But three or—heaven forbid—more characters? How do we juggle scenes in which multiple characters are all supposed to be acting and talking? How do we keep a dozen characters involved in the scene without making it feel like a rote rotation of speakers? Most importantly, how do we keep this stampeding cast of characters from trampling our readers and leaving them bruised and confused?
How to Write Multiple-Character Scenes
Ask yourself the following six questions to help keep your multiple-character scenes under control.
1. What’s the Point?
Figure out the point of your scene early on and keep it firmly in mind as you navigate your sea of characters. Think about that last boardroom meeting you wrote (or read). It no doubt had a ton of characters—some of them important and some of them not. If you took the time to touch base with every character, the scene would lose focus.
2. What’s the Conflict?
Conflict is another important (nay, vital) ingredient that can often get lost within the clutter of multiple characters. We can get so involved in arranging, describing, and chatting with our horde that we forget to make sparks fly among them. A friendly chat among half a dozen characters isn’t often interesting. A raging argument on the other hand…
3. Who Will Be Your Primary Characters?
Your scene may require the presence of twenty characters, but that doesn’t mean the bulk of the scene has to involve all of them. You’ll be better able to focus your scene and ramp up the conflict if you keep the primary exchange anchored between two or three primary characters. Most of us can’t carry on a conversation with a dozen people at once anyway. We instinctively fragment into smaller groups, and so should your characters.
4. Are You Introducing Too Many Characters?
It’s bad enough when readers must try to keep up with a dozen already-familiar characters. But when they’ve just been introduced to these people, their chances of figuring out who’s who go down the drain. If you know you’ve got a big (and by “big” I mean “crowded”) scene coming up, lay the groundwork by introducing prominent players in earlier scenes.
5. How Are Your Characters Unique?
You can help readers navigate the crowd by making sure none of your characters blend together. Make them memorable by giving them unique personal traits. Help readers differentiate them by making certain none of their names begin with the same letter or look too similar on the page.
6. Is Your Dialogue Clearly Tagged?
Perhaps the biggest potential pitfall of multiple-character scenes is the dialogue. Unlike two-speaker dialogue exchanges, in which readers understand the dialogue is ping-ponging back and forth between the two characters, conversations among multiple characters can grow confusing. Whenever there’s even the slightest chance readers may not know who’s speaking, do them a favor and clearly indicate the speaker with a dialogue tag (Mike said) or an action beat (Mike thumped his glass down on the table).
Multiple-character scenes can amp up the stakes, the tension, and the fun. As long as you plan them out, realize the pitfalls, and prepare for potential problems, you’ll be ready to host the biggest character party on the block.
Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! What’s the maximum number of characters you’ve featured in a multiple-character scene? Tell me in the comments!
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