Plot-Driven vs. Character-Driven Stories

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Character or Plot-driven Stories?

Character-Driven or Action-Driven?

Plot vs Character Driven Novels

Examples of Character-Driven and Plot-Driven films

Character-Driven Vs. Plot Driven: Which is Best

Character-Driven vs. Plot-Driven – Which Should You Use?

On the Many Different Engines That Power a Short Story

From https://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2016/10/character-or-plot-driven-stories.html:

Many writers may not be aware that there are choices when it comes to how they approach their stories, and not many writers stop to think what kind of story they’re telling. There are, however, two types of story that are often referred to: Plot-driven and Character-driven, and they each serve the story differently. Most commercial fiction is plot-driven. In other words, the plot and the unfolding events linked to it drive the story forward. The characters revolve around that plot, rather than a secondary plot revolving around the characters. In character-driven stories, the opposite is true. The unfolding story revolves entirely around the characters and the plot takes a back seat in terms of importance. But which one should you use? That depends entirely what you want from your story and the genre you choose. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, so it’s important to not only choose the right one for your story, but to know it’s the right one and that it will fit with the type of story you’re telling. So what are the differences between them?

Character-driven Stories

In these types of stories, the plot tends to be less developed than the characters. That’s because the emphasis is placed on the personal growth, development and inner turmoil of the main characters, and therefore the plotline is seen as less important. Character-driven stories are noticeably less action-driven and tend to concentrate on the emotions, sentiment and conflicts and motivations of the main character(s) in relation to the story. They concentrate on internal conflicts and relationships more so than the external conflicts that can be found in plot-driven stories. They tend to use the emotional development and growth of characters to drive the story forward, rather than use a plot to move things along. These kinds of stories suit certain genres, which is why you will find that romance, fantasy and literary novels are almost certainly character-driven, since there is a heavy emphasis and influence of the character’s inner feelings and emotions that are developed as the story unfolds. Novels such as The Girl on the Train, The Catcher in the Rye, The Kite Runner and Sense and Sensibility are great examples of character-driven stories. The style and language, in literary fiction in particular, also lends itself to focus completely on the character rather than the crux of the story, simply because there is less need for explosions and guns and all manner of action. The usual fare of commercial fiction is less significant. The advantages of these stories is that it allows the writer to indulge in their characters; they dictate the story, so the emotional depth and feeling is very well explored, but the downside is that the heart of story – the plot – suffers and doesn’t have as much detail as it should.

Plot-driven Stories

Unlike the sedate charm of character-driven stories, plot-driven stories are focused on the nitty-gritty of the story; the action, the multiple events, incidents and turning points and how they affect the characters, particularly the varied external conflicts and the turmoil they create. The plot is the focus – it’s about how the story evolves, how sub plots are part of the main story arc and how plot twists help drive the story forward. Whereas the character-driven stories are heavily influenced by emotional development, in plot-driven stories, the action takes centre stage. While characters may be well drawn, these types of stories rely more on the swiftly evolving inner mechanics of the story rather than the characters. The likes of action thrillers, crime novels, horror, psychological thriller, science-fiction and urban fantasy tend to be plot-driven, such as the Hunger Games, The Da Vinci Code or the Maze Runner. The advantages of plot-driven stories are that the heart of the story is fully developed, as are the sub-plots and relevant plot twists. This makes for an engaging read. The drawback is that characters may not be as fully realised, certainly not to the thoughtful detail of character-driven stories. If you want to tell a story from beginning to end in a way that involves the reader with the events, turning points, plot developments, tension, atmosphere and action, then a plot-driven story will be the best choice. If, however, you want your story to focus on the inner feelings, conflicts, aspirations, goals and tensions as the character progresses on their journey of discovery, then a character-driven story is the best choice. But isn’t it possible you have a mix of both?  In truth, many novels do achieve this. They tend to be neither one nor the other and are often balanced with some thoughtful plotting and deep character analysis, but on the whole, most novels fall into either category in the way they are written. The genre and type of novel you want to write tends to dictate the style of the plot, so it’s wise to think about what exactly you want from your story. If you really want to focus of your characters, then it will be character drive. If you’re a plotter, then it’s very likely you’ll create a plot-driven novel. The choice is yours, but choose carefully.

