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Q&A How many subjects in the same story is "too many"? And is it too bad?

You can have as many subjects as you like; you can only have one story arc. Or, at least, you can only have one story arc per character. Do all of these aspects of the protagonist's life contribute...

posted 8y ago by Mark Baker‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2020-01-03T20:41:52Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26045
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:55:51Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/26045
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:55:51Z (almost 5 years ago)
You can have as many subjects as you like; you can only have one story arc. Or, at least, you can only have one story arc per character. Do all of these aspects of the protagonist's life contribute to the story arc? Do they inform his desire or frustrate his achievement of his desire? If yes, do they do so in a fashion that builds the overall arc of tension? It's not about how many pieces you have, it is about how well they are coordinated to create a satisfying story arc.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-01-13T17:20:37Z (almost 8 years ago)
Original score: 4