What type of writer are you...

[Samuel Dark]

I was argueing with a friend that stories should be plot-driven. Yet, he says they should be character-driven. In reality, now that I have had time to think -- stories should be plot-driven and character-driven. But what do you guys think? I will always write plot-driven stories, and try my best to help the story along with the characters. But, just wondering what The Cooler thinks.

[katiemac]

I like reading character-driven novels, but to me that means how and why the characters react to the elements of the plot.

[maestrowork]

both.

[Jamesaritchie]

I like a story with good characters and good plot, but if I had to pick, I'd choose characters every last time. For me, good stories are always about people, and plot is only a device used to reveal character.

Good plot is a very nice thing to have, but I think it's people most readers care about. Long after plot is forgotten, great characters are remembered, and when a story really means something to readers, when it really touches their lives, it won't be because of the plot.

[jen.nifer]

I read that question as asking someone whether they'd prefer a great story with weak characters, or strong characters in an ordinary story?

I think the combination is necessary.

[hpoppink]

As a reader, I love well-developed characters who experience personal growth, which happens within the context of a well-orchestrated plot.

As a writer, I start with a character idea, then I add the setting and the action. I suppose that classifies me as a character-driven writer.

[aruna]

I like a story with good characters and good plot, but if I had to pick, I'd choose characters every last time. For me, good stories are always about people, and plot is only a device used to reveal character.

Good plot is a very nice thing to have, but I think it's people most readers care about. Long after plot is forgotten, great characters are remembered, and when a story really means something to readers, when it really touches their lives, it won't be because of the plot.

This is basically how I feel about it, too. I don't like plot-driven stories; I woulddefine plot-driven as stories where it doesn't matter at all what the characters are like; they are simply vehicles through which the story is told. They could be anybody. the Da Vinci Code, for instance, is plot driven, and perhaps that's why I really can't remember even the names of the characters in it!

It's chaarcters that draw me into a story, and it's because they are who they are that the story unfolds, changes them, makes itself memorable. I do like a strong story; but the story has to come as a RESULT of who the characters are.

[Mistook]

Plot is the interaction of characters. If the characters are cardboard, the plot will be a let-down. On the other hand, you can have the deepest characters in the universe, but if there's no real conflict to resolve... It's a big yawn fest.

[Jamesaritchie]

Plot is the interaction of characters. If the characters are cardboard, the plot will be a let-down. On the other hand, you can have the deepest characters in the universe, but if there's no real conflict to resolve... It's a big yawn fest.

Well, there must be some sort of plot, something of importance to resolve, but in all honesty, I think pretty much any plot will do, as long as there is some conflict, something of importance happening.

If there isn't, there's no story, and hence no great characters. There are those who say most literary fiction has no plot, but I often find the best plots of all in literary fiction.

I suspect how good or bad, strong or slight, a plot is depends largely on what an individual expects. I know those who believe that if nothing blows up and no one is killed, the plot is boring.

[brinkett]

I write character-driven stories, but as a reader, I'll read both character-driven and plot-driven. Sometimes I just want an easy read where things blow up. :) However, as James said, it's the characters I always remember from my favorite books. Plots are soon forgotten.

[Roger J Carlson]

I've been reading the book: Story, by Robert McKee. McKee maintains that the distinction between "plot-driven" and "character-driven" is artificial. All stories are are plot and character driven. His take is that "character" is defined by the internal motivations that makes a story character what he is. Is he a moral person? Immoral? Loving? Unkind? And so forth. Plot, on the other hand, is the method by which the author reveals a character's "character" to the reader.

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan is an example. A jewish man is beaten and robbed on the road. A priest on the road sees the wounded man. But he is on his way to the temple and has been ritually cleaned. Touching the man will make him unclean, so he passes by. A Levite also sees the man and passes by. But then a despised Samaritan sees the wounded man. He stops and helps the man, binds his wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for the man's care.

The "character" of each of these characters is revealed through their actions, i.e. the plot. The priest and Levite (although they may have good reasons for passing by) reveal their "character" as uncaring. The Samaritan reveals his "character" as a caring person through his actions of taking care of the man.

McKee's book is written with screenwriters in mind, but I think it applies equally to novels.

