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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42986
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42986
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

 **I have 107 characters.**

In a single-book, standard length, middle-grade novel. There are a small handful of auxiliary characters too.

Obviously, they're not all main characters. I'm not sure how many of those I have because it depends where you put the lines. I have one girl who is _the_ main character, a secondary viewpoint character, and 3 more kids I could argue are main characters. So 5. Then there are several other important kid characters and a couple adult ones.

Thing is, this isn't the same as saying "main characters." They aren't all main. When people talk about the main character of a book, it's more narrow than the main character of a TV show, which is basically everyone who pops up in the opening credits (something that can change season to season). There's not really a strict definition. So if it makes you feel better to call most of them something else, do it.

You have 9 central characters. Of them, probably 1 or 2 are primary. If not, then you have an ensemble cast, and that's okay too. If they're a team, make them a team.

**The ideal number of "main characters" for your book is 9.** Why? Because that's how many central characters you have. If you change that, then your ideal number changes.

Ask yourself:

- Do you have the space to tell the stories of the main characters and flesh them out into full people the reader can identify with?
- Is it important that the reader remember specific characters? (Those are the ones you want to prioritize)

If you have the right number of characters to tell your story and you're able to show each one as a full person (which can be very brief), you're good.

Original score: 5