I'm an emotional girl, or Plot-Based Writing vs. Character-Based

Alpha Echo · Sep 8, 2008

So I think that the difference is that most character-based novels are literary, right? What's important isn't necessarily each action, but each character's reaction and growth throughout the novel.

And plot-based would be then more action-packed, the appeal being what is happening more than getting to know the characters. That's not to say that you don't get to know the characters, but the characters just aren't really the important thing, rather what happens to them and what they DO is.

So my point of all of this, other than to make sure that I'm correct in my assumptions is to say that I don't think I could write plot-based books. In my life, the people and mostly how love connects me to the people I love (cuz I'm ushy-gushy that way :tongue

) is the most important thing to me. So in my writing, I like to explore relationships. Of course, there's a plot, but I enjoy very much exploring the different level of relationships amongst my characters and how the plot changes morphs the connections to each other. Does that make sense? I like to play with how people's emotions tie them to others, and how those ties change as people grow and change.

So what about you? Are you plot-based or character-based? And why do you choose to write that way?

jennifer75 · Sep 8, 2008

Ooh I'm totally Character-Based. Yup. I am.

But, there has to be a strong plot or even the greatest of characters are gonna go nowhere, literally.

Mad Queen · Sep 8, 2008

A lot of character-based novels aren't literary and they are as action-packed as a plot-based novel. In my opinion, a character-based novel has characters with well-defined personalities and the way the plot evolves reflects these personalities. In a plot-based novel, the characters are defined by the plot. They do what they have to do to make the plot happen as the writer envisioned it.

I write character-based novels because I love to think about my characters even outside the context of the story, until I can no longer decide what's going to happen to them, because they have well-defined personalities and the number of possible storylines are restricted by what my characters would and wouldn't do.

Nakhlasmoke · Sep 8, 2008

Character based, I hope.

FennelGiraffe · Sep 8, 2008

Alpha Echo said:
So I think that the difference is that most character-based novels are literary, right? What's important isn't necessarily each action, but each character's reaction and growth throughout the novel.

And plot-based would be then more action-packed, the appeal being what is happening more than getting to know the characters. That's not to say that you don't get to know the characters, but the characters just aren't really the important thing, rather what happens to them and what they DO is.

I think that's a false dichotomy. I think it's a spectrum, shading from all plot at one end to all character at the other, but blending in between. Most novels fall somewhere in the middle, with both plot and character being important. Yes, a healthy dose of plot is necessary for commercial fiction; novels with extremely weak plots are unlikely to be commercial. Similarly, novels with extremely weak characterization are unlikely to be literary. Still, a novel can have character development that significantly outweighs the plot, yet still be plot-based enough to be commercially successful. It's harder for me to speak to the literary side; I'm not as familiar with it.

BlueLucario · Sep 8, 2008

My first book is character based, and my second one is somewhat plot based.

How I write it sort of depends on the story I'm writng.

Alpha Echo · Sep 8, 2008

jennifer75 said:
But, there has to be a strong plot or even the greatest of characters are gonna go nowhere, literally.

OBVIOUSLY. Haha. :tongue

NeuroFizz · Sep 8, 2008

Tell the story with your own personal writing style, your voice. Who the heck cares where it fits on a graphic representation of a continuum? Good storytelling + good writing = something worth reading. Use that equation and throw all the other ones out (including your character-driven versus plot-driven one, the outlining versus winging it one, and all of the other ones).

Jill · Sep 8, 2008

Surely a fusion of the two is what works best.

BlueLucario · Sep 8, 2008

NeuroFizz said:
Tell the story with your own personal writing style, your voice. Who the heck cares where it fits on a graphic representation of a continuum? Good storytelling + good writing = something worth reading. Use that equation and throw all the other ones out (including your character-driven versus plot-driven one, the outlining versus winging it one, and all of the other ones).

Heh, QFT.

If something like this was kept in mind, then there wouldn't be any excessive outline vs no outline threads.

CaroGirl · Sep 8, 2008

It's almost always a combination, but it's how the balance is tipped that determines how the story develops. Most spy novels are more heavily plot focused because it's the Cold War or the secret mission, or whatever outside force that drives the characters to act. Whereas in more literary novels the characters are driven to act based on what other characters do or say.

At least that's my far-too-simplistic take on it.

For the record, I be more character focused in my work.

Phaeal · Sep 8, 2008

Without characters, there is no plot. Without plot, the characters naval-gaze. The physical and verbal and emotional interaction of characters IS plot. Character creates motivation, which creates action (or the failure to act), which is plot.

The two are thoroughly and beautifully interlaced in good fiction and drama.

James81 · Sep 8, 2008

I think my first novel is pretty much character driven. I spend a lot of time delving into conversations and the inner workings of a man who is going through a major change in his life.

That's not typical for me, though, because I tend to write on a larger scale and love taking on stories that have a HUGE scope and are plot driven and full of action.