[A.REX]

I'm with Mistook.
True, people relate with characters but I like new ideas. I like plot. I love plot! There are too many books out there already with the connect-the-dots forumula writing and in my opinion they drag and are boring. I've figured out what is going to happen by page 12, and reading the rest like listening to your mother's "I told you so" lecture.
Give me something new. I'm here to be entertained. I might love your characters, but if your story bores me I'm going to throw you into the Nicholas Sparks pile with the rest of my I got bored books. :D

[Azure Skye]

I prefer both and would like to think I'm writing both but we'll see.

[veinglory]

It doesn't really matter who drives so long as the other one goes along for the ride. I a definitely a plot writer but my characters are fully developed and the reader probably couldn't tell which was the main source of my motivation, plot or character.

[ANNIE]

IMHO I don't think a book is worth reading, (or writing ) without both-strong characters and strong plot.

[Carlene]

I do think you need both, but people love to read about interesting characters. Sometime when you're thinking/resting your hands/wasting time, go to amazon and read some of the bad reviews - the ones with one and two stars. The main complaint is almost always that the characters were flat and unengaging.
When you think of "Gone with the Wind" what's the first thing to come to mind? A civil war story? A saga of the south? Nope, Rhett and Scarlett.

[stranger]

Depending on genre, I don't think you need great characters. In particular the thriller market. Someone mentioned the DiVinci Code. Clive Cussler also comes to mind for cardboard characters. Perhaps the mystery genre is another one. I haven't read mysteries since my Agatha Christie days but from what I can remember Hercule and Miss Marple were caricatures and the books were all about the whodunnit.

I also agree that if you have interesting characters, the plot can be simple. Add the characters, a smidgeon of conflicit and stir. I just read a book in which there wasn't much conflicit and even that seemed contrived. The characters were excellent, though. It wasn't the best book in the world but much better than the last Cussler I read.

I must say I do, in general, divide books into character and plot driven and prefer the character driven ones. Not all books are so clear-cut, the best ones are both.

[Princesstilly]

I started with a line from a song and built a character around that snippet...what does that phrase mean, who might it refer to. Who is feeling that way and why?


I think it's a taste issue, since I tend to read character-driven fiction most often.

Leanne

(I'm finally back working on my novel again. Up at 5:00 am for the past two days working on Chapter 6. Hope to have the first draft done by September. Wish me luck!)

[Nateskate]

I always start with the plot, but once characters come, they can influence the plot.

We had a similar conversation on the fantasy board, that many old time stories had beloved characters, and what were the current "beloved characters"?

I love character driven stories. But they languish without a plot. Even reality t.v is scripted because characters without any guidance become boring. You have to create situations that brings out the interesting.

[aruna]

You have to create situations that brings out the interesting.

I would rather say: interesting characters (and why write about characters that are NOT interesting?) create their own interesting situations - YOU don't have to do it!

[HConn]

Real estate sales should be plot-driven.

Cars should be character-driven.

Narrative fiction should be story-driven.

It's the clash of characters and plot that makes an interesting narrative. Both must drive.

:)

[pconsidine]

While it's always good to try to create both, I think it's fairly clear that it isn't necessary. For example, I can't think of a Tom Clancy novel (with the possible exception of The Hunt for Red October) where the characters are much of a motivating force. The DaVinci Code is another example of what I'd call a plot-driven novel - sure the characters perform, but it's the sequence of events that drive the story.

There really isn't any "should" to it. You write what you can write. Plot-driven stories aren't likely to be added to the canon of classic literature, but they're perfectly good for making a career.

[wideawakesoh]

