perfectly fine if everyone but those six were cut.

fdesrochers · 11-20-2012, 04:38 PM

First ms:

MC: 2
Supporting: More than half-a-dozen

Second ms:

MC: 2 + 1 planned addition
Supporting: 6+

Filigree · 11-20-2012, 06:02 PM

Several dozen, with any novel. The WIP right now has 3 main characters plus 16 - 20 supporting characters. The main characters get the most viewpoint time, but 4 or 5 other characters will have moments where the action is seen through their eyes.

veinglory · 11-20-2012, 06:06 PM

My current book has about 20 named characters that appear in more than one chapter. But it is told from only one point of view.

aheggli · 11-20-2012, 06:18 PM

1 MC, 1 antagonist, 6 supporting and a bunch of minor characters

amrose · 11-20-2012, 06:36 PM

2 MCS, 5 supporting.

Dimanagul · 11-20-2012, 06:43 PM

For the first book: A Primary and Secondary Protagonist, five supporting characters. 12-15 named minor characters.

Apologue · 11-20-2012, 07:30 PM

2 MCs (dual viewpoint), 4-5 important secondary characters, and a smattering of other people that just have a few lines or are mostly in the background. My book is only about 80k, though, and I don't think it's ambitious enough to be classified as epic fantasy.

katci13 · 11-20-2012, 07:56 PM

2 MCs, 1 secondary, 1 villain, 2 supporting, and a bunch of random extras and creatures.

WillSauger · 11-20-2012, 08:29 PM

6 MCs (2 guest one here and there, 4 stables ones) All multiple limited, switching off.
20 Major characters (guessing)
10 Minor characters (Name and page presence, but don'e affect story).

CrastersBabies · 11-20-2012, 09:15 PM

Epic fantasy... 140k words at least (no debating wordcount please... I have done my research).

6 rotating POVs
2 are "main"
4 are supporting
10ish semi supporting
10 plus named folks that characters meet or interact with... maybe more.

In truth... not a huge cast compared to most epic fantasy books

Lhipenwhe · 11-20-2012, 09:18 PM

One main character, two supporting characters/love interests, two supporting characters, and a main antagonist. I only have one viewpoint, that of the MC. I was wary of having too many characters to keep track of; I dislike leaving any of them superficially/badly developed.

Roxxsmom · 11-20-2012, 10:11 PM

I've got my protagonist, two very important support characters (who get a fair amount of pov time), a main antagonist and a few more "lesser characters" and baddies who show up several times throughout the book.

Coco82 · 11-20-2012, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrastersBabies

Epic fantasy... 140k words at least (no debating wordcount please... I have done my research).

6 rotating POVs
2 are "main"
4 are supporting
10ish semi supporting
10 plus named folks that characters meet or interact with... maybe more.

In truth... not a huge cast compared to most epic fantasy books

Mine is similar in scope. My WIP is a epic scifi/future history novel and have 5 main POVs possibly 1 smaller one, and each POV has supporting characters in it.

StarryEyes · 11-20-2012, 10:31 PM

One MC, 6 almost MCs (very important characters but their viewpoints are never given since it's all in first person), 2 antagonists, about 5 secondary characters and about 15 named but minor characters. And then there's the rest of the city, the soldiers and so on

Pthom · 11-20-2012, 10:51 PM

42

Melanie Dawn · 11-20-2012, 10:54 PM

MC:2 with a third that becomes a MC for a time, then fades away.
hmm prolly half a dozen true supporting characters. I wanted to keep the cast small because I want to focus on development of the 2/3 MCs.

ps when I see MC I think Motorcycle club LMAO
SAMCRO-Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original.

zanzjan · 11-20-2012, 11:23 PM

I'm attempting to stick to a single POV in the current novel. I had too many in my first novel, and it's one of the primary things that kept me from selling it.

xC0000005 · 11-21-2012, 12:05 AM

1 MC with four supporting chars, one primary antagonist with two supporting characters.

Several lampshades with names.

M.T.Logue · 11-21-2012, 12:07 AM

My current WIP has 4 MC's, all of whom also double as antagonists for each other.
Maybe 3 or 4 supporting characters.
Then quite a lot of minor characters.

ClareGreen · 11-21-2012, 12:26 AM

WiP has 1 MC, 4 major characters and a whole slew of minor characters.

DeleyanLee · 11-21-2012, 12:39 AM

Nine POVs (all major characters). I think I remembered them all. That includes protags and antags.

The cast list has roughly about 70 named characters. Seeing as there's two armies battling, there's thousands of characters yet to be named (should I have reason to pick them out, of course).

victoriakmartin · 11-21-2012, 01:55 AM

I've got four MCs in mine, off-hand I can think of 2 major supporting characters (I'm in the middle of revising between what I call draft 1.0 and 1.5, the latter of which involved one completely new MC while another supporting character was upgrading to MC). There are a handful of other characters as well, obviously, though most of them are not incredibly well-defined at this point in time. I don't see the main cast getting beyond 10 though, at least not if I can help it.

