I’ve determined that the maximum
number of characters in any given scene cannot exceed eleven.
And by “in a scene,” I mean
participating in conversation in a real way, not merely hanging about to create
atmosphere.
Yes, of course, you might have a
scene taking place where lots of people are congregating in the background, say
in an epic battle scene.
But characters with names who are more than potted plants
actually interacting?
Eleven.
That’s the limit.
Beyond eleven, things get dodgy. Time and space begin to warp. And even at eight or nine characters
in a scene, you’ve got to be like one of those plate spinning guys, who I
imagine must all die of heart attacks before turning thirty.
I arrived at this number—we’ll call it the Maximum Scene
Occupancy rule—based on J.K. Rowling’s work. Because here’s the thing, if
J.K. Rowling won’t use more than eleven characters in any one scene then you
shouldn’t either. She has enough Imagination BTUs to
heat the entire Milky Way. She knows her character histories back several
generations. She knows that the bus driver who took one of her minor characters
to school was wearing mismatched socks last Wednesday during bowling practice,
which is a scene she cut out of the book six months earlier.
We’re talking HUGE,
CAVERNOUS MIND.
But even she has her limits.
I once counted up the number of characters in one scene from
HP5. I think it was the scene when Harry arrives at Grimmauld Place for the
first time. There are, at one point, six or seven Weasleys, Harry, Hermione,
Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks discussing matters. (Yes, yes. I know you HP people
will point out that there are a few other characters come and go as well but they
don’t say or do much.) I checked a few other scenes and this seems to hold
true. Every ensemble scene maxes out at around eleven characters.
I don't know about you, but I start getting a little wobbly when I have more than five
people in one place all interacting. Sometimes I forget characters are even in
a scene and that makes me feel terribly guilty. Especially when they call to tell
me I forgot to pick them up from soccer practice.
What’s the biggest group of characters you’ve ever juggled in any
one scene you’ve written?
