Introducing the main character

Question: I have an idea for a series with like 7 books and the first book introduces the villain, the world the story takes place in, main characters, and it's the start of the story but person who's more of a main character than the other main characters isn't introduced until the second book and it would be at the beginning of it to. So I was wondering is that ok? or is that just weird and not right?


Answer: Whatever book in this series you write first should have a main character. By "main character," I mean someone through whose eyes the reader will see the story, and whose decision at the climax determines the outcome.

A classic hero is all that and also the protagonist (the one pursuing the story goal). However, in some stories the villain is the "man with the goal" and the main character is the good guy trying to thwart the goal (therefore, the antagonist).

So you may want to either...

a) Write the second book first (because you have to sell one book, or no one will ever read the others). The first book can be written later if the series does well or be told in flashback.

b) Create a main character for the first book (bearing in mind that if readers really like this character, they may want the rest of the series to be about him).

c) There are some books told from a more omniscient point of view or multiple points of view that lack a strong main character. This works for epics, or stories told across long periods of time, or stories with multiple plotlines that converge. The downside is that it's harder to create an intimate bond between reader and character.

The choice is yours naturally.

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