H Conn's response was brilliant. He hit the nail on the head, but I'd like to expand on it just a little bit here. There's nothing wrong with a character driven story, although sometimes if you're only thinking about a character's inner turmoil there's not much outer turmoil to make it interesting. Nothing wrong with a plot-driven story either (John Grisham's made a living off them for over a decade), but sometimes the characters can feel like cardboard in the reader's mind. So, obviously the answer to a really great novel is both. If you're the type of writer who likes to think long and hard about what they're going to write (I'm not the type, but I know they exist in abundance), this isn't as hard for you. You can start thinking about a character and think about what direction you'd like him or her to go, then you can come up with ways for them to get there, thus filling in the plot of your character driven story. If you're better at thinking about plot, you can find some interesting situations to place your characters in, and with a little luck and a lot of keystrokes our characters will develop out of the mess you've put them in because now they have to find a way out. These are both great ways to work, but they're not my way. Here's my way:
The great Stephen King has said many times that stories are like fossils and we are the archeologists charged with excavating them. How much of the fossil we can get out of the ground intact is how good and rich the story will be. When I write, I don't think very much. Usually I don't know what's going to happen until the very minute I'm writing it, and sometimes even then I don't know, I just keep digging and see what comes up. With that philosophy in mind, my first novel (currently on its way to publication, knock wood) has been praised over and over for its thrilling plot and its well developed characters. I have no secret to achieving this, I just came up with the story and the characters, the themes, and the mood all came along in a neat little row. So there are three ways for you to develop your story, but please don't misunderstand and think those are the only three. Don't write any way but your own, and if it's good, it'll be because you made it good, not because you listened to some primadonna on a web forum.

Keep writing,
wideawakesoh

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream by night."
Edgar Allen Poe

I LOVE THIS FREAKIN' BANANA!!! :banana:

[MillyBecker]

I like to write character-driven pieces. I've found that if my characters are deep enough then it drives the plot. Sometimes it drives it in places I didn't even see coming!

[Jamesaritchie]

Real estate sales should be plot-driven.

Cars should be character-driven.

Narrative fiction should be story-driven.

It's the clash of characters and plot that makes an interesting narrative. Both must drive.

:)


I tend to agree, though I think you have to be aware of the differences between story and plot, and that the best story ever written still depends on the quality of the characters. If no one cares about the characters, no one is likely to care about the story, no matter how well it's written.

[Jamesaritchie]

While it's always good to try to create both, I think it's fairly clear that it isn't necessary. For example, I can't think of a Tom Clancy novel (with the possible exception of The Hunt for Red October) where the characters are much of a motivating force. The DaVinci Code is another example of what I'd call a plot-driven novel - sure the characters perform, but it's the sequence of events that drive the story.

There really isn't any "should" to it. You write what you can write. Plot-driven stories aren't likely to be added to the canon of classic literature, but they're perfectly good for making a career.

I can only speak for myself, but the Clancy novels I like most are almost totally because of character. Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, Without Remorse, and Patriot Games all drew me in because of character.

I've read only two other Clancy novels, and I can't remember much about them, but these four definitely caught me with character.

[trebuchet]

I believe in character-driven stories. Because I believe in characters. If the characters are strong and complex enough, have conflicts and problems to solve, then they will create the plot themselves as they go through their various struggles--if they are allowed to.

I don't like it at all when characters are squeezed into a set plot to fit the writer's agenda. Most times when this happens they're cardboard cutouts and their actions are often predictable. If I can't really care about a character, I don't enjoy the book and it is a chore to read, although I do finish every book I start to read because I don't believe in not giving things a chance to reveal their treasure in the end.

[Mistook]

I tend to agree, though I think you have to be aware of the differences between story and plot, and that the best story ever written still depends on the quality of the characters. If no one cares about the characters, no one is likely to care about the story, no matter how well it's written.

This I have to agree with. Our hero might be on the run, racing against time, surmounting impossible odds to defeat the bad guys and save his wife from certain doom - but if I don't care about the hero and his wife, I honestly don't give a crap if he fails, or if she dies.

The plot itself doesn't make me care about the character. It don't think, "Wow he's surmounting impossible odds, I love people who do that. I'm all for those kind of people to prevail."

But on the other hand, I can't really care about a character's deep thoughts, inner turmoil, quirky habits, personal strength, guts, colorful personality, if he's just walking around Manhattan, pondering the city.

In that case, I don't think, "Wow, I'm so privileged to soak in the wisdom of this gutsy iconoclast." Instead I feel like, "Do something!"

[pconsidine]

I can only speak for myself, but the Clancy novels I like most are almost totally because of character. Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, Without Remorse, and Patriot Games all drew me in because of character.

I was thinking specifically of Red Storm Rising, which was one of the more vapid pieces of writing I've come across. I can't recall a single thing about it other than that it was about a war started by the USSR for the sake of oil. The fact that I read it anyway seems to say to me that character isn't always necessary. Either that or I have some kind of reading disorder that I should really see a doctor about.

