When a user exceeds the character limit for a post, answer, or comment, there is currently no indication of anything wrong until they attempt to post. It's unpleasant to write several paragraphs and then be told "sorry, too much."

When a user is close to the character limit for a post, answer, or comment, there should be a visual cue letting them know how many characters are left or by how many they exceed it.

This warning will clearly communicate when a user is near the limit so there is no frustration after submitting the post and only then learning that it needs to be rephrased or broken into multiple parts.