How many characters does my novel need?

Literally, there are two routes you can take to figure the answer.

First: Go with what feels right for you. Think about what you like as a reader. Do you prefer smaller casts? Or do you crave for various different characters? If that’s the icing on the cake for you, why not try it yourself? Once you start, you’ll soon notice whether the cast you chose adds to your story, or not. Again, there is no right or wrong answer other than to check how it feels. 

Let us provide you with two opposite examples: A smaller cast can get boring pretty fast, but a larger one needs enough tasks and duties to keep them both exciting and useful. In other words, don’t just add characters to your novel for the sake of having a certain number of them, because your readers will notice. 

The other example would be: A smaller cast can be very effective, while a bigger one can make for a great team – think of spreading roles between leaders and supporters, as an example. Do all supporters follow one-on-one? Does that add tension? Is there a supporter that would like to rise to a leader? Those kinds of things. 

By the way: Here is how you can make your characters *not boring*.

The other question

Second, to get back to the initial question: Go with what you are capable of handling. A larger cast can get pretty messy to maintain if you aren’t up to par with that experience-wise. Like they say: start small. It’s easier to keep the details of a cast of two or three in mind than those of an 11-man team. 

Anyways, no matter which way you go, we got you covered. We’ve built Untold Novel with exactly those issues in mind. Not only does Untold Novel offer a great visual overview of your characters, but it also guides you through creating your cast. From hair color, to style, motivation, goal in story, tattoos, piercings, marital status and much more. 

And don’t worry, there is still enough space to express yourself – while also making sure you can manage your cast without missing a detail.