From https://newbietonovelist.com/2021/04/23/plot-vs-character-driven-novels/:

Your story might be PLOT driven if…

• You could replace the main characters with different characters and the story would still come to the same basic outcome
• The predominant question/goal of the character is something external
  • Will she claim the throne, will he catch the killer, will they save the world?
• Your protagonist is set upon defeating a specific villain
• Most scenes either work to increase or overcome tension or obstacles in the plot
• The ideas for the story arc came to you before you came up with a character sketch
• The world has significantly shifted by the end of the story

Your story might be CHARACTER driven if…

• Your characters are fighting something inside themselves
• Your characters must deal with their internal struggles to move forward
• The predominant question/goal of the character is something internal
  • Will she overcome her grief? Will he find forgiveness? Will they learn to love again?
• Most scenes work to either progress your character to change or regress to their starting state
• You thought of your characters first, developed who they are, their backstory (their flaws, etc.) before you knew the events that would in the story
• The world remains more or less the same by the end, but your character’s viewpoint has significantly shifted

Why is it important to understand the driving force of your story?

Identifying your style preference will help you balance the two critical story components. 

If you know you are plot driven, this might require you to spend a little more time exploring your characters to give them depth and growth.

If you know you are character driven, your plotline might take a couple extra revisions to shine.

Can it be both?

Here’s my secret, Cap, I blur the lines like water color. I lean heavily into character and plot. Even when I’m planning out a new novel idea, I will get a concept first––a cool idea, so to speak. Then as I think more about that idea the characters and plot with simultaneously and meticulously come out of the ether.

I prefer my character arc to impact the plot and the plot arc to influence the character in cyclical measure.

At the end of the day, if I had to pick, I’d identify more as a plot driven writer by the sheer fact that I tend to keep my pacing full of action-packed “protagging”. 

If you’re like me and sit on a razor thin line, don’t stress! Write the story that is living in your heart and know that while there is the two main styles, writers write within every shade in between.

Can it be neither?

To this I answer, yes, anything’s possible. These are the two styles that most stories break down into, but sure if you wanted to write a full narrative where the driving force was revolving around a specific location or setting.

Or perhaps there is a specific concept that’s driving your novel and the plot and characters fall second in the progression of narrative development.

From https://www.inspiredlinesediting.com/blog/character-driven-vs-plot-driven-which-should-you-use:

There are two types of conflict that can arise in your story: internal and external. Both of these offer different things to your story, it just depends what you want to focus on and what reaction you want from your reader.

These two conflicts also tend to go hand-in-hand with plot- or character-driven stories.

So, what are plot- and character-driven stories, and which one is best for you?

Plot-Driven

When you write a plot-driven narrative, you’re focusing on events. A plot-driven story features an external conflict, usually in the form of a villain or physical antagonist. There is less emphasis on the character’s own development and more attention paid to the obstacles they face and their end goal. A plot-driven novel is usually greatly affected by the physical world and how it helps or hinders them in reaching their goal.

Examples:

The Percy Jackson series

The Lord of the Rings series

The Hunger Games series

Key features:

• A goal to work towards
• An external conflict
• The setting is more significant
• More action

Character-Driven

A character-driven plot revolves around, you guessed it, the characters. Unlike plot-driven narratives, this style focuses on an internal conflict, an inner struggle or demon that needs to be overcome. In this style you’ll focus more on character relations and their development; the physical world may not be of as much significance within the character’s own story. A character-driven story focuses on their choices and actions, and is more likely to include an unpredictable ending. Character-driven stories are typically considered “literary fiction” because the story focuses on people rather than events.

