What is a main character?
Every story has to have at least one main character. There can certainly be more, but there cannot be less. The main character provides the focus for the story, and drive the action of the story. (Keep in mind that when I say action, I donât mean your story should be packed with action. It could just be two people eating lunch, action is whatever drives the plot.)
(One more note to say that your main character does not have to be a person either. There are plenty of stories we can turn to show that point.)
Letâs consider some combinations and main character counts:
Your character doesnât have to stand alone, but that character and that character alone are the focus. This is their story. Think of Arthur Dent from Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy or James Bond. There are plenty of other significant characters, but the story is really about them.
You will have other major characters, perhaps, but this isnât their story.
This style can fall under a variety of categories: Romance, Adventure, Buddy Story. This story focuses on the relationship between the two characters as they face whatever challenge is presented. They do not have to be friends, or even like each other! But their stories are usually intertwined in a way such that you canât tell one without the other.
Also they NEED to share perspective time. In order for both characters to be main characters the narrator must explain their motives and feelings equally, or in a first person point of view they must both have speaking time.
Examples: The Lethal Weapon movies, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Of Mice and Men. (This is a less popular style of writing for books, so examples are harder to find.)
This really isnât as easy as it sounds. Working with a group of characters that get equal attention, and have an equal share in the story is no easy task. It will be easier to make the story about one character in the group. However, some of the greatest pieces of literature have ignored this advice.
One key to making this work could be limiting the space you give the characters. Maybe trap them in an elevator so they have to share the story.
Another idea is to make your multiple characters have intentional strengths and flaws so together they create one cohesive unit. This is a good challenge if you find yourself writing main characters that are a little too perfect (donât lie, weâve all been there!), try splitting that one character into three characters that each have some of the good traits you want the protagonist to have and find ways for them to use those stregths as a team.
If you are interested, you might check out: The Waves by Virginia Woolf, Also team comic books are excellent references for this type of writing since each character usually gets their own smaller story arc within the larger plot.
I know you were hoping for me to help you develop your characters, but Camille has some exercises in the works, and I really wanted you to start thinking more about your story.
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