[azbikergirl]

For me, good stories are always about people, and plot is only a device used to reveal character.

My sentiments exactly. Without plot, character isn't revealed, so really the answer is "both."

[Diviner]

But on the other hand, I can't really care about a character's deep thoughts, inner turmoil, quirky habits, personal strength, guts, colorful personality, if he's just walking around Manhattan, pondering the city.

In that case, I don't think, "Wow, I'm so privileged to soak in the wisdom of this gutsy iconoclast." Instead I feel like, "Do something!"

Great characters are wonderful, but if they don't grow and change, they don't last with me. They have to do something, and I prefer it if what they do is significant or important, but it is not essential.

Two of the most delightful characters Shakespeare created were Beatrice and Benedict. The plot is about wronged Hero, but I remember Beatrice and Benedict because they struck a spark. I only remember Hero because of her name.

I have mentioned before that I am an an Annie Proulx fan because she creates great characters, but her two last books have disappointed me slightly because they never seemed to go anywhere. Yes, great characters have to do something.

[Jamesaritchie]

I was thinking specifically of Red Storm Rising, which was one of the more vapid pieces of writing I've come across. I can't recall a single thing about it other than that it was about a war started by the USSR for the sake of oil. The fact that I read it anyway seems to say to me that character isn't always necessary. Either that or I have some kind of reading disorder that I should really see a doctor about.

I enjoyed Red Storm Rising, though for me it wasn't plot or character that made it interesting. I didn't think the characters were very good, and the plot seemed rather silly to me. What kept me reading was all the technology and its uses. Not a novel I'll ever read a second time.

[Ronda]

My preference is for good writing that captures my interest and compels me to keep reading. However that happens.
Ronda

[scarletpeaches]

Character IS plot, IMHO. The way your characters behave is what creates the plot and moves it along - unless you believe that external events and happenings (incidents) make plot - in which case your characters are largely irrelevant tp the story, that is any old people would do, and you're probably writing genre or formula fiction. I'm a fan of the first type. Probably because I'm nosey as hell and like to get inside people's heads. :D

[icerose]

I'm both. Because you can take the most interesting plot but without great characters, whats the point, and vice versa. You can have a group of fascinating characters but if there is no plot, then I lose interest. So I find both equally important in my writing.

[Summonere]

Mind your toes ... it seems that best sellers are plot driven and other kinds of sellers aren't. Granted, I've not read every last best seller, and rarely seem to pick them up anymore because they all sound like they've been written by the same person. At the very least they share a pop style I don't care for.

"Plot driven" stories may be those that we read, despite poor characterization, because really cool stuff happens. "Character driven" stories may be those we read read, despite weak plots, because really cool people inhabit them.

Stories exist so we can argue about which ones are what kinds.

Some of my stories spring from an event, some from a character. I suppose the former might be plot driven, the latter character driven.

No doubt I'm wrong in all kinds of ways, yet such is my contribution.

[Jennifer Robins]

I'm for both. My concern with my novel, Jeffrey is genre. It is about Astral-travel and is really a thriller.
In picking a genre what would you think about Astral-travel. It is not something made up, it is a very real thing that does in fact happen to people. Even though the story may be fiction, the subject is real. I was thinking more like suspense, or horror if there was no other choices, but not science fiction. Do you think this is right? I would like thriller. It is a scary story filled with suspense.

Jennifer

[Akuma]

I was under the impression that these were one and the same...

[Oddsocks]

I think I tend to write plot driven stuff, and while both are important, I think characters are more important. No matter how good a story is, if I don't care about the characters, the story won't be enjoyable/worth reading.

[Sesselja]

Both as a reader and a writer, I prefer character driven stories.

[PeeDee]

Plot is cool and interesting and exciting to watch happen to these characters... but ultimately, it's the characters that I'll come back for in a sequel, or a short story, or even when I come back to re-read the original book. I know the plot already. I'm just re-visiting old friends.

[glutton]

Character IS plot, IMHO. The way your characters behave is what creates the plot and moves it along - unless you believe that external events and happenings (incidents) make plot - in which case your characters are largely irrelevant tp the story, that is any old people would do, and you're probably writing genre or formula fiction. I'm a fan of the first type. Probably because I'm nosey as hell and like to get inside people's heads. :D

Agree 110%. Characters drive the plot, unless your characters are helpless lazybodies tossed about by circumstance- and who wants to read about them?

