Comments on: Plots – Are Your Characters Driving or Are You?

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:09:35 +0000

I'm with everyone who advised you to trust your instincts. You know these characters best and so can decide what's in keeping.

I do quite like a good fake engagement though, so am a bit sad it's gone.

:-)

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:01:18 +0000

Yep, that’s exactly right, Joanne. Makes sense to me!

By: Joanne Cleary

Joanne Cleary — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:21:49 +0000

I think sticking with your instincts is good advice and you can't go far wrong.

My take on the plot dilemma is that your characters do what they do because of who they are. If they did something different (because say they were my characters) that would be the difference between my plot and yours. Or someone else's.

Hmm, I hope that makes sense, it made so much sense in my head until I started to write it down!!

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:20:23 +0000

Oh yes, exactly Michelle. As I was composing this post I was thinking that the decisions made by the characters are the result of who they are and this is linked to their internal conflict rather than what’s happeneing externally. It’s quite complicated isn’t it?
Interesting re Twilight. And yes, neither protagonists there do anything but long for each other which makes it very static. Maybe that was why it annoyed me so much.
Hmmm, have to think about the secondaries driving the plot. I may still be guilty of that…

By: Michelle Styles

Michelle Styles — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:32:56 +0000

Actually plot and character are linked. The only way to reveal character is through events.
What you are really saying is that the internal personal stakes are driving the story, much more than the external public stakes.
It has to be more than yearning to the internal relationship dynamic or otherwise, like Twilight you suddenly need lots of secondaries to drive the plot forward.

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:31:03 +0000

Oh and Rach, as my father would say ‘rhubarb juice!’. Your post is fab. At least you’ve got some editorial comment to back yours up! 🙂

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:29:52 +0000

Funny you should say that, Lacey. Instinct is just something I was thinking ‘hmmm, perhaps I should post on that too’. Not that I have much to say about it!

By: Lacey Devlin

Lacey Devlin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:52:14 +0000

Well... I'm late aren't I?

I'm almost tempted to tell you to keep it just because it's already gone ;) Contrary aren't I?

I'm a fan of instinct though I don't know how trustworthy my own are. Looking forward to your post on that. Happy rewriting ;)

By: Rachael Johns

Rachael Johns — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:36:00 +0000

Posted my post but it’s NO WHERE near as articulate as yours!!

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:45:22 +0000

No, I know what you mean Rach. Definitely it's my instinct and not what someone's told me. When I found myself having to reorganise and add to my heroine's past and conflict just to get her to say that she was engaged, I thought that I was heading down the wrong track. I was definitely MAKING her do it, she wasn't going to do it herself. Which meant I was forcing her to do something she wouldn't do and thus act out of character. Now I've rewritten it, I don't have to manipulate her backstory at all, it just flows naturally from her character.

Of course, I could be completely wrong and the whole thing is a mistake! :-)

Be keen to read your post when you do get to post it!