tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post5141120019088721218..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: How Many Is Too Many?Julia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-68768910896790242702011-06-20T23:26:04.172-04:002011-06-20T23:26:04.172-04:00Too many characters is too frustrating for me as a...Too many characters is too frustrating for me as a reader -- I tend to stop even trying to keep them straight (i.e., Judge Deborah Knott's brothers in Margaret Maron's series), which is OK unless one of the seemingly minor characters turns out to be really important.Karen Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16826935910848113399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-16178965834202561992011-06-17T17:59:43.113-04:002011-06-17T17:59:43.113-04:00Oh yes.... I cannot even imagine how difficult fin...Oh yes.... I cannot even imagine how difficult finding the exact right balance of not obvious but still visible must be for an author trying to place clues throughout a novel! Especially since you are writing to people like me who read multiple mysteries a month for years on end, and people who have just picked one up for the first time. You always seem to do it though, as do some of my other Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14167282727878434901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-68898831716616238812011-06-17T16:04:30.794-04:002011-06-17T16:04:30.794-04:00Dang, I'd forgotten those Russians, where ever...Dang, I'd forgotten those Russians, where everyone had two names or more (the only thing I remember about War and Peace is the battle scenes, which taught me a lot about war). Even the English nobility confuses things, with things like "Lord Battenwood, who is called Freddie by his friends."<br /><br />I agree with you, Bella Aimee. But from our side, we often think that the cluesSheila Connollyhttp://www.sheilaconnolly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-60216996749517115602011-06-17T13:50:20.492-04:002011-06-17T13:50:20.492-04:00As a reader of many mysteries I cannot quantify to...As a reader of many mysteries I cannot quantify too many characters, but I can say that one of the things that makes a truly great mystery for me is when there are puzzle pieces that lead to the killer, but I don't put them together until the end because they were buried in such a manner as to not be obvious. It's disappointing to figure out the killer around page 150 of a 300 page book, Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14167282727878434901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-80648989160905922632011-06-17T11:04:50.906-04:002011-06-17T11:04:50.906-04:00Historical novels still often include a list of ch...Historical novels still often include a list of characters, especially when some are historical and some fictional. But some writers don't even need a list. Diana Gabaldon is a master of characterization. Her Outlander books have a cast of thousands, and I find I remember almost all of her secondary and minor characters--not just their function but what they're like--over six (or is it Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-87795240836086823262011-06-17T10:57:39.185-04:002011-06-17T10:57:39.185-04:00As usual, I think what most distinguishes vivid ch...As usual, I think what most distinguishes vivid characterization is that indefinable quality, voice. Dialogue can connect us instantly to a character, as long as there's something distinctive about what each character says and how. It's also important to show relationships. If the baker is important to the plot, don't describe him or recount his history when the protagonist walks intoElizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-57466552456624800952011-06-17T10:24:34.326-04:002011-06-17T10:24:34.326-04:00This was especially relevant to me, since my curre...This was especially relevant to me, since my current effort involves a bunch of people, dead and undead.<br /><br />Now I'm wondering if I should include a scorecard. :)Sarah Glennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12455113960686270662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-71169261283738823462011-06-17T10:09:34.363-04:002011-06-17T10:09:34.363-04:00I gave up War and Peace twice until I saw the Mast...I gave up War and Peace twice until I saw the Masterpiece Theater version where I could put a face on each character and also know their "patronyms." Then it was a breeze. I always liked the characters list in Agatha Christie books. You could pop back to the first page and refresh your memory. Speaking as a writer, it's important not to introduce all the characters at once! OneGrapeshot/Odettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625862990225356412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-66647658135366561712011-06-17T09:45:34.035-04:002011-06-17T09:45:34.035-04:00I tend to use a lot of characters. Regardless of m...I tend to use a lot of characters. Regardless of my intention when I start writing, the cast grows and grows. A couple of people told me that Disturbing the Dead should have a list of characters in the front, the way some Russian novels do! As long as the characters are necessary to the story and the writer can differentiate them, I don't think there's any cause for concern. But I do knowSandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.com