Balancing Characters

How many characters do you find to be your sweet spot?

I find that one or two mains is best for me with maybe one or two side characters at most. Three total seems to be my magic number. After that, I get a bit overwhelmed with balancing their goals, activity, and development.

 

One or two for me, too!

I really struggle at more than that, even when they're only supporting characters. Keeping arcs moving, defining short and long term goals, and juggling enough threads to support them just doesn't work for me when I have more than two. I could do more when I was a student and had more free/flexible time to write, but working full time unfortunately really takes up a lot of both writing time and also creative muse ^^;

 

Oooof, honestly, I can have 1-2 A list and maybe 2 B list and that's it xD If I try and do any more than that either they muddle together and the writing feels the same, OR it's just too much and writing becomes an obligation xD

 

I'm a bit of a character hoarder, so I tend to have more characters than I really should. With that said, I think having 2 ish mains and then several "side" characters works best for me. That way I have options of what I feel like I'm in the mood to write but it's not totally overwhelming. The hardest thing for me is wanting to do All The Things with all of my characters, and just not having enough time!

 

I identify as a problem when it comes to making/keeping characters. I like to think I'm able to keep a decent number of them afloat at any one time, but like everyone else, 1-2 mains seems to be the go to.

With that being said though, I find that sometimes who I consider a "main" can cycle depending on the site plot or what's happening IC, so it's nice to have a plethora of characters to suit any occasion I guess?

 

i feel like....i can keep multiple characters afloat....i don't really have main or side ones? because i love them all the same. but like my brain goes a million miles a minute and before i know it i have a total of 50 ot 60 of them *shrugs* i can not control myself. plus, this allows me to write with many people and myself if i really want to <3

 

I tend to do best with one or two mains, and a menagerie of floating supporting/secondary characters to write when I need to “scratch an itch” creatively, or add to the overall narrative of the site plot.

 

I make an effort toward keeping a responsible number of characters, but it inevitably spirals out of control xD I enjoy having the added flexibility of who I can write with and the variety of threads I can have. That being said, though I love all of them, I do tend to have a couple favorites that I use more often than others

 

I agree; one or two main, one or two sides, is more or less my limit now. I find I can't hold much more than that in my head. Side characters for me usually don't have as much investment in their plots - by that I mean, I usually am willing to write them against others to fulfil plot arcs for other characters, and while I might have "Plans" for those side characters, I'm not as fussed if they aren't fulfilled or written out fully. Main characters are the ones I write the most threads with and spend the most time with.

 

I am a bit of a character hoarder but I don't think I struggle with balancing them all out. I have my 3 main characters and 2 other ones that I usually always have muse for. Those are the ones with very active plots. I like having a whole slew of characters to write with between my main's posts. I call them my side characters. I will admit that recently I had an issue where someone decided my side character plot with them was their main plot and they felt I was being unfair in not replying to them as quickly as I was going back and forth with my main character.

 

I am absolutely a character hoarder. I have so many in my head it's unreal.

 

I go for a handful. Makes it easier to manage for me.

 

Oh man, I've been in the same place for years and I think my max limit there is around 10-12 before my muses start bleeding into each other too much. I love exploring different personality types and plot arcs. In a new place, I usually just stick to the one because it makes it easier to stay focused on their development.