Plot and Character, the Two Great Variables

When you are writing, there are--at the most basic level--two variables in your story. The flow of the plot, and the characters. The plot is that thread you weave throughout the pages of your book, you twist you turn, you knot it into a brilliant tapestry that leaves yoru readers guessing at every turn. The plot is what keeps your reader up at night, what keeps them wanting to know what happens next, and apparently what gets you fangirls. That last bit is just personal experience.

A lot of writers can come up with a halfway decent plot without much trouble. Just throw a few dragons in there, a betrayed brother, an assassination attempt, and a feuding set of countries and you're good. What these writers--and I was one of them for a long time--fail to realize is that plot will not drawn in without character. Yes, it can be fascinating, but if you have bland caharacters, there is no substance.

Ultimately, we pick up a book and read a slice of a character or multiple character's life. The book may be about a civil war between two halves of the elven nation, but it has to be viewed through someone's eyes. And if that person is uninteresting, so will be the story.

What I'm saying is that any plot is uninteresting without interesting characters.

On the flip side of the coin, interesting characters without any significant plot will typically just meander. They'll have interesting dialog and perhaps a few exciting incidents, but there will be nothing driving you forward. An excellent example of this can come from TV shows. I'm assuming I'm going to be somewhat hated for this, but please... This is my blog. Shut up.

NCIS is a character based show. There are occasionally over-arcing plots that pull you forward and make you want to watch the next episode, but they are not going on the entire show. NCIS has some pretty awesome character interaction, but at least for me, the stickyness--or long-term viewer retaining--is low. Now, let's take a look at a plot driven show, one of my favorites: 24. Good characters, but there are certainly shows with better ones. Yet, sit someone down to watch two episodes and they suddenly can't wait for the next two. It's like TV crack.

I use 24 because it provides a perfect example of what a good plot requires: a ticking time bomb. Not necessarily a real one like in 24, but something that the hero(es) has to race against to 'win' or to save the day. It could be an actual bomb, an invading army, a political plot, etc. The point is that there have to be clear stakes. Furthermore, the stakes need to threaten death. And again, this does not neccessarily have to be literal. It could be physical death, but it could also be the death of relationship, the death of a job, etc.

The point here is that a good book needs good characters--one(s) who's personalities and personal issues are very clearly defined--and a good plot--one that threatens death and gives the hero(es) a deadline. Lean two much towards having only one of those and your book might start to suck.