Character count

[Brutal_One]

I know there are more than a few Lit authors who write ongoing story arcs or series. Others write many more single story with characters just for that story.

Many will use maybe the same characters but in different stories, or maybe ‘clones’ of those characters which to all intents and purposes are the same, act and think the same but there may be some good reason for name changes to suit a different story.

I wonder too as I write this has any writer created a very similar character but changed the gender, that’s an interesting idea.

But the main point of this OP is how many characters have you or do you write with?

It may be an idea to answer this as total characters and how many both total and active in current stories.

I have one ongoing arc with over 20 chapters to date. When I think of total characters I have to date, either written or conceived and will appear it comes to fifteen!

I am sure it’s true for other writers but creating and developing characters is one really enjoyable aspect of writing. It can stretch the imagination too as each character is in general pretty unique, maybe not all have their back stories but if you have written them into your story they at least have life there!

So how many!

Brutal One

 

[MelissaBaby]

Setting an arbitrary standard of counting characters who have multiple lines of dialogue in at least two chapters, I come up with a rough character count in Mary and Alvin of about 35 .

 

[KeithD]

I use the number of characters needed to serve the context of a story. Overthinking writing seems to be a "thing" on Literotica.

 

[NotWise]

I think I typically have about five developed characters in a story, but some parts of A Valentine's Day Mess have quite a few more, and Her Dream House has just two -- two seems like the minimum for anything but autoerotica.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

Oh, jayzoz...

The Alexaverse is my big offender, with three different titles, at least two more to follow, and all sharing consistent characters. I've cracked forty chapters between them all so far.

My Naughty Neighbour has fifteen or sixteen chapters.

Sapphic Serenity has nine...

I think The Great Khan has six.

Time Rider is sitting at six.

Like I said, the biggie is the Alexaverse, and it's probably currently a third of the size it will end up being.

 

[Brutal_One]

What do you count as a character; only the main character and his/her counter-character? Do you only count those having sex? Is a sister, often present in a story but never having sex, also counted as a character? Children, friends that show up and have minor roles, ...

Some of my stories only have two characters, others probably have more than fifty characters playing some part in the story (having names and doing things). No doubt, I have over 100 characters in 37 stories; too many to count.

No all characters, even ‘walk on parts’.

Brutal One

 

[Brutal_One]

Setting an arbitrary standard of counting characters who have multiple lines of dialogue in at least two chapters, I come up with a rough character count in Mary and Alvin of about 35 .

35 characters and chapter 35! There is some nice synergy in there

Brutal One

 

[Brutal_One]

I use the number of characters needed to serve the context of a story. Overthinking writing seems to be a "thing" on Literotica.

Not overthinking curiously just interested. As I mentioned in OP creating fully fledged characters with a backstory is not trivial. I would say I have 5 of the 15 that are of that type. I am counting at 15 that I know of that will in total appear but around 4 or 5 that are not written in yet.

I am expecting the types of responses I am getting.

Brutal One

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Hmm... one of my on going stories has a lot of characters, some of them are space ships...

Fleet One

Warrior One – Fleet One Dreadnought – Captain Ezra Nichols - later Admiral Nichols
Mauthe Doog – Fleet One Battle Cruiser - Fleet Command Ship – Admiral Milford Cook Fleet Commander
Pech – Fleet One Carrier – Captain Fina Dugan(f)
Sensor Officer - Brennan Maguire - Lieutenant
Command Android - Diamond Steel
Chief Air Group - Commander Alastar Quinn
Selich – Fleet One Cruiser
Seonaidh – Fleet One Destroyer
Wulver – Fleet One Destroyer Captain Rosslea Ossnat(f)
Glaistig – Fleet One Communication Ship
Ceasg – Fleet One Destroyer - Captain Séamus Malone
Caoineag – Fleet One Battleship – Captain Ossian Kavanagh
Airne Mor – Fleet One Battle Cruiser - Captain Torna Hagan

