Mythic Scribes discussion

Is plot or character more important to good storytelling?

What are your thoughts as both an author and as a reader?

Here are some thoughts from author K.M. Weiland:

http://mythicscribes.com/plot/plot-or...

I would say both, a book falls down if either are week but if I had to choose I would say characters take the fore. Strong, well written characters can carry a weak plot. That is what I think anyway:)

A superb character can exist on its own, with scant or minimal plot (see Robert Nye's "Merlin" or "Falstaff" or "Faust" if you don't believe me). But there's no such thing as a brilliant plot without at least serviceable characters.

The events that unfold in any story are initiated BY characters. There is no story without a character. It might not be a human or even a sentient character... but there WILL be a character through which the story achieves relevance in the heart and mind of the reader.

I think the real question is "How do plot and character serve each other?" or "How can a writer utilize plot to enhance the reader's engagement/investment in a character and or define a set of characters that inspire an engaging plot?"

Often plot, the arc of a story line, can be described by how a character changes. Thus, character and plot develop together.

Not every great story has to have this, but one can plausibly see a story changing when the character changes from one type of mind to another, makes a life-changing decision, has some new and important realization.

A character who lacks insight can grow in insight. What causes a character to change? Suffering, great regret, new love; lots of things can trigger change in character, and when that happens, the character makes things happen, and the plot heads somewhere new.

I would say both, but if you don't have a good plot, your story is flat, to me.

In a way plot and character are the same thing. To me it's bit like saying plot or plot, or character or character.

More accurately, I prefer the internal change over the external change.

Neither. The setting is more important. Without it there is no place for the character or the plot.

I'm going to revive this topic by posting my two cents worth. My view is that they're equally important. Characters are needed to move the plot forward via their motives, secrets and desires. without plot, there's nothing interesting for the characters to do, and as a result, nothing interesting for the reader to read.