This week: Cast Size (characters) in Short Fiction Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Short Stories Newsletter by Dawn
This time Dawn gets to ramble about the cast in short stories and the number of people involved. Sometimes characters take up more word space than one might want. So, it could be necessary to consider how many characters are really needed to tell a story. |
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When word count matters, there can be certain challenges that come into play. The characters involved in the story can be a big factor when it comes to decisions and development. Sure, it's not so bad is you are writing a short story that is 5,000 words or more, but when you get to the shorter items, sometimes decisions need made. This is particularly true for micro and flash fiction since those have word counts that tend to require an economy of words where almost every choice made on a word could matter. On the one hand, it usually helps to have more than one character in a story for things to move forward. It can be done with just a single character but that's not a type one can write every single time. So, more characters helps to create a story. However, each character takes up some form of physical space. In other words, each character will require use of your limited word count allowance.
Imagine writing about the 7 dwarves in less than 1,000 words. Not so bad, really. Each dwarf could get over 100 words if trying to give them all equal say within the story and let's face it, some will probably be more dynamic compared to others. Imagine trying to write about the 7 dwarves in less than 500 words. Well, that's a little bit more difficult.
Even a name takes up a word count. If you're writing micro fiction, every time a character name needs mentioned, that is one less word space available within the story. Granted, the first name part isn't that many words but they do add up throughout a story depending on how involved each character becomes.
There are limitations to how much information you can provide when it comes to most details in short stories, this includes what you can share with the reader about a character. This isn't as big of a deal for minor characters. We don't need a long description about flowing locks of hair or how their cologne smells. Sure, the main character can notice something about the waiter to give the reader a visual of the scene but you don't have to put several sentences into giving details. For other characters, it may be more difficult because if you don't give much due to lack of word count, it can come off as just throwing in names/people and could make the story feel like it's lacking or incomplete. it takes effort and sometimes words to develop characters within stories while still having room for the plot.
Sometimes this means a decision has to be made. How many characters are needed for the story? Can it be told with one less person in the ensemble? What is your target word count range?
For the most part, my recommendation is that you should do whatever works best for each story. However, I will admit that, at times, it does help to limit the number of characters mentioned when writing very short stories. As someone who judges a contest where the word count limit is less than 1000 words, I've had more than a few times where I've been lost as a reader because there are too many characters mentioned. This makes it harder to get interested in the main character and build a connection to care about what happens. It can be a difficult balance.
What do you think? Is there a limit to how many characters should be involved in shorter stories? Do you limit your own? If you're not sure how it reads, try it out. Write a story that is 500 words long where there are only 2-3 characters. Then write a story with 7 that is the same length and see how it comes off. Let us know how it goes and I might do the same. The seven dwarves in 500 words sounds like a fun challenge. Let's write!
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Do you limit the number of characters that you introduce in short stories?
Last month, I wrote for this newsletter about the topic of font styles, sizes and overall static item appearance. Here are some of the comments that were sent in over the topic:
Comment by Annette  :
It's a really good tip to tell writers to check out what their story looks like before they ask someone else to read it. If I come across an item that is one giant block of text without any visual breaks, I move on without reading it. It I "have" to read it because of some commitment I made, like judging a contest, I will make a comment about that. Sometimes, when a brand new member uploads a text and it's one solid mass of letters, I will send them an email rather than a review. That way, they can check out their text and compare it before getting bogged down with a review and a rating.
Comment by Damon Nomad  :
A topic not often discussed and immportant for readers. Traditioanl publishers have their formats that are important to follow if you are chasing publication. I tend to stick with that for my stories here on WDC and have had some complaints about a boring look. But that's okay. Good advice.
Comment by An apple a day....  :
I'm a fan of larger fonts and double spacing...but that is these old tired eyes talking. Thanks for addressing this in your newsletter....much appreciated.
Comment by Magnolia  :
Thanks for the help about how to change the font size.
I got this in a review but didn’t know how to fix it.
I’ll give it a try next time. It’s the snake thing…and I guess I have to select the entire story first? I’ll try your size 4 suggestion.
Also thank you for telling me about Verdana…I’ll look into that one.
Comment by SantaBee  :
As I've gotten older, I find the eyes need a tad bigger font. My newer works have the adjusted font size and style. My older stories don't, so as I go back and edit them, I'll change them.
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Short Stories: August 28, 2024 Issue [#12711]
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