Is it acceptable for a book to not have a dominant lead character?
I saw this question posted in another forum, and it didn't have any responses, so naturally I decided to bring it over here. :)
I realized, 80% of the way through my first draft, that I don't have a dominant, lead character in this book. I believe that I can pull it off, managing carefully to not head-hop or change characters mid-scene, but I just wanted to get some feedback on that. Is it a problem for a book to lack a specific dominant character? How do other writers feel about not letting one character take the reins? When you're reading, does it turn you off a novel to not have a dominant lead?
EDIT: To make this a more SE friendly question: Could you please give me some examples of books that did not have one specific, dominant character? Please provide information on what those books did to make the story and characters compelling without being overwhelming.
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Movies and television shows can have ensemble casts; why not books? I've seen this in SF/fantasy books where the ensemble is the members of an adventuring party, the crew of a ship, etc; often there are 3-6 core characters.
The novel 1632 (and successors) has many more important characters than I'm used to. There are a few core characters and one who may be the most important in the story, but I don't think of him as the lead character because he spends a lot of time off-stage. So it can work, though too many key characters can be hard to manage.
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The recent Pulitzer winner A Visit from the Goon Squad is another example of a book like that. It is a sweeping look at the lives of inter-related characters over time.
Are books like these a turn off? A big 'no' to that. In fact, they can provide a fresh and exciting experience to the readers. If your narrative is not dominated by a lead character, it could be that you are exploring themes more general than what can be seen through the main character's perspective. Or you could have a complex central plot that is the centerpiece in itself. In short, you can do a lot more with a book that is not ostensibly 'about' a lead/dominant character, as compared to the more conventional books with protagonists. So do not be daunted by it.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/3861. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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