: What is a "methodology" I can I use/follow to determine the ideal set of protagonists for my story? So I'm pretty much about to start a new story, which I plan to be a big process. I have

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The question also asks for point of view (POV). It is difficult to tell a story from multiple perspectives--but not impossible.

Maybe a decade ago, there was this neat cop drama on network television that told the same story in spurts from different perspectives. I thought it was brilliant, but very few people agreed with me because it didn't last very long on American TV.

Now, David Eddings, after multiple #1 bestsellers with the Belgariad and Mallorean series, went back and retold the story from the perspective of different protagonists. Awesome!

However, changing POV will confuse the average reader under most circumstances. James Michener is successful at it because he develops his characters individually and then throws them all together at some point with third person omniscient narrative.

Just some thoughts. Good luck!

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In your question, it sounds like you've fleshed out several characters. However, it's unclear whether you are using the word "protagonist" in its traditional sense.

Most stories usually have one protagonist. Less frequently, a story has two protagonists. And then, their goals must be closely related. The story revolves around the struggle of the protagonist(s) to achieve her aim. I would avoid tackling stories with multiple protagonists until I was confident of my ability to write great stories with only one.

The other characters in the story should serve only as supporting cast. Their actions help or frustrate the protagonist's progress. Their personalities contrast with that of the protagonist. Their storylines intersect with and sometimes serve as a counterpoint to that of the protagonist.

One "methodology" is to use archetypal characters for your genre. They're archetypal because they possess a nearly ideal set of qualities for a given type of story. Readers may also have an easier time "stepping into" a story that relies on archetypal characters. Your job, as the storyteller, is to use those characters interesting and novel ways.

If you're not sure that a character in one of your stories doing a good job of helping or frustrating the protagonist, consider enhancing the character or removing them from the story. You can reassign their useful qualities/actions/dialog to another character.

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