In this video, I explore whether a story can successfully feature two main characters with separate plots. I delve into reasons you might have protagonists, the advice I’ve always followed on points-of-view, and give some structural ideas on how two plots might work.
There’s no single formula for storytelling—what matters is how well it works for your unique tale.
Jane Cleland here. I have two main characters with their own separate plots. Is that okay? Interesting. I’m not sure what that really means or represents. Why would you have two equal protagonists with their own plots in the same story unless they ultimately come together in some surprising, evocative way? Or unless they’re mirroring one another?
So, it’s an interesting question. I’m just not sure how it would work. There’s nothing wrong with having more than one protagonist. Very often, you see authors write two, three, or four. One agent of my acquaintance says no more than five points of view—so no more than five points of view, right? That would be five characters that each have their own storyline, but probably one of them is the protagonist. Probably that one needs to be the leader.
If you’re going to have two… you know, I always like to play devil’s advocate with this, but no, that’s kind of mine. I’m not understanding it. But having said that, let me leave you with this thought: you can do anything you want if it is storytelling. You are the crafter of that story. And if that seems to be the best way to tell those two characters’ stories, well, I look forward to reading it.
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