Examples:

Atonement by Ian McEwin

Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Key features:

• Internal conflict
• More character reflection
• Less action
• Setting is of less significance
• Potentially unpredictable ending

From https://nybookeditors.com/2017/02/character-driven-vs-plot-driven-best/:

How to Write a Plot-Driven Story

Now, let’s discuss what to keep in mind when you’re writing your plot-driven story.

1. Remember that characters push the story forward.

The story shouldn’t move the characters like lifeless game pieces. It’s the characters that should move the story forward. The characters’ choices should impact the story and not be inconsequential.

While things will happen to the characters, your story is in how the characters respond to those things. And to figure out how your characters will and should respond to those circumstances, you must be clear on who your characters are.

Your story isn’t just about the character being acted upon, it’s also the character causing the action.

2. Take into account the character’s back story.

When deciding how the character will interact with the scene and drive the plot forward, you need to know more about the character.

One of the best things you can do to develop your characters is to create a character bible. This is especially important if you’re writing a plot-driven story and are afraid your characters may fall flat or come across as stereotypical or cookie-cutter.

3. Ask yourself about the character’s motivation.

Here’s a rapid-fire set of questions for you:

What’s the character’s motivation in every scene?

Why is the character making this decision and not that one?

What in the character’s background has led them to make this decision?

There’s no need to reveal an entire backstory to the reader. In fact, I’d rather you don’t. But it’s important that you know the motivation and that it’s consistent with your characterization. When you understand what’s motivating your character(s) to act, you can drop hints throughout your story. This can feel your readers understand your characters and feel more connected to them.

How to Write a Character-Driven Story

When you’re writing a character-driven story, you still need to inject cause and effect. Here’s how:

1. Make sure the characters you create are actually doing something.

Your characters must interact and respond to their environment. In fact, that environment should in some way shape your characters. Your task is to decide how that environment does just that.

2. Don’t weaken the story to keep your characters “perfect”.

Perfect is boring. Oftentimes we, as writers, fall in love with a hero or heroine, and want to show only the good sides of him or her. We put that character in situations or circumstances where he or she will obviously win. But you need tension and doubt within your story. You need to create a read where the reader doesn’t know for sure if or how the character will overcome this obstacle.

You’ll do that by not going easy on the story.

A realistic character is a messy character. They’re going to make choices that the reader doesn’t agree with. That’s okay. In fact, it’s essential. It shows that the character is “real” and vulnerable.

3. Ask yourself this one question:

What’s the worse thing that can happen?

Now, throw it at your character(s). How do they respond? It may just surprise you.

Every now and then, you need to challenge your characters with the worst-case scenario. And, make it an external threat, not just an internal one. This is how the characters really learn what they’re made of– and the readers, too.

From https://writersstore.com/blogs/news/character-driven-or-action-driven:

Most writers have a preference for one style of writing over another. Some writers are more adept at developing complex, interesting, and quirky characters. Others excel at page-turning action. The lucky ones are writers who are good at creating both the Character Emotional Development plotline and the Dramatic Action plotline. Become aware of your strength and learn to address your weakness, and you, too, can become one of the lucky ones.

Broadly speaking, writers who prefer writing action-driven stories focus on logical thinking, rational analysis, and accuracy. Action-driven writers tend to rely more on the left side of their brain. These writers approach writing as a linear function and see the story in its parts. Action-driven writers like structure. They usually pre-plot or create an outline before writing. Action-driven writers have little trouble expressing themselves in words.

On the other hand, writers who write character-driven stories tend to focus on aesthetics and feelings, creativity and imagination. These writers access the right side of their brains and enjoy playing with the beauty of language. They are more intuitive, and like to work things out on the page. Character-driven writers are holistic and subjective. They can synthesize new information, but are somewhat (or more) disorganized and random. They see the story as the whole. Right brain writers may know what they mean, but often have trouble finding the right words.

The Test

Take the test to see whether you are stronger at developing Character Emotional Development plotlines or Dramatic Action plotlines.

