How many characters can I introduce in the first chapter before the reader gets overwhelmed?
Assuming that all of the characters are unique, interesting, and stand out from the rest of the cast, is there a limit to how many characters I can introduce in the first chapter before my reader starts struggling to remember who's who?
If not a limit, is there a certain number (or maybe a percentage relative to the total amount of characters in my cast) that is considered "good" or "reasonable" to introduce in the first chapter?
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1 answer
At risk of sounding glib, I would say "as many as will fit". But I think that probably is the answer. A chapter should have a shape to it. It should accomplish something. It should have focus. As many characters as fit within that shape and contribute to that goal should be fine. Sometimes that will be one. Sometimes it will be dozens.
An opening chapter has to achieve something in story terms. It has to establish a conflict or a relationship or a challenge, or something of value to be gained or lost. The characters that are essential to achieving the chapter's story goal should not overwhelm the reader.
Introducing people who don't fit just because you want to establish them for later may overwhelm the reader, not because readers have a fixed maximum for character introductions, but because outside the story arc of the chapter, they don't know what to do with them. They are information that the reader does not know how to process. That is what will overwhelm.
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