Willowmound · Sep 8, 2008

FennelGiraffe said:
I think that's a false dichotomy. I think it's a spectrum, shading from all plot at one end to all character at the other, but blending in between. Most novels fall somewhere in the middle, with both plot and character being important.

The Giraffe has the right of it. My stuff is usually plotwise of centre, though not nearly as far as some books I read.

jmarz01 · Sep 8, 2008

I strive for a balance. I'll be honest, though, and say that "literary" fiction, as a genre, confuses me endlessly. I'm too much of a "but... but... but..." girl to be able to easily distinguish much of what classifies as "literary" fiction and what doesn't.

Forced to choose, I'd say my writing is character based. I identify with my characters far more than I do with my plots and, as someone noted upthread, my plot direction ends up being limited by what a character would or would not do. I usually find that a finished story ends up being pretty different than I'd originally envisioned, because at least one character will evolve in an unexpected way.

Dale Emery · Sep 8, 2008

Alpha Echo said:
So what about you? Are you plot-based or character-based? And why do you choose to write that way?

So far everything I've written has been plot-based. And most of my stories end up going nowhere. The characters, though often interesting, are essentially props for the plot. Meh.

I've written this way mostly by default, not by deliberate choice. Nearly all of my story ideas are about story situations. Hardly any are character ideas, and none are really about the character of the characters.

My guess: If I could write stories that were both plot-based and character-based, the endings would be more satisfying.

And I don't mean "balanced" or "fifty/fifty". I mean 100 percent plot-based and 100 percent character-based, in which character is essential to plot, and plot is essential to revealing the character.

This tells me that I would do well to focus for a while on defining characters more fully, and seeing what kinds of plots arise.

Thanks for your question!

Dale

Liosse de Velishaf · Sep 8, 2008

Stories are about conflict. That requires both plot and character. It is a false dichotomy.

Susan Lanigan · Sep 8, 2008

Well Anne Enright (for one) is a fan of plotless fiction. Me, I find I need a plot, in order to steer myself away from the BLIND PANIC I feel when facing an empty page

Alpha Echo · Sep 8, 2008

Phaeal said:
The two are thoroughly and beautifully interlaced in good fiction and drama.

Beautifully said. And I agree. I just know that books do tend to lean one way or the other.

KC Sunshine · Sep 8, 2008

What about a literary novel like "Less Than Zero" which has wooden characters and virtually no plot, but is entertaining nonetheless? Well, to me anyway. I love that novel.

Chasing the Horizon · Sep 8, 2008

Everything I write is all about the characters. The plots are devised to show off the characters' traits, challenge them, and make them grow as much as possible. I always start with an interesting group of characters, then decide what they would be most entertaining doing. To me, the relationships override the plots and action completely. However, my writing has TONS of high action and adventure. What better way for characters to learn about themselves and each other than through extreme life-and-death situations (or whatever other crazy events my twisted mind can come up with for them to suffer through)?

The big difference I've noticed between my own writing and that of other writers in my genres who are plot-based is that I spend a lot more time showing and explaining the effects the big events in the story have on my characters and their relationships. That's probably why my books usually run long.

tehuti88 · Sep 9, 2008

Without reading all the replies...

I guess I buck the trend you describe in your original post, because I'm highly emotional, and that drives many of the things in my writing, and I write genre, not literary--BUT it's character based. That's just how I prefer writing. There's plot, yes, but what's the point of it if I can't care about or identify with what the characters are going through emotionally? I find their reactions to be more interesting than external events themselves. It's highly psychological.

I can't stand reading most "literary" writing because of the seeming lack of plot, but at the same time, I adore getting indepth on character emotions. Character is more important to me but plot is necessary too.

I guess things like "Genre = plot/action based" and "Literary = character/emotion based" just can't always hold to be true. There has to be a middle ground. *shrug*

ETA:

Hope To The Horizon said:
The big difference I've noticed between my own writing and that of other writers in my genres who are plot-based is that I spend a lot more time showing and explaining the effects the big events in the story have on my characters and their relationships. That's probably why my books usually run long.

ZOMG! Totally!! That is totally the reason why my stories are so frigging immense.

Charlie Horse · Sep 9, 2008

Good characters + good plot = good novel. That's my stated goal and I'm sticking to it.

Alpha Echo · Sep 9, 2008

I always start with my characters and an idea. The plot grows as i write, but the characters I must know and love before I can write.

I wish I weren't so busy at work this week!!! I wanna write!!!!

Must write tonight...

ishtar'sgate · Sep 9, 2008

NeuroFizz said:
Tell the story with your own personal writing style, your voice. Who the heck cares where it fits on a graphic representation of a continuum? Good storytelling + good writing = something worth reading. Use that equation and throw all the other ones out (including your character-driven versus plot-driven one, the outlining versus winging it one, and all of the other ones).

You got it! Too much time is spent composing rules and analyzing methodology. So much so that new writers are often paralyzed and afraid to write in case they do something wrong.
Write your story, your way and let the public decide whether or not it's worth reading.
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