Fleet Two

Warrior Two – Fleet Two Dreadnought – Captain Rohan MacKenna / Commander Ronan Pierce
Dún Muire – Fleet Two Battleship – Fleet Command Ship – Admiral Adair Fleet Commander
Wilmount – Fleet Two Battle Cruiser
Tilliums – Fleet Two Carrier
Taoibh Coille – Fleet Two Communication Ship
Lisieux – Fleet Two Cruiser
Knock Grena – Fleet Two Destroyer
Iveragh – Fleet Two Destroyer
Iona – Fleet Two Battle Cruiser - Captain Ailíse Sheridan(f)
Gleann Fia – Fleet Two Destroyer

Fleet Three

Warrior Three – Fleet Three Dreadnought – Captain Bridget Brogan(f)
Kyernia – Fleet Three Battleship – Fleet Command Ship – Captain Fleet Commander Sárán Conlan
Slíghe Dhála – Fleet Three Battle Cruiser
Naomh Eoin – Fleet Three Cruiser
Lios a Dun – Fleet Three Communication Ship
Kraceevee – Fleet Three Destroyer
Glencullen – Fleet Three Carrier
Ennisfree – Fleet Three Destroyer
Dooneen Faim – Fleet Three Destroyer
Cóis Dara – Fleet Three Battle Cruiser

Fleet Four

Warrior Four – Fleet Four Dreadnought - Captain Donal Carey
Scáthach – Fleet Four Battleship - Fleet Command Ship - Admiral Kaylee Lowery Fleet Commander(f)
Dalbhach – Fleet Four Battle Cruiser
Nuadha – Fleet Four Carrier
Fionúir – Fleet Four Communications Ship
Ailill – Fleet Four Destroyer
Oillín – Fleet Four Destroyer
Síofra – Fleet Four Destroyer
Fítheal – Fleet Four Battle Cruiser
Aisling – Fleet Four Cruiser

Fleet Cook (Destroyer Fleet)

Narvla - Destroyer - Captain: Commander Áinle Ó Daire*(f)
Ó Fearghal - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Commander Beccán Boethius
Ó Cathaláin - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Commander Ólchobar Mac Aodhagáin*
Cashlea - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Caughey Abbán
Draigen - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Maolán Faolán
Becc - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant JG Gobán Ó Ciaráin
Nóra - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Commander Keeva Ó Donnagáin(f)
Lonán - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Commander Ámhra Gráinne
Fáelán - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant Nóise McKinley
Rónán - Destroyer - Captain: Lieutenant JG Scolaí Dillon
Mauthe Doog - Battle Cruiser - Captain: Captain Donal Kelly* - Flagship Admiral Milford Cook commanding
Poll Steel - Captain Kelly's command android
First Officer: Commander Cian Bardon
Chief Engineer: Commander Onóra Cassidy
Chief Navigator: Commander Egan Lacy
Marine Commander: Major Séamus Conlan
Marine First Officer: Captain Eileen Reilly(f)
Weapons Officer: Lieutenant Commander Abrám Shanley
Altan - Battle Cruiser - Captain: Commander Abigeál Kerrin(f) - Lieutenant Neil Coulter 1st Officer
Éidin - Battle Cruiser - Captain: Lieutenant Commander Conall Ó Riagáin
Nóe - Battle Cruiser - Captain: Lieutenant Commander Dana Tracy*(f)
Tór - Fleet Command Battleship - Captain: Captain Mealla Bree*(f)

And some of them are real people....

Warrior One Character Sheet

Candle Steel – Ships Command android
Rebecca “Becky” Gold – Ships android - nurse
Nancy Silver – Ships android – nurse
Finn Collins – Ships Doctor - Commander

Ezra Nichols – Captain – Warrior One
Phinias Beckett – Lieutenant Commander – First Officer
Connor MacDonald – Commander - Chief Engineer
Sean O’Connor – Lieutenant Commander - Assistant Chief Engineer(f)

