Character writers (CW) develop the plot around their main character,
or MC. Plot writers (PW) develop characters for their plots. Both sides have
their pros and cons. Both CWs and PWs have their strengths and weaknesses.
I’m a plot writer.
Imagine playing a game of hide and seek. Or manhunt. Pretty
much the same thing, but hide and seek is babyish. Anyways, you’re IT and the
rest of the players are divided into two teams: Plots and Characters.
When I open my eyes, I find the Plots first because they
hide in the places I’d hide. The Characters think different than I do. They
hide in spots I’d never expect. When I’m not looking their way, they make a
dash for the base. Sometimes, they beat me by a longshot. Other times, I’m
within a fingertip’s length of yelling, “Gotcha!”
And as the Characters are safe, they taunt me. “Missed me, missed
me, now you gotta kiss me!” And if it’s a hot dude and I try, they push me away
easily and think I’m insane. That is, crazier than I actually am.
It’s vice versa for CWs out there.
It doesn’t matter if you have the best of the best plot out
there. It doesn’t matter if you have the most complex character out there. You
need to be able to take the best of both worlds. I think that most writers can
be divided into those two basic categories. I also believe that no writer is
born with the BOTH the abilities of writing page turning plots or crafting the
most believable character. It’s something you have to learn.
For me, characters don’t really come alive and jump off the
page and try to take over the real world. They become dummies for a plot. Think
of Link in the Legend of Zelda. Epic games, but Link is just an avatar for the
players to save Hyrule through. They do what I want, not what they want.
Advice for Plot
Writers:
Crafting the MC to make him/her believable is important, but
don’t forget the others! I guess it’s possible to make the character the last
human/animal/ghost/alien/etcetera left, and so you only have to develop your
MC, but what’s the point of having him/her survive? It’s impossible, or else
you won’t have a story.
Put your MC and other characters through situations that aren’t
in the plot. Ask them questions, even if it is an epic fantasy, about real life
situations. And write them. Great writing AND character exercise. Pick and
choose several from below.
1)
Would the character accept the answers from a friend
for a major test coming up?
2)
Would the character text in class?
3)
Would the character stand up to a mugging by three
masked, huge men? Or would he/she help the robbers?
4)
Would the character make up rumors to get revenge?
5)
What would the character do if he/she was forced to
take ballet?
6)
Would the character make friends with the new kid, or
ridicule him?
7)
What would the character do if someone insulted him/her
to his/her face?
8)
Would the character throw a party (if he/she is old enough)
if his/her parents left for the weekend?
9)
Would the character have a secret boyfriend/girlfriend
if his/her parents didn’t approve of him/her dating?
10) Would the character ever pretend to like/be
friends/love someone to blackmail them later?
11) Would
the character ever consider committing suicide if he/she was charged with a
crime he/she didn’t commit and sentenced to life?
Another thing you can do is write the
character’s past. You don’t have to include it in your story, but it can help
you gain a better understanding of the character.
Advice
for Character Writers:
You need to find out what your character wants the most. Maybe he/she
wants to save the world. Maybe he/she wants to bring back his dead parents.
Maybe he/she wants a special someone to notice him/her.
Choose one, and that’s the basic story. Let’s say Bob is five, and he
really, really wants a candy bar. If his parents just handed him the chocolate,
there wouldn’t be a story. There needs to be obstacles.
Maybe Bob is overweight. To get that candy bar, he must lose weight. Maybe
Bob’s parents are super strict. Maybe Bob must convince them that he MUST have
that candy bar.
For a more ‘mature’ example, let’s say Ellie wants to become a YouTube
star, because her mom’s dream was to be an actress, and she has terminal cancer.
Ellie is far more complex than Bob is. She will be balancing school, friends
and her mother’s illness. Now, you need to make it extremely hard for her to
fulfill her dream.
Both sections are good for every writer. If you are a CW, but want to know
a character better, look through the advice for PWs. If you are a PW but stuck
on a plot, look through the CW section. Every writer can benefit from advice
from all areas.
Happy writing!
~Reine~
Challenge: Can YOU write a short story detailing Bob's candy bar journey? Post the link and I'd love to read it.
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