When there are a lot of characters, do you get confused?
- Thread starter Chancie
- Start date
The Wheel of time is a series that did confuse me with characters. I was introduced to a character and they would disappear for a book or two, and then be reintroduced, and i would be wondering who they are. You also had to keep track of all of them because they were all important to the story in some sort of way, so i also had trouble with characters at times in that story.Aurora219 said:
Depending on the story, it can vary how big the character limit should be.
I mean i get lost in robert jordan's the wheel of time series, but those characters come and go and sometimes disappear only to emerge 2 books later or die then decide death was boring and come back.
Great series though.
I mean i get lost in robert jordan's the wheel of time series, but those characters come and go and sometimes disappear only to emerge 2 books later or die then decide death was boring and come back.
Great series though.
I really appreciate it.
Not unless they all have similar names. God damn me not being used to anime...Took me a few episodes of Azumanga Daioh to tell them apart.
The rule of thumb I usually stick to when WRITING characters is three main characters, max. Stories with an ass-ton of characters generally tend towards being confusing, even if you do your best to keep things clear.
Of course, all that can be taken with a grain of salt. Look at Lord of the Rings.
Of course, all that can be taken with a grain of salt. Look at Lord of the Rings.
It really depends on the source material. It is a visual medium or a text medium? How many characters have similar sounding names? How distinct are their personalities? How often do certain characters show up?
Some examples:
- I find Beowulf (as in the poem) confusing because half the cast members have names starting with "U".
- A lot of Bleach characters look or behave similar; it's hard to remember people when they blend together so.
- I instantly remember a TON of Star Wars characters because the great majority of them are so unique from each other.
Some examples:
- I find Beowulf (as in the poem) confusing because half the cast members have names starting with "U".
- A lot of Bleach characters look or behave similar; it's hard to remember people when they blend together so.
- I instantly remember a TON of Star Wars characters because the great majority of them are so unique from each other.
More than 4 to 5 is not a lot. I can get confused, but mostly it's because books lack the visual clues of who's who, so I can lose track of which surname refers to which character early in the book. Usually most of them die by the end anyway, so it becomes easier at that point.
No, people get confuse when it written poorly. Make sure that you write who does what and who talk and it ok. If in doubt, look our your favorite writer does it.Chancie said:
Edit: Also, ask advice to those who love to read. Some of those answers can only come from Throlls.