Some Engine Room Crew Members
Grimes
Larson
Becker

Samuel Carlson – Ensign – Sensor Officer
Moshe Byers – Lieutenant – Countermeasures Officer
Eric Nolan – Commander – Chief Navigations Officer
Michael Flannery – Ensign – Communications Officer
Teague Kinsella – Lieutenant Commander – Chief Weapons Officer
Molly Vaughan – Lieutenant – Helm(f)
Egan Dwyer – Lieutenant – Sensor Officer
Tara Morrissey - Commander - Protocol Officer(f)

Lafferty Owens – Major – Commander ships Marines
Joyce Tanner – Captain – Executive Officer of ships Marines(f)
Carl Glen - Staff Sergeant Marine contingent on Warrior One
Beth Sams - Sergeant Marine contingent on Warrior One.
Ethan Phillips - Corporal
Claude Johns - Lance Corporal
James Boone - Private
Lawrence Bean - Private

James Quinlan – Commander – Linguistics



Other Characters…

Milford Cook – Admiral Fleet One
Shaffer Steel – Admiral’s Command Android
Fina Dugan – Captain Pech – Fleet One Carrier(f)
Ossian Kavanagh – Captain Caoineag – Fleet One Battleship
Carol Ryan – Lieutenant – Commander Flight Two-Two-One(f)

Fleet Two personnel…

Brianna Adair Admiral Fleet Two(f)
Pan Steel Command Android Admiral Adair Commander Fleet Two
Chandler Steel Ships android – Warrior Two
Ronan Pierce Warrior Two Captain
Kevea Scully Warrior Two First Officer

Fleet Three personnel…

Bridget Brogan Warrior Three Captain(f)
Mac Nisse Collins Commander - First Officer
Mister Steel Command Android
Blake Mara Commander - Chief Engineer
Neil Gowan Lieutenant - Bridge Engineer Station
Clare Dugan Lieutenant - Weapons Officer
Kennedy Murphy Lieutenant JG - Helm/Pilot

Fleet Four personnel...

Kaylee Lowery Admiral Fleet Four(f)
Donal Carey Warrior Four Captain

And this is not a definitive list. I have never really counted them all.

 

[Bramblethorn]

But the main point of this OP is how many characters have you or do you write with?

It may be an idea to answer this as total characters and how many both total and active in current stories.

Depends on who you count as a "character", but: for my current series, I keep an entry for any character who is significant. Basically, anybody who I'm not treating as a one-scene throwaway.

So far, there are 22 characters in that list. One is the narrator's step-sister, who died before the story began but is important to her, and there are several more who only show up "off-stage", as it were. Outside that list there would be a bunch of minor characters who fill out the numbers in crowd scenes etc.

 

[KeithD]

I seem to put a lot fewer characters in my stories than most of you do.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

I seem to put a lot fewer characters in my stories than most of you do.

Could be an issue if you write in the "Group Sex" category.

'Waiting for Godot to cum.'

 

[KeithD]

Could be an issue if you write in the "Group Sex" category.

'Waiting for Godot to cum.'

At some point it's no longer a "group." It's a crowd.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

In my (Lisa's) head, recurring characters are: Claus, Nicholas/Nick, Edith, Judith/Judy, Hugh, Monica, Christopher, Robert, Diane (aka Princess Diana), Meiko/Mei, Guo, Michael/Mike, Gabriel/Gabe, Katherine/Kate, Lisa, Jamie, Kristin, Eva, Paul, Lillian, Lance, Polly, George, Earl, Joey, Louis, Claire, Ethan, Wendy, Michelle, Annie, Anne, Ann, Anna, Dale, Ruth, Mary, Maria, Pepe and Susan Sanchez, Doc and Mrs O'Connor, Pastor and Mrs Deveraux, Josephine/Josie, Harriett, Blake, Midge, Mitch, Mimi, Miss Sherii, Sarah, Donna, Mave, Lydia, Darcy, Dean Slotin, Bert, Ernie, Headmaster/Principal/Dean Ezell, Mr. Freeley, Coach Grendyur and Coach (Sally) Fulbright.

That's 62, and I might have forgotten someone. Not being original, each is a pseudonym for a family member or a friend.

