How to Control Scale in a Novel

The more viewpoint characters you add, the more this is going to spiral. For starting novelists, stick to two or three maximum. Try doing one. There are things that you might not be able to learn without having written your way into that mess. You need to set out running a race that is longer than you have the physical strength for. And then you need to walk the last mile and get a feel for just how long that track is.