[Carrie in PA]

I definitely lean more towards character being of utmost importance. The story is a close second, but I have to love my characters to care about what's happening to them.

[PeeDee]

Character IS plot, IMHO. The way your characters behave is what creates the plot and moves it along - unless you believe that external events and happenings (incidents) make plot - in which case your characters are largely irrelevant tp the story, that is any old people would do, and you're probably writing genre or formula fiction. I'm a fan of the first type. Probably because I'm nosey as hell and like to get inside people's heads. :D

Forumula fiction, I agree with you here. Genre fiction? Nah. I can point at plenty of good character-driven genre fiction.

[glutton]

Wow, didn't even notice the genre part until you pointed it out, PeeDee. Yeah, that's an overgeneralization.

But I do think that even formula fiction can benefit from good characters. The characters can easily be what makes the difference between well-done formula, and mediocre or bad formula.

[CBeasy]

I do think that plot driven books can be an enjoyable read, but a character driven books suck you in so much more. Obviously, a truly great book has both. As a fiction writer, I think I tend to produce very plot driven work, but I think that's a fault. I'm actually starting to work on a fiction piece, and I think I have a cast of characters that I can really get into fleshing out. Hopefully I can pull it off.

[iggypopforyou]

Yeah 'cause if you can't love or hate the character or characrers, they may as well be commercials to a book you'd just as soon never read. But the books I'd just as soon never read are the ones packed and stacked on shelves of book stores everywhere - mechanical plot-driven, with characters so hard to imagine as real, they may not even exist at all - except in the mind of that writer as he goes to the bank. God, I'd love to be going to the bank - not to case it, but to actually withdraw money - or to cash a royalty check.

[Niapri]

I'm curious as to how we even define "plot-driven" vs. "character-driven". Usually, in my experience, "plot-driven" has been used to imply that the characters that are flat or boring, and "character-driven" to imply that the story was too focused on the characters.

To be honest, I don't think that a story can be either/or - if it's not both, it's not worth it. The way I look at it, characters and the things that happen to them/things that they do (plot) are intertwined. The plot is driven by the character, and the character is influenced by the events of the plot. If the characters are weak, the plot is weakened because of that. If the plot is weak, the existence of the characters seems pointless. You must have both.

I've read books that I suppose have been PD or CD, but most of them just didn't cut it for me, even if I did finish them. Both kinds were disappointing. Of course, there are stories where the characters are more interesting than the plot, or vice versa, but it works becuase neither plot nor characters are the driving force of the story. You can't drive a story based mostly on "what happened", but you can't base it entirely on a character, either.

I don't agree that it depends on the genre, though. Saying that "it's action, so it should be plot driven" is just a cop-out. But saying that "it's literary fiction, so it should be character driven" is just as bad. No interesting character is worth reading about unless something interesting is happening, but no interesting happening is worth reading about unless it's happening to someone interesting. If that makes sense.

Things may happen to characters, but characters also have to happen to things. (^^; I just like that saying...)

[Gwenzilla]

As many others have said, you can't have one without the other. For myself, I'm a character writer: it's making realistic and deep characters and situations that appeals to me. I have to work really hard to make a cohesive, undersandable plot where things proceed from one event to the next.

[TrainofThought]

In reality, now that I have had time to think -- stories should be plot-driven and character-driven. But what do you guys think? I will always write plot-driven stories, and try my best to help the story along with the characters. But, just wondering what The Cooler thinks.I need both. A book is boring when the main focus is on characters and not enough plot. On the other hand, if a book is plot-driven with little connection with the characters then I walk away empty. They need to go hand-in-hand. Just my 2 cents.

[stormie]

I'm with Annie (and trainofthought and....). Strong plot and strong characters. Otherwise I'm bored.

[Writer-2-Author]

Both, but my preference would be character-driven.

[maestrowork]

Slow and deliberate. Over-thinking. Over-analyzing. Strong character-driven stories. "Clever." But plot-wise, kind of conventional. Don't expect something out of the ordinary like Fight Club or anything like that.