21 others (Philippe-Pierre Cousteau, Katherine Stinson, Marjorie Coleman, Jackie Cochrane, Amelia Earhart, Nancy Harkness Love, Charles Lindbergh's mother, Marvel and Joseph Crosson, Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak, Charles “Harold” Gillam, Norah O'Neill, Merle “Mudhole” Smith, Bessie Coleman, Bob Reeve, Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Eleanor Ford, William Stoudt, Frank Noonan and J. Edgar Hoover) play themselves in more than a single story.

 

[RejectReality]

Danica, Devan, Zoraster, Celes, Andrea, Ashley, Marlena, Darkni, Thakkor, Mindblind, Christi, Vladamir, Alicia, Saggitariad, Raven, Carol, Destiny, Flora, Lorelle, Alice, Betty, Brandon, Geflon, Griffith, Matusen, Darmok, Pompeil, Indigo, Jan, Lilly, Lana, Ghent, Janus, Pallah, Ashtar, Crystania, Denethia, Kay, Arilee, Lauren...

A few major characters off the top of my head. Bear, Janelle, Cheron. Three more from the Forge section of Danica. The longer I ponder it, the more I would remember.

It's around 50 stories complete, in progress, or in development ( not counting "this happens here in the timeline" stuff ) that are all connected, ranging from a couple thousand words to 450k. A few that are only important to the story that they're in, but most will end up making at least a cameo appearance somewhere else eventually.

Mindblind is a peripheral character in Danica, the main character of Lowborn, a major character in Blackhawk Hall. Christi is peripheral in Danica, the main character of Casting Off Convention and All the Fuss, a major character in Blackhawk Hall. So on and so forth. It's probably a couple hundred characters with significant roles in the story they're in, with somewhere between half to three quarters as recurring characters that have at least a cameo appearance in other stories.

Up to 30 characters in my excel file for Magic of the Wood as Les, which is just the main characters of the various stories decided so far. Several important characters aren't on that list, because it's only tracking the genealogy of the family.

The only connection I have between any of the stories in this name so far is "Barn Owl Treasures" antique pickers which just barely connects "Pickin' an' Grinnin'" with "Hooters" through a single line mention.

It was just too perfect not to bring that back in a story called "Hooters". No mention of the character from "Pickin' an' Grinnin'", but it's who I was referring to in that line mentioning the company name.

 

[PennameWombat]

I know there are more than a few Lit authors who write ongoing story arcs or series. Others write many more single story with characters just for that story.

<snip>

I have one ongoing arc with over 20 chapters to date. When I think of total characters I have to date, either written or conceived and will appear it comes to fifteen!

I am sure it’s true for other writers but creating and developing characters is one really enjoyable aspect of writing. It can stretch the imagination too as each character is in general pretty unique, maybe not all have their back stories but if you have written them into your story they at least have life there!

So how many!

Brutal One

I have as many character as I need... and no more than I need.

My most recent entry, Chlorine Dreams, has two main characters. But if we cover Named characters that gets us to ten although few of them have more than occasional appearances and none get sex scenes. Then, there are more touched on in more or less detail (e.g., parents, Lucia's friends (only Cherise gets named), the 'guy with the bicycle,' the owner/manager of an ice cream shop, the 'crowd' at the swimming pool, a random worker at the movie theatre...) These people all play some role, those with 'enough' of a role get Named. For example, Cherise is the messenger between Jeremy and Lucia and the behind-the-scenes impetus who pushes Lucia to kick start the story's events. But she's only present for a few paragraphs and mentioned a couple of other times. But Lucia's other friends, although it's implied they played some role, don't get named or well described.

Across Mel's Universe (23 of my 30 stories) there are just over one hundred named characters. Only about twenty are regulars, and some of them are Viewpoint characters in their own series (e.g., Asha and Tracy in "Geek Pride" stories; Peter, Carole and Queen Anna in "Carole series" and "Adrift") and only make cameo or guest appearances in other series.

