The Mane Six (Plus One) & Character Attention · 9:20pm Oct 6th, 2014
One of the things I'm finding out in writing Besides the Will of Evil is that it's much harder to write for seven main characters than it is to write for three. With It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door, I only really had to worry about half of the Mane Six; those of you who recall the story will remember that Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were barely heard from over the course of the adventure. Rarity, Dash, and AJ took up the bulk of the action, and they developed into a tightly knit trio, bouncing off each other well and becoming a satisfying matrix of character interaction.
In Will of Evil, though, I have all six of them to deal with. Then there's Spike, who's very much a main character as well. And Celestia and Luna have major supporting roles; with them are the many, many deer, ponies, and other creatures among my long list of original characters. We've also dwelt on Trixie's time with Reiziger, who himself gets no small amount of spotlight, and we've even ranged afield to see what's going on in the Crystal Empire. This isn't a story about a journey, but in crisscrossing Equestria several times, I feel as though it's covered more ground, and it's certainly explored more characters.
I confess, then, that I've found it difficult to balance everybody at times. Obviously, the Mane Six are the biggest characters, and they are all equally main characters. Some, though, have proved more equal than others. The middle of the story has very much been the domain of Twilight, Dash, and Rarity, with a strong second effort from Applejack. I've dealt modestly with Fluttershy, and Pinkie I have accidentally neglected. To some degree this is unavoidable due to the way I have the story planned out. However, I shall continue trying to include all six of them (plus Spike) as equally as I can.
It's funny- I've never read George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, but even so, I've developed a respect for him over the course of writing Will of Evil. It's no easy thing to juggle so many characters, all of them with their own motivations and personalities. I hope I've done a decent job so far, and I hope for constant improvement to come.
In particular, Pinkie and Fluttershy will both get their moments to shine. In fact, in the end they may make all the difference.
Just kill one off and make another disappear for a big chunk like Tolkien did
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Hmmm, now there's an idea.
I've often wished that it was only a mane five we had to deal with. Juggling six characters is horrendously difficult, especially if you're doing something like a dark, serious adventure where one or more of them don't fit well.
If you had read them you might lose some of the respect.
This is all a character needs to be in his books.
It doesn't help that you gave Pinkie the hardest possible power to write for.
Frankly, I'd point more towards Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson as examples of authors managing huge character lists effectively. But you're not going to get everyone equal screen time. It's just not going to happen. There are too many of them to work with, plus the new ones you've added.
It seems to me like Pinkie is usually a difficult character to write into a story like this. Trying to get a certain level of seriousness while having a character who is almost entirely comic-relief can be a tough mixture.
But so far, loving the story. Keep up the good work!