ETA: I didn't realize this is a an old thread and I've already answered the OP's question... LOL

[Rhoda Nightingale]

I like a story with good characters and good plot, but if I had to pick, I'd choose characters every last time. For me, good stories are always about people, and plot is only a device used to reveal character.

Good plot is a very nice thing to have, but I think it's people most readers care about. Long after plot is forgotten, great characters are remembered, and when a story really means something to readers, when it really touches their lives, it won't be because of the plot.
I don't often say this, but--What James said.

Characters are the most important part of any story. The plot is the vehicle by which ones meets wonderful characters. A bland plot is more forgiveable if the characters are ace. Bland characters in a stellar plot, less so. But that's just me.

[vrabinec]

I like to read both kinds. Something like the Foundation Trillogy which is essentially a plot with a lot of fairly shallow digging into each of the characters worked for me because the plot was interesting enough to carry the story. Same with The Last of the Mohicans. You can claim Cooper gave the Mohicans a personality, but you'd be hard pressed to find more than a line or two of evidence. On the other end of the spectrum, Sense and Sensibility is really a simple plot, but the characters are so well filled out, that I loved it.

As for my own writing, it's hard to say at this point. I came up with a plot and setting first, and then let the characters run with it, and they're filling out. Their decisions have reasons, plausible enough to make the characters believeable to me, but I wrote them, so I'm partial. We'll see in a few months when I put it before the betas. But I suspect my characters will be stronger than my plot, 'cause, you know, I'm a sensetive guy.:)

[gothicangel]

Both.

I've just finished reading Mark Billingham's Buried. The plotting was so bad I would never read another one of his books.

[readitnweep]

It's all about the characters to me. I can love something with skant plot, as long as I love the characters. Catcher on the Rye comes to mind. Not much plot at all - a kid wandering around New York after getting booted from college - trying to figure out what to do with himself. But the character, to me, is beautifully done.

[amora10]

I think a story should contain both. In my personal writing, I tend to lean more toward the character-driven. If there is a chracter who is incessantly murmuring in my ear that he wants to do this than that most times I'll throw my rather rough outline away and let him/her do what he wants. It's a personal preference though, I ahte reading something that leans so heavily on the plot everything seems to happen by coincidence. A story definitely needs a balance.

[stormie]

Fun to reread what I wrote over four years ago. And my thoughts on the subject remain the same.

And here I thought I had killed this thread back in Oct.2006. :D

[Jessianodel]

I have to have both to even want to write the book.

[Phaeal]

The zombie apocalpyse continues...

I usually start with an idea or situation or even an image. Then I have to wait until the right characters are drawn to it.

[Devil Ledbetter]

The zombie apocalpyse continues...
:D I write realistic fiction. This means my characters aren't rich, fabulous looking or running around in designer shoes.

[mccardey]

The grumpy kind.

Also - must have character and plot, but left to myself I'm hopeless at plot. I make it up - I just don't write it in, until somebody forces me to.
Which makes me even grumpier.

I'd like to add here that I'm just a delight to work with, but it wouldn't be true.

[ceenindee]

I've written plot-based stories and character-based stories and I had a lot more fun with the character-based ones.

[L.Jones]

The grumpy kind.

Also - must have character and plot, but left to myself I'm hopeless at plot. I make it up - I just don't write it in, until somebody forces me to.
Which makes me even grumpier.

I'd like to add here that I'm just a delight to work with, but it wouldn't be true.

Sounds like the exact post I was about to post... only I was going to say crabby not grumpy. Am known for characters and not so strong on plot. Can't speak for all publishers but some genre houses are approaching the tighter market by trying to not throw any readers off, so they lean more on character types than actual individuals characters.

For me plot is the work, characters are the fun.

annie
http://anniejonesjoywritingthroughlife.blogspot.com/

[authorgirl1485]

I think that truly good books have characters that can be connected with. If I can't see myself in the character's shoes, then I have trouble reading the book.

[Other]

My novels always start with a basic idea. Then the characters come.

However, I am a character writer. If my characters are boring (and stay boring to the end) I just trash that take on the basic idea and come up with new characters. If I'm not passionate about my characters I lack passion for the story. Then I inevitably end up ditching the whole thing.

