One of the pitfalls of using characters that span multiple stories is keeping track of where they are, how they got there, what are they doing now, and what are they going to do next. These characters are usually the protagonist or the antagonist, or close allies of them so their movements and actions usually affect the plot. As the author you want their movements to be like moves on a chess board. Their movements have to be carefully orchestrated to enhance the story and keep the reader interested. Especially when your readers have identified themselves with that character.
It starts getting hairy when you have 250 plus identified characters, with fifty or so who are actively involved in the storylines. You have to be careful when you kill them off and when you move them around. You have to make sure they are in the right place at the right time. If you kill someone off in Dragon Hunters or Tycho Station, you can't use that character again in Dragon's Revenge.
I started Gateway Station back in the mid-1980s. Some of the characters in Gateway Station are major characters that are featured in many if not all of the stories. So I have to reverse engineer everything to make it all work out. Or trash it and write it over.
(Yeah, I really did start this "SAGA" way back in the dark ages, writing in spiral notebooks and 3x5 cards! I would not trade my computer for anything. My handwriting is horrible. Always has been.)
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