I've been trying to write an action/adventure/fantasy story for almost a year now, and I have restarted several times, but that's not important here. I have a cast of characters, all different and holding some sort of uniqueness ranging from a 'gentle' loose cannon, to an uncontrollable glass cannon. However, my story connects all of the stories of the individuals together for a late-game epiphany of sorts (kinda like their character arcs tie together) and with that, I'm not sure which character to start with as the First character. I am trying to decide if the story should (or can) have multiple Main characters, and if so, which character should I start with? (Also, if anyone wants a description of some of the characters for reference, let me know...) (This is also my first story)
Which character do you identify with the most? Which character do you feel most represents what you are like, or what you think and feel about the stuff you plan to write about? Or, think about which character is likely to experience the most change during the course of the story, if you've planned that far ahead. The character who changes the most is USUALLY the main character. However, there is also the point of view question to answer for yourself. Whose head and eyes will tell the story? It doesn't necessarily have to be the main character (it can be a lesser character watching everything happen to other people.) But the point of view character and the main character are often the same. Nobody is really going to be able to tell you what to do on this one. This is your story, and you have to make these kinds of decisions yourself. However, the good news is, making those kinds of decisions is FUN! You have total control. You can tell this story any way you want to. Even better, if you decide partway through (or even after you have finished) that you should have done things differently, because you've gained new insight while writing about these 'people,' then you can go back and change whatever you want to change. Nothing is cast in stone until you actually get published! Meanwhile, welcome to the forum. If you haven't yet done so, please read these two sections. They will give you an idea of what a member can do, and what the forum is like. The New Member Start Guide can help you avoid making new member mistakes as well. (For example, there are requirements you must meet before you can post your work for feedback.) The New Member Guide is here: New Member Quick Start And the general Forum Rules, which apply to everybody, are here: Forum Rules Look around, get acquainted with us, join in on thread discussions, and let us get to know you! This is a fun place to be. Cheers, Jan
Open the story with the same character who closes the story. Each character should have their moment at the end, but one of them will have the greatest personal crisis. It should relate to your story's theme. He/she is the character who has defied the theme. Maybe each character has in their own way, but he has done it the most. To determine your theme, sum up the story without saying anything about plot. For example, "The Sixth Sense" (without saying anything about Bruce Willis or seeing dead people) is a story about accepting ourselves and our place in the world. Bruce defies the theme until the end (after receiving direction from a kid who has also defied the theme). Notice that Bruce opens and closes the movie. The roles could have been reversed, and the story could have been told mostly from the kid's point of view, but that would have forced a change at the end. (Bruce would have to come to terms with the theme first and then release the kid, meaning that the kid was more defiant.) The kid would have then opened the movie too. So, decide your theme in your own mind and see who's most resistant to it. The stakes don't even have to be as high for them. (The kid has the lives of countless souls to help. Bruce only has himself to save. The kid is arguably more "special," but Bruce is more defiant.) That will be your likely candidate. (Note: nothing is absolute. This is what works for me and your mileage may vary.)
There are a lot of ways to solve this problem, but one way that so think works well is (particularly for a multi-book series) to focus in on one character at a time, give us their story, follow them around, conflict, etc, maybe even for a while book or part. Then later you switch focuses a bit to a different character. Examples of stories that do this in a very deliberate, structured way: The Stormlight Archive (each character gets a book in the larger series) The Marvel Cinematic Universe (individual films like iron man and Thor, then they come together for the avengers) Many other books do it more subtly though. A Game of Thrones is Ned’s book. Tyrion gets a chance to really shine in A Clash of Kings. Etc. You can have a lot going on in the background. You don’t have to bring everything to the surface.
More importantly than anything else it's to ask which character could show the best story? Who goes through the most? Faces the most conflict? Who has the most to lose? Which character comes together the most and who is directly related to your plot and the heart of your themes? (they have an interesting backstory that explains their goals, motivations and actions). If your character doesn't fit into these then they may not be the right one. It doesn't have to be about the one who always fights the bad guy, think of The Hobbit (movie definitely) Bilbo is easily the MC but he doesn't defeat the Orc, Thorin does. But Bilbo was the right character to tell that tale. Most of the time we don't choose our main character, our main character chooses us
What do you mean by "Main Character?" In book "The Great Gatsby," Jay Gatsby was the protagonist or the "lead" of the story, but he wasn't the POV character. The POV character was Nick. In the Disney classic "Beauty and the Beast," Belle was the protagonist and the POV character, but the story itself was more about the Beast. You can also have a "group protagonist." This is what happened in the story "A Series of Unfortunate Events." But keep in mind, the three characters the story centered around also were together most of the time things were happening. It worked out well, as family and sibling connections were a huge part of this story. A lot of sports movies have the team as the protagonist. When you're considering the "1st character" or "Protagonist" there has to be something to consider. 1) Who does the antagonist stand in opposition to? Again, the protagonist doesn't have to be the POV character, but does have to be the one where most of the pivotal moments of the story revolves around. If you're thinking "All of them" then you might want to consider a group protagonist, but again, the limitation is that all the characters have to be mostly together. There is a third type of narration style you can try which is ensemble. I have no advice to how to do an ensemble cast for a novel. That's something you can consider asking people on this board if they would like to chime in.
Who fights the final battle? It could be an actual fight or throwing the ring into the fire as in The Lord of the Rings. It would be the final act that saves the day. When you decide this, then ask what his/her character arc will be like? You MC should grow and learn something. There can still be multiple characters and plots to support the main story. I have such a storyline in my book, The Dragonlass Bowl and my MC, being young does not swing the final blow but he does solve the mystery. The other characters support the story. The point is, as long as the plots mesh together you can do anything really. However, multiple plots take a bit of planning or they can be confusing. As for your POV. Choose the characters you want to focus on. What will their POV bring to the story? If you have too many that can water down the story too. Step back and think about your premise and theme, then decide. Good luck.
Thanks, i've read through the posts and have taken note of what I could have made a big mistake on; the Writing workshop rules.
Thanks for the feedback, however, I am still a little concerned with the aspect of combining story lines. I can come up with the MC of all the stories in my 'list' but what about when the teams get together? (A majority of the stories are explained with Group Protagonists [or in certain cases, paired protagonists]) Similar to the combining of the Marvel Plot lines in Infinity War and End Game, and in which case, would I do the same? Have multiple Plot lines (each with their own MCs), and have them join forces for one Final Battle at the end of the journey?
