Avoid "character soup" when starting your novel. This is my term for an intro where a host of characters are introduced along with their relationships and particularities.

It is no surprise when a novel has many characters. (Just check on Dostoyevsky for that.)

And, yes, the writer may need to develop a detailed list before or during writing.

But it can insult the reader when you just list and describe a host of characters at the start of your story. They are best introduced as a part of developing action and conflict.

For example, consider a series of novels which assumes the reader has read prior books. Such a novel will seldom "grab" and hold the uninitiated reader unless character development is repeated.

I recommend that writers consider keeping a temporary list of characters at the end of the working manuscript. There you can enter details about each character, even including dialect particularities. This will help avoid the situation where every character's dialect sounds the same.

And, always remember, there is a need for at least one protagonist for the reader's identification. A novel with four protagonists sounds like a bad idea.

Distinctive and memorable characters are an essential element of any novel. It is best to be careful with these treasures.

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Publishing New Writers,

November, 2021 (vol. 22, no.11)

Publisher:

Dr. Bruce L. Cook
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Elgin, IL 60123

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