Authors adding more main characters as the story progresses

[Cauldrons]

Is there a term for the phenomenon/trope as described in the title? The reason I'm curious is that it's one of my most hated aspects of stories. I don't know why but multiple main characters (specifically constant pov switches to them) is a story telling element that infuriates me to no end. Usually I can avoid it rather easily since the multiple main characters tag exists, but every so often a story starts out with a single central character and then halfway through the story suddenly adds 50 new main characters. These stories are possibly the worst since while I can handle a once in a blue moon pov switch to see what another character thinks for one chapter, but if it ramps up halfway through the story I feel like it tells me two things 1. I've been lied to and 2. The author is losing the plot and trying to pad the story.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Is there a term for the phenomenon/trope as described in the title? The reason I'm curious is that it's one of my most hated aspects of stories. I don't know why but multiple main characters (specifically constant pov switches to them) is a story telling element that infuriates me to no end. Usually I can avoid it rather easily since the multiple main characters tag exists, but every so often a story starts out with a single central character and then halfway through the story suddenly adds 50 new main characters. These stories are possibly the worst since while I can handle a once in a blue moon pov switch to see what another character thinks for one chapter, but if it ramps up halfway through the story I feel like it tells me two things 1. I've been lied to and 2. The author is losing the plot and trying to pad the story.

I mean, that sometimes happens for me…
But they die before that happens.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Are we actually talking about main characters, or do you mean secondary characters?

It's hard to move a story forward without new secondary characters. They're just transient characters that are designed to move the story forward.

Unless your story is just a solo survival story, then something has to move plot forward, and it's usually either actions the main character(s) did that affected other people, or things other people do that affect the main character(s).

I think its an issue from an authoring perspective if they're giving POV of what is essentially a secondary character however.

 

[LunaSoltaer]

I do this sometimes.

I normally write my chapters from the POV of my main character, but sometimes I like to PoV shift to a supporting character because I feel the scene lands better from their perspective, or they give a particular insight, or because the MC is comatose from overpenetration and I wanted to show that no, time does not stop just because MC took an L.

But I know who my MC is, and what their adventure is. I feel it's going to be somewhat of a shift, and something cool for me to play with.

Think about it in your life: when you're a lone wolf, it's all you, you, you, but when you find a group worth being around?

Suddenly they matter a lot more than you think.

 

[Cauldrons]

Are we actually talking about main characters, or do you mean secondary characters?

It's hard to move a story forward without new secondary characters. They're just transient characters that are designed to move the story forward.

Unless your story is just a solo survival story, then something has to move plot forward, and it's usually either actions the main character(s) did that affected other people, or things other people do that affect the main character(s).

I think its an issue from an authoring perspective if they're giving POV of what is essentially a secondary character however.

I'm mostly talking about characters who weren't introduced until much later in the story but then for some reason get more pov time dedicated to them than the actual main character.

 

[Clovesnspice]

I don't like this trope either, but when done right it can provide additional context that makes a story feel less flat.
In Kumo Desu Ka Nani Ka (the original webnovel at least) it switches between Kumoko, and her classmates often, but it feels really awkward to read, because the sequences are multiple chapters long, and don't have any bearing on the story for another 200 chapters.
But in The Death Mage Doesn't Want A 4th Time it occasionally switches to side characters for some chapters to show how other characters view Vandalieu, and it adds some good dramatic irony.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I'm mostly talking about characters who weren't introduced until much later in the story but then for some reason get more pov time dedicated to them than the actual main character.

I think this can be done well though, especially if the character is interesting.

 

[RepresentingPride]

I think the tag for it is multiple pov. Generally it's more centered into the mc, if another character became as important as the mc in a story they called "deuteragonist" meaning they have the second role most important in that said story.

The multiple pov can be good but it's hard to write it in a good way, it's either too long and you start to ask yourself where the mc or it's too short and that doesn't add anything at all.

 

[dummycake]

There's other things happening at the same time in different locations though. What do you want me to do?

(not trying to be mean, I'm genuinely curious)

 

[Cauldrons]

There's other things happening at the same time in different locations though. What do you want me to do?

(not trying to be mean, I'm genuinely curious)

The reader doesn't have to be omniscient, but if you really want to let the reader know it could be as simple as the side character simply informing the main character or allowing the reader/mc to make their own conclusions (right or wrong) about what that character is thinking/doing based on content clues.

 

[dummycake]

The reader doesn't have to be omniscient, but if you really want to let the reader know it could be as simple as the side character simply informing the main character or allowing the reader/mc to make their own conclusions (right or wrong) about what that character is thinking/doing based on content clues.

that wouldn't work in my story

 

[Cauldrons]

that wouldn't work in my story

Two things. One, I'm not saying my preference is the perfect solution to all stories and maybe not even your story. Two, it probably wouldn't work for your story because either it wasn't designed with one main character in mind(nothing inherently wrong with that it's just not my thing) or you simply just don't want it to work that way.

 

[BearlyAlive]

I actually love it when that happens. An interesting new POV if done well, is the perfect way to introduce new story elements, characters, changes, or just infodump stuff you need the reader to know, while also being a breath of fresh air. It's perfect for story-centric stories where you have some overarching plot that isn't dependent on singular characters. Stuff like war stories, politics, or anything that isn't dependent on a single person moving the plot.

It doesn't work that well in protagonist-centric stories, tho. Since in those stories nothing ever happens unless the MC is involved in it. Examples would be every badly written harem story ever, powertrip fantasies, and survival stories.

For my story, I plan to switch the POV to wherever the most action is. They're all part of the same group tho, so following the plot shouldn't be too hard even for people that stopped reading GoT because there were way too many PoVs.

And sorry for my personal bias, but I grew up with multiple PoV stories, so I think of solo PoV stories as "lesser writing" by default as in my personal opinion nothing shows the skills of a writer better than the ability to give life to a magnitude of different voices and opinions.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I have an ever growing cast of main characters that enter into the picture as the story continues and the world grows. I don't know the name of this phenomenon but it is really popular among long LN series, long traditional series, and Webnovel series.