What Would be Classified as too Complicated.

[Cygnus71]

I have been working on a story for over 20 years. I have the basic characters but then I get into multi-dimensional stuff as well as working with about 25+ characters. Each of the characters' personal background stories are not complicated, its when they start interacting with the others that gets complicated....I suppose a well written story would be an uncomplicated story but that is easier said than done.
I don't want to go to the extreme of Umberto Eco's 'Foucault's Pendulum' but I don't want to make it smarmy either...
An example of a character I have developed from the beginning is a Black Catholic military girl who obviously gets moved quite a bit. She ends up going to boarding schools, doesn't get along with her parents because they pretty much are asses. Yes there is a little bit about religion but this is suppose to be about life. There are other parts/characters that are more fantasy based.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

What Would be Classified as too Complicated

Too complicated for what? There are a number of stories in here (in Novels and Novellas) with 25+ characters and at least one with 100,000+ words.

However, there may be better places to post your story if it is not essentially erotica. Also the girl you mentioned (and all other characters) MUST be 18 years old if she even thinks about sex.

 

[sunandshadow]

I think the pertinent question here is, "Too complicated for what?" Writing is an art, a writer is an artist, you pick an audience to aim for and an experience you want to give them. Since you are picking the goals you want your writing to accomplish, the only problem is if it doesn't get accomplished and you can't figure out what to fix.

 

[subwannabe]

I have attention deficit disorder. I read a story I hope to get off with. Two full pages is usually too long for me and any more than a handful of players is just too much to keep me interested.

 

[mjl2010]

I have to wonder why it's taken you 20+ years so far. Is the story complete or do you still need to finish it? I don't think 25 characters is too many. I've ready plenty of stuff that had a lot more. Not erotica but other stuff. Robert Jordon's Wheel of Time series comes to mind. There's one character that is central to the story, many that are very close to that and even more that are involved in sub plots and intrigue. All have well developed personalities and roles.

How long is this story so far?

MJL

 

[Remy_James]

As a writer I can empathize with you, but you have to have some faith in yourself, especially if this story has been in the works for over 20 years, kudos to you for that. As far as that goes, I think anyone who spends a significant amount of effort (not time, talent, or background) in crafting a story owes it to themselves to get that story out inevitably.

It's not so much if your story is worth reading- it's if people choose to read it. If they don't, then there are a plethora of reasons why they won't- and most of them have nothing to do with you or your story. There is a fanbase for the intricate and mentally stimulating story which you have- and if you give yourself the chance to share it, then maybe others will too.

Good luck.

 

[Cygnus71]

Thanks

To reply to Remy_James thank you so very much for your support.

 

[Cygnus71]

The glitch is that there is a portion that is time travel and obviously for the characters today what happens in the ancient past is going to effect things happening currently to the same characters and their friends. So now I have time travelers, I know how they start and know what I want to happen to them but I can't seem to narrow down the periods and locations I would like for things to happen and how long is dependent on....I think I just had another break through that will help with the time travel.

So to kind of shorten my dilemma I need to have a rough draft or outline of the time travellers to be able to indicate the occurances in the present time. If I write the present time without any notion from the time travelers it will be just too easy to say 'Oh this happened when they were here.' The occurances have to fit intrinsically (I think that is what I'm looking for or possibly ' like a puzzle') for it to be believable.

It is also somewhat difficult due to has anyone read 'Foucault's Pendulum' by Umberto Eco? He also wrote 'The Name of the Rose' Not that I want to write on that scale but I want that level of cohesiveness and consistency of character.

 

[Cygnus71]

I have to wonder why it's taken you 20+ years so far. Is the story complete or do you still need to finish it? I don't think 25 characters is too many. I've ready plenty of stuff that had a lot more. Not erotica but other stuff. Robert Jordon's Wheel of Time series comes to mind. There's one character that is central to the story, many that are very close to that and even more that are involved in sub plots and intrigue. All have well developed personalities and roles.

How long is this story so far?

MJL

Its taken 20 plus years because first it started as a series of dreams, in fact it still is a series of dreams as well as personal creativity that I'm having so I have to keep up with those, my son, my aging mother and my disabled sister and I need some really good bum glue.

The length actually hasn't been determined due to the time travel some characters are going to embark on and the rest of the explanation is in my response to Remy_James. I have started on bits and pieces of the series but as I said before it still is on going. I'll find a limit to write about because I don't think the dreams will ever stop which is kind of cool but weird as well.

 

[Remy_James]

No problem Cygnus, we are often our most critical enemies at times and your story seems quite thought out. Also, it's very admirable to be there for your family as well, you are an incredibly strong individual for juggling all that. If that is any indication to your skills as a writer then I'm certain that your story will be a success and I look forward to getting lost in your world.