The chicken or the egg?
No, I'm totally kidding. That's not writing related at all. =)
Which comes first...the plot of your story or your characters? I think that's something probably all of us have wondered about our favorite authors, and it's something we have to figure out in our own writing as well. It's different for everyone, and I think for some people (me included) it's different for every story.
Which is it for you? Do you come up with an amazing, detailed character and then craft a story around her (or him? or them?)? Or do you think up a basic concept for a story first?
Not sure which one you do? Think about You've Got Mail. And if you haven't seen that movie, I demand that you go watch it. Like, right now. =) Most likely you've seen it, so just work with me here.
If the characters came first in that movie (or well, technically the movie Shop Around the Corner, which this one's based on), then one day someone was sitting around and thought up Kathleen Kelly's character. "What if I wrote a story about a sweet woman who doesn't like conflict and loves books?" From there, whoever created the story would have had to think of a plot (because following around a woman who is sweet and likes books but who has no goal or purpose doesn't make for such a great movie...) and would have to build the plot based on the character they created.
If plot came first in this case, then someone sat around one day and said "Hey! What if I wrote a story about business rivals who accidentally fell in love online because they didn't know each other's true identities?" Then from there, they developed the characters and the other details of the plot.
How does it usually happen for you?
Most of the time, I'm character driven. A character will invade my head and as I think about them and get to know them, their story comes out and I piece together a plot that reflects their story. But every once in a while I'll get a vague concept for a story plot "hey--what if THIS happened?" and then I have to let that idea roll around in my head until my brain makes up characters that fit with it. (Yeah, I know how weird all of that sounds...) This is the first step for me in writing a new story.
So what about you? Character? Plot? Both?
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A whole lotta plot and a bit of character thrown in. A plot begins to brew and I start wondering who fits it...and there's often an assembly of characters restlessly roaming around my head until I discover their story. Hee hee.
ReplyDeleteThen, to make character and plot match, I tweak as needed. 8D
I think you stirred a need for a You've Got Mail re-watch. It's been too long...
I am sooo glad I'm not the only one with characters wandering around my head. =) Sounds like you have a good system going!
DeleteI'm definitely a character-driven writer. My characters make me want to write and my relationship-building scenes are often far more powerful than my action-building scenes. After all, most of the time I walk away from a book remembering the characters more so than the story itself. I guess I write with that in mind.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, I downloaded the free trial of Scrivener again and I LOVE it. I've gotten more done in 2 days with this software than a week in Word. :)
I have the same problem sometimes making sure I'm moving the action along and not just the character development. So now when I find I'm focusing too much on characters, since I'm writing romantic suspense, I just have someone shoot at them and it reminds me to build up the action too. ;)
DeleteI'm SO glad you gave Scrivener another try! How awesome is it once you figure it out?! And yay for productivity!
Oh goodness. My WIP is about a nerdy girl who works with her high school football team her senior year. Hopefully no one starts shooting at my main characters! Lol.
DeleteEverytime is different. Building ideas is something I struggle with. Bits and pieces will pop into my mind and I like them but putting the right pieces together is rough for me and its frustrating. For example, I think the song "wildflower" by Lauren Alaina woudl make a great YA MC but for months I haven't been able to get a plot. What is wrong with me?
ReplyDeleteI think putting the pieces together is something a lot of people struggle with. Do you write your ideas down when you have them? I can see writing snippets of plot or characters on index cards and then just grabbing a handful one day and trying to combine them. =)
DeleteNothing's wrong with you, don't worry! =) But there are ways, and maybe you've tried some of them, to get a plot out of your character. If you know your character well (like the one in the song--great way to get inspiration!) think about what dreams they would have, the worst thing that could happen to them, a big event that could rock their world, what could make them grow as a person, and sometimes plot can come out of that.
I do keep a list of pieces of ideas. I could keep a better one though I don't constantly have ideas. I should train muself, like see if I can find 3-5 sparks a day of something?! And then have a time once a week of something to go over them? Thinking through my fingers here. I was just going through some of my ideas I have written down. Some of them I see possibilities for good conflict but its not like I feel drawn to ideas or see them as some writers say they do. That's why I wonder if something's wrong with me or if I'm cut out to be a writer, my stories or so everyday.
DeleteTonya, I've been wanting to say something about your posts, but I figured I shouldn't because you want to hear from the real writers. That last one got me, though. Lol. You said your stories are so "everyday." What's wrong with that? Everyday life is relatable. Most people don't get out and do adventurous things all the time. If an author can take the everyday things and show the beauty and significance in them, then that's great! So often people overlook the simple things in life, but those are the things that build REAL lives. I highly recommend you listen to the song "Life is Beautiful" by the Afters. That song speaks to me every day... kind of like "Wildflower" speaks to you. You obviously enjoy writing or you wouldn't be here and just because you don't feel the way other writers do about some things doesn't mean you aren't cut out to be a writer. It just means that you write differently. So, don't get discouraged and don't leave room for doubt. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ashley! That's encouraging. I think I need to go listen to "life is beautiful" :)
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