11-20-2012, 11:19 AM	#1
Coco82 practical experience, FTW Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 390	How big is your cast? How big is your cast of characters, MCs and secondary characters? __________________ WIP: Un-named Future History novel “A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

11-20-2012, 02:32 PM	#2
GeekTells Tick tock... Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 157	I'll bite: 1 MC, four supporting characters, another few minor characters, and all manner of people that the MC encounters. 1 main villain with a few supporting roles. How about you, OP? __________________ Tech journalist, aspiring fiction author, musician, geek, poker enthusiast...GeekTells.

11-20-2012, 04:34 PM	#3
randi.lee More cowbell! Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New England, USA Posts: 912	I have 3 MCs, one antagonist, two supporting characters and that's really it. Sure, I have the lady who pours coffee in the cafe, the wacky mailman and that uncle no one likes to talk about, but the story would be perfectly fine if everyone but those six were cut. __________________ Facebook \| Twitter The Emotional Process of Writing a Novel

11-20-2012, 04:38 PM	#4
fdesrochers practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Fredericton, NB Posts: 135	First ms: MC: 2 Supporting: More than half-a-dozen Second ms: MC: 2 + 1 planned addition Supporting: 6+ __________________ Francois Blog: http://signalsfromthearc.blogspot.com

11-20-2012, 06:02 PM	#5
Filigree nobody's sidekick Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: between rising apes and falling angels Posts: 6,403	Several dozen, with any novel. The WIP right now has 3 main characters plus 16 - 20 supporting characters. The main characters get the most viewpoint time, but 4 or 5 other characters will have moments where the action is seen through their eyes. __________________ Blog in progress (with buy links): http://www.cranehanabooks.com/blog works in progress: MORO'S SHIELD MORO'S CROWN LEOPARD'S LEAP (working title) BLOODSHADOW untitled Foodie Spy erotic romance RUNNER AND WALKER (working title) UNSTRUNG

11-20-2012, 06:06 PM	#6
veinglory volitare nequeo AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: right here Posts: 23,271	My current book has about 20 named characters that appear in more than one chapter. But it is told from only one point of view. __________________ Coming Soon: Taniwha in the Cleis Press anthology 'Beach Bums' *[pre order now!]* New Release: Broken Sword via Amazon Kindle

11-20-2012, 06:18 PM	#7
aheggli figuring it all out Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 65	1 MC, 1 antagonist, 6 supporting and a bunch of minor characters

11-20-2012, 06:36 PM	#8
amrose is Envy Augustine Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: The Normandy Posts: 1,064	2 MCS, 5 supporting. __________________ Bound for Trouble on Liquid Silver Books on Amazon. Like vampires? Like sex? Like the near future in an alternative history where humans have overthrown their bloodsucking overlords and use them for slave labor? This novella might be for you.

11-20-2012, 06:43 PM	#9
Dimanagul One without Magic Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 141	For the first book: A Primary and Secondary Protagonist, five supporting characters. 12-15 named minor characters. __________________ WIP Progress: 100k words, Re-polishing the chapter structure. http://dimanagul.wordpress.com

11-20-2012, 07:30 PM	#10
Apologue Pure heart, filthy mind Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 79	2 MCs (dual viewpoint), 4-5 important secondary characters, and a smattering of other people that just have a few lines or are mostly in the background. My book is only about 80k, though, and I don't think it's ambitious enough to be classified as epic fantasy.

11-20-2012, 07:56 PM	#11
katci13 creative genie Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: tennessee Posts: 705	2 MCs, 1 secondary, 1 villain, 2 supporting, and a bunch of random extras and creatures. __________________ _./'\._¸¸.•¤¤•.¸.•¤¤•….* •. .•* The Narcissistic Rose /.••.\ ¸..•¤¤•., .•¤.¤•..* Works in Progress: Futuristic Fantasy: Crafting YA Fantasy: Outlining Horror - Plotting

11-20-2012, 08:29 PM	#12
WillSauger The Beast I Worship. Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 3,684	6 MCs (2 guest one here and there, 4 stables ones) All multiple limited, switching off. 20 Major characters (guessing) 10 Minor characters (Name and page presence, but don'e affect story). __________________ Don't Fear Failure. "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn" -- Alvin Toffler. Last edited by WillSauger; 11-20-2012 at 09:22 PM.