[Shadow_Ferret]

I have no idea what plot-driven or character-driven or what have you is.

All I know is when I finish a good book, I remember the characters long after I've forgotten what they did.

[William Randall]

I guess I'm the anomaly here. I prefer my novels to be plot driven. I like cliffhangers and twists and puzzle pieces that come together perfectly at the end. Sure, characters are important too, but if I had to choose one or the other, I'm going with plot.

[Victoria]

I am so into my characters, their quirks, motivations, what makes them tick. The plot revolves around them, developing according to their responses and reactions. A tight, enaging plot is important, but if you don't care about the characters, you won't care what happens to them. There would be no point to the story.

[Sarah Madara]

For me plot is the work, characters are the fun.


I feel so validated now.

[night-flyer]

I start with a basic idea, jot it down- nothing detailed. Then my brain immediately falls upon the characters, I love making characters and seeing how they progress as I write. For me, the plot may change or twist several times throughout the story, the characters are formed at the beginning and grow intellectually and emotionally as I write, but they remain the same people I loved at the beginning- just more evolved? So, I guess that makes me a character writer.

[Linda Adams]

I guess I'm the anomaly here. I prefer my novels to be plot driven. I like cliffhangers and twists and puzzle pieces that come together perfectly at the end. Sure, characters are important too, but if I had to choose one or the other, I'm going with plot.

Me, too.

[gp101]

I don't need "deep" characters, characters with detailed BGs, characters who have the G-word (growth) or who have a massive character arc, though all of these can make me enjoy a character better. What I absolutely do need is a character(s) who keeps me interested. If s/he is engaging enough with his or her past which affects their current actions (think Lisbeth Salander of "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), or just witty (or better: FUNNY!!), or just has a way of doing things that touches my sensibilities and makes me say yeah, that's how it should be done, like in a classic Phillip Marlowe, then you can put that character in a half-assed plot and I'll probably still love the book.

But... create a half-assed character (meaning cardboard cut-out, one I've seen before--call him Double-Oh-9), and I'll yawn no matter how fantastic your plot because I've seen characters behave that way before and yawned at them before. Make them different, not necessarily eccentric, though that can be cool, and they will undoubtedly lead you onto a twist on a familiar plotline that you were not expecting to write.

Great plots are fun. Great characters are memorable.

If both character and plot are great, then you have a classic.

And a yacht.

Granted, there are always exceptions to the rule. Take the character Dirk Pitt. He is beyond stereotypical. A bad, American James-Bond ripoff. I admit the first story I read involving the dashing Dirk was interesting to a point, but cliched. The second was outright boring, made me groan, not sure if I finished it. Yet, the series sold very well. But as a first-time writer, I would recommend not going for a "Dirk". These stories work well for new readers, who will soon tire of them. For seasoned readers who have read the real stuff before, they will have no interest in cookie-cutter rip-offs.

[Charlie Horse]

What's the most important part of a sandwich. The bread, or what's in between the slices? If all you have is one or the other, then it's not really a sandwich, is it?

[vrabinec]

What's the most important part of a sandwich. The bread, or what's in between the slices? If all you have is one or the other, then it's not really a sandwich, is it?

Yeah, but I like a couple slices of ham with American cheese and mayo on it while a couple slices of plain white bread doesn't do anything for me.

[OpheliaRevived]

I'm big on plot, too. If the characters are fan-frickin'-tastic then I can forgive a little suckishness in the plotline. But those kinds of characters are few and far between. This is me speaking as a writer and a reader.

[SinisterCola]

My novels always start with a basic idea. Then the characters come.

However, I am a character writer. If my characters are boring (and stay boring to the end) I just trash that take on the basic idea and come up with new characters. If I'm not passionate about my characters I lack passion for the story. Then I inevitably end up ditching the whole thing.

This about sums up my feelings. There have been stories where I just didn't care about the characters and the entire story just fell flat.

My current story - I'm passionate about my characters, so I enjoy writing it!

[tko]

You beat me to it. No reason to limit yourself.

both.

[Sarah Madara]

Lately I've discovered that when I'm stuck on the plot, I need to do more character development. After I brainstorm about the characters a bit more, especially the supporting cast (since I already know my MC pretty darn well), plot ideas develop from that.

That's a vote for "both."