Problems that aren't important...

[awanderingbard]

What is it about having four characters in a scene that makes it so much harder than three? Three is fine. Three is good. Everyone gets to talk and no one is left out. But you add in just one more person and all of it a sudden it's "where's ____? He was here a few paragraphs ago? Did he wander off again? I told you to use the buddy system. ___? You get back here this instant, mister, or I swear to God I will turn this whole story right around and we're all going home! No one will get a plotline!"

Sigh.

Comments

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

What is it about having four characters in a scene that makes it so much harder than three?

THIS. Times a million.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

You get back here this instant, mister, or I swear to God I will turn this whole story right around and we're all going home! No one will get a plotline!
Ha!

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

sometimes you need to have one character pointedly look at the fourth and go "well? what do you think?"...or something else to force the fourth to react.

(i sorta did this in my bigbang)

[guardian-chaos.livejournal.com]

This post is the distilled essence of truth itself. Adding a fourth character makes everything fall apart. Why can't everybody work in groups of three!? Egads!!

Sometimes I force character #4 to interrupt another speaking character, just to have a share in the action. It also helps if character #4 is asleep or otherwise incapacitated, but alas, those scenarios are not always possible.

Writing woes!