11-20-2012, 09:15 PM	#13
CrastersBabies all hail zombie babies! Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Rocky Mountains Posts: 2,533	Epic fantasy... 140k words at least (no debating wordcount please... I have done my research). 6 rotating POVs 2 are "main" 4 are supporting 10ish semi supporting 10 plus named folks that characters meet or interact with... maybe more. In truth... not a huge cast compared to most epic fantasy books __________________ stephantrain.com Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought it back "The first draft of anything is s***." Ernest Hemingway

11-20-2012, 09:18 PM	#14
Lhipenwhe Moving with my soul, step by step Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Saint Paul Posts: 524	One main character, two supporting characters/love interests, two supporting characters, and a main antagonist. I only have one viewpoint, that of the MC. I was wary of having too many characters to keep track of; I dislike leaving any of them superficially/badly developed. __________________ Whether regret, or love, or revenge or fear - whatever you believe can change the nature of a man, can. -The Nameless One, Planescape: Torment Ensoulment (First Draft): Editing (113,000)

11-20-2012, 10:11 PM	#15
Roxxsmom practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Lost in space. And meaning. Posts: 1,320	I've got my protagonist, two very important support characters (who get a fair amount of pov time), a main antagonist and a few more "lesser characters" and baddies who show up several times throughout the book. __________________ Please excuse me, I was raised by wolves. My twitter - My FB - My blog

11-20-2012, 10:31 PM	#17
StarryEyes practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 106	One MC, 6 almost MCs (very important characters but their viewpoints are never given since it's all in first person), 2 antagonists, about 5 secondary characters and about 15 named but minor characters. And then there's the rest of the city, the soldiers and so on

11-20-2012, 10:51 PM	#18
Pthom Don't fix what ain't broke. AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bend, Ore Posts: 6,994	42 __________________ ~ Vita Brevis, Ars Longa ~ "There is a technical, literary term for those who mistake the opinions and beliefs of characters in a novel for those of the author. The term is 'idiot.'" —Larry Niven, quoted by S. M. Stirling. SaraP advises to just go back and ass it in.

11-20-2012, 10:54 PM	#19
Melanie Dawn Gypsy, wasted from the hips down. Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Nor Cal Posts: 463	MC:2 with a third that becomes a MC for a time, then fades away. hmm prolly half a dozen true supporting characters. I wanted to keep the cast small because I want to focus on development of the 2/3 MCs. ps when I see MC I think Motorcycle club LMAO SAMCRO-Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original.

11-20-2012, 11:23 PM	#20
zanzjan Do not taunt Happy Fun Mod AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: the everlasting universe of things Posts: 3,609	I'm attempting to stick to a single POV in the current novel. I had too many in my first novel, and it's one of the primary things that kept me from selling it. __________________ zanzjan.net - twitter - facebook "It's always wrong of course to say that you can't do this or you can't do that in fiction. You can do anything you can get away with, but nobody has ever gotten away with much." -- Flannery O'Connor

11-21-2012, 12:05 AM	#21
xC0000005 An exception has occured. Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 126	1 MC with four supporting chars, one primary antagonist with two supporting characters. Several lampshades with names. __________________ Books - The Agency Series, coming 2014 from Penguin-Ace. http://www.voiceofthehive.com - Beekeeping, honeybees, and the crazy folks who keep them.

11-21-2012, 12:07 AM	#22
M.T.Logue The T is for Tribble Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 204	My current WIP has 4 MC's, all of whom also double as antagonists for each other. Maybe 3 or 4 supporting characters. Then quite a lot of minor characters.

11-21-2012, 12:26 AM	#23
ClareGreen Onwards, ever onwards Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: England Posts: 483	WiP has 1 MC, 4 major characters and a whole slew of minor characters. __________________ Weekend Warrior (Fantasy Division)

11-21-2012, 12:39 AM	#24
DeleyanLee Writing Anarchist Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: lost among the words Posts: 27,588	Nine POVs (all major characters). I think I remembered them all. That includes protags and antags. The cast list has roughly about 70 named characters. Seeing as there's two armies battling, there's thousands of characters yet to be named (should I have reason to pick them out, of course). __________________ "For unheard of means that it's undreamed of yet; Impossible means not yet done." --Julia Ecklar "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." --Friederich Nietzsche

11-21-2012, 01:55 AM	#25
victoriakmartin practical experience, FTW Join Date: May 2012 Location: Ottawa Posts: 275	I've got four MCs in mine, off-hand I can think of 2 major supporting characters (I'm in the middle of revising between what I call draft 1.0 and 1.5, the latter of which involved one completely new MC while another supporting character was upgrading to MC). There are a handful of other characters as well, obviously, though most of them are not incredibly well-defined at this point in time. I don't see the main cast getting beyond 10 though, at least not if I can help it. __________________ ~Imagination and Creation are my MAGIC~ http://www.victoriakmartin.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-K-Martin/100339113495839 (formerly known as i_paint_the_sky)

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