# Character vs Plot



## GeekRaptor (Jun 18, 2015)

My Plot is complex, but set in a Space Opera Universe. Honestly, I prefer character over plot, because I want to write plenty of Romance. 

How might you resolve such a conflict in deciding a storyline?


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## RedSavage (Jun 18, 2015)

The way I see it is this.

Characters: The who. We have to have interesting, _likable_ characters. They don't necessarily have to be nice ones. Just likable OR interesting to read about. 

Plot: What happens? Literal. Without contextualization. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch the pail of water. Plot. 

Theme: What are some recurring imagery or concepts? Greed. Violence. The inescapable nature of evil. Etc. 

Once you get these things, readers can generally come to their own assumption of what a story is about, or what other possible meanings can be read from in between the lines of a story. The plot of Animal Farm is that some animals form awareness as well as a small government. What it's about is a warning about blind faith in government and a negative allegory for communism.


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## Schwimmwagen (Jun 18, 2015)

Personally I think of the "main character" to be the vehicle for a great plot.

Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter... I like none of those characters, but everything surrounding them entices me, which is why I'm happy to read and re-read (and watch) those stories despite each story being mostly through their eyes, and revolve around them.

The main character isn't _always_ that important.


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## GeekRaptor (Jun 18, 2015)

Idk, James T. Kirk may have been famous, but the whole crew might as well had been sharing the role of a protagonist.


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## RedSavage (Jun 18, 2015)

M





GeekRaptor said:


> Idk, James T. Kirk may have been famous, but the whole crew might as well had been sharing the role of a protagonist.




Star Trek was very plot driven with an ensemble cast. 
Number one rule of writing is you can break any rule so long as you pull it off well.


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## Cyanomega (Jun 18, 2015)

@ Geekraptor Said every redshirt ever. You know, right before there inevitable death after the introduction/away mission selection scene.


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## GeekRaptor (Jun 18, 2015)

part of me thinks my harem manga needs to give the female characters plenty of spotlight and storylines of their own.


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## Conker (Jun 18, 2015)

I've personally always tried to focus on characters first, but it's easier to do that when you're writing adventure stuff. PLots are simple there: Go quest.

I prefer a good character in a mediocre plot to the reverse though. A good character can sell anything.


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## Cyanomega (Jun 18, 2015)

To actually add something constructive to this disscution, I mainly write adventures for pen and paper RPGs I run. I'll always focus on the plot and where I want it to go first, then add the characters. Once you know the general outline of your story, create a detailed version of your npc and then rework your story to better fit the characters(after that I have to figure out the random bs my players might do) a couple of rewrites later and I'm good to go. I also like to act out scenes as that person or persons aloud to try and get the personality and mannerisms just right. I hope that's somewhat helpful. What works for a gm might be rubbish for a serious writer.


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## Plash (Jun 19, 2015)

I don't know how helpful this is, but I've been doing some research into writing lately and I recently came across something that might be constructive. Forgive me if any of this is blindingly obvious or unnecessary.

According to John Yorke we have 2D and 3D characters, with the difference being whether or not the character changes over time. James Bond has typically been a 2D character because he doesn't change over the course of the story: he has a goal in mind and he goes to meet it. He's static: he has a goal, and he's not typically going to up sticks and abandon that goal for something else. He starts out with a mission, and he'll end with that mission, even if he beds a few beautiful women along the way.

In contrast, a 3D character is someone who abandons their initial desire for a more meaningful one. They have a _want_, which they swap out for a _need_ later on. To take an example: Sulley in _Monsters Inc_ wants to break the scare record at his workplace. But when Boo arrives, he abandons that goal in favour of getting Boo home safe and sound. He changes as a person and learns something about himself as a result of his experiences.

I bring this up because I think I'm not really sure what your problem is: it kind of sounds like the issue is you're not sure what _type_ of story you want to write. Do you want an all-out, exciting adventure where your characters are pretty much static and established? Do you want to get inside their heads, and see them grow and change in response to their challenges, whilst in pursuit of a goal? Or do you want some kind of happy medium between the two?

I also think that this whole 2D/3D thing I mentioned can be overlaid over your whole plot/character thing. The former will be about action, and excitement, and intrigue, and characters that start and end pretty much in the same place. The latter will be focussed on your characters, their inner conflicts and their interaction with others. At least, it is in my mind as I type this out.

I should stress that there isn't really a _wrong_ choice here. But ultimately I feel you have to pin down what you want your story to be _about: _do you want an epic space opera adventure with fairly static, unchanging characters, or do you really want to play up the romance angle and how your characters succeed or fail in pursuit of that? The space opera angle can certainly come into play with the second option, but without knowing anything about what you're writing or what you really want about a story I can only really speak very generally. Hope this is of some small help.


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## Pinky (Jun 19, 2015)

Characters are what makes the plot. A good plot can be ruined with bad characters but not vice versa. That's the way I see it. I've read a few stories with a good plot but had boring and bland character that made me not want to read it again.


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## WhiteTigerShiro (Jun 25, 2015)

Schwimmwagen said:


> Personally I think of the "main character" to be the vehicle for a great plot.
> 
> Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter... I like none of those characters, but everything surrounding them entices me, which is why I'm happy to read and re-read (and watch) those stories despite each story being mostly through their eyes, and revolve around them.
> 
> The main character isn't _always_ that important.


Case in Point: "Mad Max: Fury Road". Despite the movie itself being named after him, Max is arguably the least important character in the entire thing.

As for the whole "Character vs Plot", go with whichever you want the story to focus on more. If you want to tell the story for the sake of establishing the characters, then spend more time with them and less on driving the plot. Meanwhile if you want to push the events of the plot, then focus on that with only occasional breaks for "character moments". It's all in what you as the story writer want to tell people.


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