A couple are Named but have never actually appeared, like "Chaos" Kelly Zabriskie and Howard the Alcoholic. But their actions have consequences that do show in the stories. Besides. They could show up. At some incredibly inopportune moment...

But if you pinned my style... I mostly have a focused pair of characters (Mel & Chris, Asha & Tracy, Peter & Carole, Yvonne & Costa, Jeremy & Lucia) around which each different series is built. Not universal for my stories but generally the way I work. Supporting casts get introduced as the story evolves and as it warrants these might become additional viewpoint characters or simply join into the ensembles.

I base it on whether or not you'd encounter new/more people. Chris and Mel are university students, so housemates are certainly reasonable as are classmates. Family and additional friends if the series is going to continue. Getting Named is based on how much role and whether you'd think of someone by their name. Rose the Waitress is named because she and her diner are regulars; other such aren't.

As to backstory, I have a spreadsheet with some details but the bulk of it never ends up in stories. It's just for me to think on "how did this person get HERE?" But I only do this for more central characters, not for the entirety of my Named cast. Usually, if I decide a character should get a bigger role I'll likely expand my backstory notes for them to hopefully fit into what I've established they do. But this is only when/where it benefits the story.

 

[yowser]

Interesting Question

This proved surprisingly difficult to answer accurately, so here are estimates:

62 stories, half of them are series (so many, many repeated characters)

10 versions, actual or imagined, of myself

4 an old girlfriend

5 an old high school JO buddy who pops up in odd places

In aggregate, 30 unique main characters, 125 'extras' totaling 155 (average 4.6 a story)

One story is a 'press release' so no character.

 

[SimonDoom]

Interesting. It's never occurred to me to keep track of this or tally the number. My stories tend to have relatively few characters, because they focus pretty much on an erotic encounter of some sort or another and leave out things unrelated to that encounter.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

Interesting. It's never occurred to me to keep track of this or tally the number. My stories tend to have relatively few characters, because they focus pretty much on an erotic encounter of some sort or another and leave out things unrelated to that encounter.

Granted we have posted 319 stories that we have written or edited (most are still up somewhere or another) but each of the 62 fictional characters previously named had a role in a story that would be considered sexual at LitE. (And those are the recurring ones Lisa remembers - there are many who've made single appearances.)

We are never "sex-act-specific" with regards to the 100 or so "real people" in our stories. We put our characters "in history'' but don't modify it. Other than known couples such as Edsel and Elanor Ford, and Anne Tracy Morgan and Dr. Anne Murray Dike - who contributed a corruption of her last name to the lexicon - we don't presume relationships. And in those known ones the couples repair to their room - as at Blérancourt. Perhaps to play canasta. Josie, Blake, Harriet, and Midge were too busy playing in their room to notice.

As Xerses the cat observed and reported to the 'Feline Institute for Human Sexuality': "All human copulation requires at least one male and two females of the species."

 

[Erlikkhan]

I don't have any idea of how one keeps track of this statistic. Some of my stories have as few as two characters. I haven't tried just one yet. Can't imagine anyone interested in reading a story about someone sitting in their room jerking off to the wallpaper. Some of my group sex stories may have as many as 20 or 30 major and minor characters. There is one character that is repeated often. I write myself into many of my stories. My persona take many forms and names, but the person is participating in my fantasy from my perspective. I, the author, am not an outside observer even if sometimes the story is written in the third person.

 

[ChasPHX]

My stories tend to have relatively few characters, because they focus pretty much on an erotic encounter of some sort or another and leave out things unrelated to that encounter.

Yep, that about sums it up for me too. I'm focused pretty exclusively on the specifics of the encounter, which tends to drive the eroticism for me. Situational, vs character driven. I'm sure most of the so-called characters in my stories could be replaced with The Man or The Sister or The Mother with no affect on the story.

So this is an interesting discussion, because it may hint at what some of us are doing here in the first place. In other words, why we write. Or at least, why we write erotic lit. I'm here to scratch some specific situational itches that have nothing to do with character, while plenty of others enjoy putting character first and letting the characters dictate the storytelling (and erotic) direction.

