There comes a point in every story that I’ve ever attempted to write where I start to complain about the personalities that I gave my characters. Mostly because my main characters tend to be very introverted, very content with life, and quite unmotivated to get involved in things that aren’t their business, which is not exactly a recipe for high adventure and heroics, is it?
On the other hand, if you let your characters run free in a huge over-world type of place, they might spend the entire adventure fishing, collecting rupees, and betting on dog races while the princess just sits in a dungeon waiting to be rescued. (Please pardon the video game derived examples.)
So how is one to find a balance between these characters and plots? Are there rules about giving each 50% or giving one more than the other? Am I doomed because I came up with my characters before a plot or vice versa? These are all questions in which I get very wrapped up.
The sad truth; if your characters aren’t doing anything AT ALL for your plot then maybe you shouldn’t have put them in your story in the first place.
Seriously, if you were out to write a story about daring feats and courageous adventures, you should have written a daring and courageous hero. If you didn’t want a reluctantly taken hardship that’ll require a lot growth by its end, you shouldn’t have made up a reluctant hero.
Basically, this is when I need to step back from the characters and the plot and look at the story as a whole. What is it about? Where is it going? Why are you even telling it?
Shouldn't people be able to say that your characters and plot mesh up well? If the story is meant to be funny, there are things that you can set up for that. A Funny Man and a Straight Man can lead to great hijinks. Or maybe even a couple of crazy kids with one very sane girl. The plot will only get nutty from there.
"Remember: Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations. Plot is observed after the fact rather than before. It cannot precede action. It is the chart that remains when an action is through. That is all Plot ever should be. It is human desire let run, running, and reaching a goal. It cannot be mechanical. It can only be dynamic. So, stand aside, forget targets, let the characters, your fingers, body, blood, and heart do." -Ray Bradbury
How would you categorize this story if you had to do so? Do the different elements of the story match up with you definition? If not, then it might be time to take another look at your setup or maybe your definition.
You want heroics? Make your characters heroic! You want forward momentum? Move events along! And when in doubt, just see where the people and events in your story go when you’re not complaining about where they’re going.
In conclusion; characters and plots go hand in hand. Characters will make choices that move events along and events will move your characters along.
That’s my writing related rant for the day. Thanks for reading! TTYL.