Fill in the Character Emotional Development Plot Profile below for your protagonist (the character who is most changed by the dramatic action), any other major viewpoint characters and, if there is one, the character who represents the major antagonist for the protagonist.

1. Protagonist’s overall story goal:
2. What stands in his/her way of achieving this goal:
3. What does he/she stand to lose, if not successful:
4. Flaw or greatest fault:
5. Greatest strength:
6. Hates:
7. Loves:
8. Fear:
9. Secret:
10. Dream:

Results

1. Writers who filled out 1-3 with ease prefer writing Dramatic Action.
2. Writers who filled in 4- 10 with ease prefer Character Emotional Development.
3. Writers who filled in everything with ease find both the Dramatic Action and the Character Emotional Development plotlines come easy.

Analysis

Without a firm understanding of points 1-3, you have no front story. The Dramatic Action plotline is what gets the reader turning the pages. Without it there is no excitement on the page.

Without a firm understanding of points 4-10, you are more likely to line up the action pieces of your story, arrange them in a logical order and then draw conclusions. Yet, no matter how exciting the action, this presentation lacks the human element. Such an omission increases your chances of losing your audience’s interest; readers read 70% for character.

Plot Tips for Dramatic Action Plot Writers to Strengthen the Character Emotional Development Plotline

1. Try using your own flaw, fear, and/or Secret – we all have them.
2. What you filled out for #4-10 of the Character Emotional Development Profile is a mere skimming of the surface, like the first draft of any story. Even so, tack it up next to your computer. Over time, as you continue writing and come to know your characters better, the information will deepen. The longer you work, the deeper you will dig, the more significant your story will become.
3. Look for opportunities to incorporate more patterning, metaphors, and analogies into your writing.
4. Look for opportunities to role-play and use visual aides.
5. Stop writing periodically and move your body during your writing time.
6. Reread the information above that covers the less dominant side of your writing.
7. Writers with a strength in creating Dramatic Action usually think in sequence and are list makers. Since you have no trouble processing symbols, you actually enjoy making an advanced plan on a linear form such as a Plot Planner.
8. After plotting out the Dramatic Action, use a different color pen and plot out a Character Emotional Development plotline. To create logical conclusions, look for clues as to how the dramatic action causes changes in the character emotional development.

For Character Emotional Development Plot Writers to Strengthen the Dramatic Action Plotline

1. Use goals of your own and insert them into the context of the story – to finish, what? To organize, what? To accomplish, what?
2. Writers who write about Character Emotional Development have a more random writing style and rebel at anything as structured as a Scene Tracker or Plot Planner. Yet, because you like things concrete and benefit from seeing, feeling, or touching the real object, you keep coming back to the idea of developing a Plot Planner. You know intuitively that a plan will keep you on track and help you survive to the end of a completed project.
3. Because the right side of the brain is color sensitive, use one color to plot out the Character Emotional Development scenes and use a different color to show the Dramatic Action, and yet another to show the Thematic Significance.
4. Schedule a walk during your writing time and set the timer. Imagine yourself plotting out your scenes in sequence. The act of seeing yourself plotting will help you actually do it.
5. Start with the Climax of your story, and work backwards. Using your intuition, pay attention to coherence and meaning. Link Dramatic Action to the changes in your characters emotional development.
6. Since you like to back up everything visually, hang a Plot Planner and/or Scene Tracker on a wall near your computer. These will help you remember the sequence of your story as you rewrite and rewrite until your story shows the meaning you want it to convey.

These are just some of the differences that exist between character-driven writers and action-driven writers, but you can see the pattern. Writers who lean more toward creating the Character Emotional Development plotline now know you can be flexible and adapt the Plot Planner to make such a structured approach work for you. Likewise, those of you who are predominantly left-brain know that it would be wise to use both sides of the brain and employ some right brain strategies.

We tend to process and use information from our dominant side. However, the writing process is enhanced when both sides of the brain participate in a balanced manner.