This is why my stories (I expect, anyway) are likely to be on the short side, and why I'm less likely to use the same character in different stories. It's also why I rarely read multipart stories, at least past the first part - because I generally want newness - it's part of the erotic experience for me.

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

This is interesting for me as I have just finished an exercise to cross reference my characters from my 41 submissions as they crop up in various stories not specifically related to them.

My first series, Beth's Summer Break (BSB) was in 11 parts and in it I introduced all sorts of characters that have gone on to feature in other stories and even back-referenced Beth as an unnamed character in my first story, The Third Time, in part 6 to re-introduce the lead from that story and finish her tale.

BSB is set in a fictional English town, Amberdown, and it now is the base for 25 of my stories. So taking that as a starting point and using a system of Star, Main, Supporting characters for those participating is sexual activity, my breakdown is...

THE AMBERDOWN 'UNIVERSE'
BSB 2 stars, 5 main, 6 supporting plus 10-12 incidental
Goodbye to the Past (7 parts and based on a minor character in BSB7) 1 star, 3 main, 4 supporting, plus 10 incidental. 5 characters are referenced in BSB7.
2 stories based on main charas in BSB - 1 star, 3 main
1 elfin fantasy based on the cast of the BSB series, split as above
3 standalone stories with 3 new stars, 4 new mains and 8 referenced in BSB

'THE REST'
Sixteen stories, ten standalone, one three-parter and a two-parter and single based on the same charas
20 stars, 20 main, 25-30 supporting/incidental
In these stories, Beth from BSB is the template for an Alien girl and also referenced in another fantasy story.

So, to sum it up
41 stories
26 major starring characters
100 or so others, all named and featuring in varying degrees.

Need a lie down now before I attempt to do a Venn Diagram for it all. I'll be back next year with the results.

 

[TeroWright]

The Saga (or series, whatever you want to call it) that I'm working on has only 7 characters that have significance throughout the entire run, but has 11 set up in total (the 11th one only being introduced in the Saga's Finale).

There are 3 main characters who drive all the experiences that come up, 4 side characters (or friends) who are incredibly loyal, 3 more friends who are met in the last 2-3 years of the 10-year time line, one of which becomes a 4th main character, and then yeah, the last, or 11th one which may or may not start a new Saga in the coming years.

Some stories focus on only two characters, but mention more. Some stories focus on six, or even eight at a time. All depends on the situations at hand.

 

[SyleusSnow]

I'm striving to keep things minimal in stories, including character count.

Lemmeseenow... better to break it into main characters and supporting:

All for You - 2
For Her Two - 3
For All of Us - 3, plus two surprised electricians
The Waif and and Wall - 3, plus a vague number of friends
The Waif and and Wall - 3, plus three thugs
Warmer by the Lake - 4, plus 3 deer
Warmer by the Lake Ch. 02 - 4
Warmer by the Lake Ch. 03 - 3
Warmer by the Lake Ch. 04 - 4, and the deer in a recurring role
If You Want It - 2
No Talking / Speechless - 2, plus one supporting boor
Proper Charlotte - 2, plus 2 supporting.
Damned Dumb Demon - 4, excluding the trick-or-treaters
Recall - 2
On the Side - 3, and his drunken friend Dave
On the Side Ch. 03 - 3, and a purse-snatcher
Left Behind - 2, plus his fiance

 

[Voboy]

I've got a whole mess of characters, mostly interconnected. For awhile, I kept track. I only did so because I didn't want to inadvertently repeat names. Then I found it's not really a problem; if I've messed up and repeated a few first names, nobody's noticed. I do have lists to help me remember who's related to whom, though, so I don't screw up and do an accidental incest story, but there's no master list and, at times, it does get unwieldy.

Figure I've got 55 stories or so. Conservatively, let's say each one introduces on average three new background characters. Then there are repeaters, protagonists and such; those probably total about twenty? More keep getting added, too.

I enjoy writing within my little world. It's fun. But I don't want to get too prescriptive about it.