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Q&A 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 s...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Summer‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:21:25Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/23456
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Summer‭ · 2019-12-08T05:21:25Z (almost 5 years ago)
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?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-06-20T04:03:24Z (over 8 years ago)
Original score: 8