The Mighty Pen Writing Club discussion

When you read/write, is one more important than another?
What usually comes first for you - characters, or the plot?

I get this weird bundle--a character comes into my head with a central plot conflict already wrapped up in their problems. But then it takes a heck of a lot of development after that.

I get a lot of characters, but then it's like...what to do with them! I think I try and over-complicate things about the plot---I try to make a 1st draft plot have HARRY POTTER epicness and it gets mind-boggling

Haha Jillian, I read the first part of your post and INCACERCON immediately came to mind!

What did you mean about Stephenie Meyer, though? Like, did you mean that things seem to happen to the characters too easily, without a lot of conflict? If that's what you meant, I certainly agree.

Yeah, good point. It seems that all the drama in TWILIGHT was on an internal level - how Bella feels about this and that... and not so much on external action.

Jillian -always aspiring- wrote: "Yes, I agree wholeheartedly on that front about Incarceron.

That IS what I meant about Stephenie Meyer. :) I felt she gave her heroine, Bella, everything without giving her many consequences de..."

I agree with you with the whole Twilight thing. All I remember while reading the books in the Saga was that "Bella is making dumb decisions" and later the consequences given to her are sometimes not enough for me. I'm not hating Twilight-- I like Twilight a lot actually but I'm sometimes annoyed by the characters.

By the way, I like the link that shows you how to finish a novel ;)

The plot by far. I love all of my characters like children, but in the end, they're just my puppets :D

My characters are puppets, too! And I am the PUPPET-MASTER!!

good metaphor :D

*laughs maniacally* Okay, I'm random, but that made me think of this . (Lord of the Rings fans should appreciate it :)

*resuming serious writer facade*

lol xD
loving the characters with all your heart :D Like they were real people, huh? :D

Haha yes, except its legal to kill a character

to me both plot and characters are important. The plot must not be too difficult to follow and the characters need to be deep. To like reading about them even if you don't sympathise with them wholeheartedly.

I wish my character were puppets.
They seem to have a mind of their own. They do un expected things in my story.
Some have been for the better, but some have been really bad.

For example: My MC has now (unexpectedly) been omitted to an asylum, and his colleuges must rescue him :S
Mind you, i can edit it out later-but still. I did *not* see that coming.

I most DEFINITELY look at the plot first. Sometimes I make the character's name while making the plot, but that's only to make it more firm. I do no characterization until I make up the plot. It's easier that way for me, so then I can create the different situations and reactions they'll have.

Both characters and plot are as equally important to me.

My characters name themselves, its sooo weird. Like, as I'm imagining the scene in my head they will call each other random names and those will be the names because now if I try to name them anything else it doesn't sound right!

That happens to me too! See, my characters DO have a mind of their own! They really will slap in day for their pasts. And yes, of course they've picked their own names! I sympathise with you Catherine.
:)

yeah, plot definitely comes first for me.

Though in my current-writting, it start with me drawing because I was bored.
I drew a man dressed smartly, with a gun in his hand, in front of London Parliment.

Thats how my story evolved.
I thought of a plot around that MC.

Do you write in order? Because I used to, thinking that if I wrote scenes out of order, the plot would get all out of sync, but write now I'm trying to push myself to write a particular scene, and I'm just not feelin it. Hahaha.
It's the story that you helped me on :P

ooh, thats a *great* story.
But i think i may have mentioned that once or twice already.

Yes. I do write in order.
As much as i dont like it, i make my self write in order, because then its hard to go back and do those (boring) scenes again.

For me, writing gout of order is like...watching THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. I know whats gonna happen, but it doesnt feel writing skipping to the good parts.
But thats just me.
Hopefully that makes a little sense?

yep. I just did a lot of "..." to fill in later, but I got through the scene
^-^
thanks!

I map it all out in order, but especially for the new one I'm working on it's really hard to write in order because it's two stories in one, so I'm trying to write the minor story first because then the other one will evolve around that. Oh, and I also wrote the epilogue already too, lol

I'd have to say characters. It's what drives a story. If you are into a character, you will follow her/him anywhere. Even if a plot is fantastic, if I don't care about the character I'm not into a story. You look at what agents are requesting too and many of them mention great characters, but they rarely mention good plot.

Ellipses are lifesavers! I like to plot every scene, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll finish the scene :P

...
for a moment I was wondering what ellipse is. it's this right (...)???
If so it's the same word in greek... And the (...) thingy is called "elliptika".
So much for the greek language!
^^

Little plot bunnies start infesting my brain at first. And then, if I nurture these plot bunnies, feed them some awesome tunes, give attention and a mass quantity of imagination, they grow. This is when I first get a first glimpse of my main character.

If I'm lucky the MC is fully formed, has a defined personality and history, all I have to do is "ask" him/her questions. This does not happen very often. Most times I have to work on my characters, build them. I do this when I'm doing mindless tasks like showering, cleaning the house, driving long distances, etc. Building characters takes a long time because I still have to ask him/her questions but starting from scratch, which sucks.

There are times when a character is frantic to get their story out and it feels as though I'm almost channeling him/her while I'm typing. And they're showing/telling me their story so quickly I'm like, "okay, slow down! I can't type that fast!"

I've only had that happen three or four times, really. All those times produced some of my absolute favorite scenes.

Also, I don't write my stories in order. When I first started writing I tried, but I quickly discovered that I can't control what order the story comes to me.

Some days, I feel more like I have cannibal rabbits; ideas tend to combine and then disappear. *sigh* One of these days, I'll actually remember all of my ideas.

Jordan wrote: "Some days, I feel more like I have cannibal rabbits; ideas tend to combine and then disappear. *sigh* One of these days, I'll actually remember all of my ideas."

It's okay, Jordan, I feel the same way. -_-

bunnies are eating me alive!!!!!

I always get the two main characters first. Sometimes I get the main conflict with that, but then I always have to figure out what happens to get them there.
I have to write in order, or else I write the few scenes I'm sure about and lose interest. I've tried writing out of order once...it didn't end well.

I usually make the characters and the plot together. and later, they will grow and become better, or even change.
I usually think about the main plot, and then I'll think of the details and others along the way.

I write down the bunnies and tell them to BUGGER OFF!!! I'm like trying to concentrate please!!! No time for you bunnies! Or I'll make you stifado (a greek dish with bunnyies - or is it rabbit? whatever. they both have those ears right? Besides, i don't even like it).

My dystopian is definitely more plot-based, at the moment.

I have the 2 MCs mapped out, and the bad guy (or at least one of them - the president...I know...so Hunger Games :P) but none of the other characters

This is one of the ones where I put more emphasis on the plot at the moment. My dystopian actually freaks me out, cause I take current events and say "could things get worse?" and the answer is always "yes"! I can't really spend much time on my dys. at the moment, because it does freak me out so much

The plot comes first but I always have at least one main character in mind. Now what kind of personality that character has is not thought of yet, just that they are the main character and this is what happens to them and so forth.

My favorite part of writing is thinking of all my characters. What they look like, their names, a little bit about them, and then setting them free on paper.

ehmagosh! Same! When I write or if Im just bored I'll think about something and then decide what my character would think of it. I do this for acting as well.