WRITING TIPS

vii. stories that are character driven

Character-driven

This is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in writing and fandom worlds. It can be interpreted in several ways. For some, it's a compliment. For others, it's a statement of preference or genre. But what, exactly, do people mean when they describe a story as "character-driven?" What's the difference between character-driven and plot-driven stories? How can we, as authors, think about our characters as complex individuals while at the same time taking into consideration how they will function, as some cogs in the story machine? How can our stories challenge, frustrate, motivate, test, and reveal our characters in all of their raw flaws and morals? How can we drive our characters to become better over time? 

Trust me, it's not easy. I struggle to maintain character-driven stories and often find myself defaulting back to my plot and driving the book in that direction again. However, as some who is a sucker for well-written character-driven story, as well as a sucker for beautiful arcs, I want to take a moment to break down what exactly is it some, of the steps to create a character-driven story and a few of my personal tips. 

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Character-driven stories are focused more on character development than they are on the plot. This is the type of story that is driven by emotion as opposed to a high concept with layers upon layers of details and mystery. In short, a character-driven story is simply asking the question: how and why do people change? What causes them to change? 

If you're writing your own story, you should consider the life your character has lived through, think about what they've already learned, their flaws, and how they react to events. Make sure to give your character a backstory that isn't simple and vanilla. Spice things up. Add a major conflict that caused them to change the way they go about certain scenarios or how they deal with particular stressors. Their backstory should be well-developed and thought out. Don't just throw something together because when it comes time for development and rising arcs, things may not add up the way you envisioned them to. 

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In the majority of stories, the main character, and others sometimes, will undergo a major change at some point. Now, this is basic writing knowledge that most authors already know, but it's worth addressing. Undergoing a major change in 'real-life' is difficult. It's not easy, and it's important to remember that when writing the change that your main character will go through. 

Now I believe, that one of the reasons why it's so challenging to give characters compelling 'change' arcs is because of the assumed disconnect we should make between our character and the plot. To most people, their character and their plot are totally separate entitles when that's not the entire case. Yes, you have your character and you have the plot, but in character-driven stories, the character and the plot are the same things. 

Okay, yes, I know that sounds confusing and possibly crazy, but hear me out. The change your character undergoes is the plot. Think about it. Everything that happens in your story (should) directly affect and push forward the change that your character will undergo. When everything finally comes into hand and it's time for your character to undergo that change, the plot will have contributed to that and served its purpose. The plot is tied to the change because, without the plot and its events, the steps to get to the change never would have occurred. Does that make sense? 

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So, if the story you want to tell would work best as a character-driven story, sit down and figure everything out. 

01. Ask yourself some questions. How does your main character see themselves and their place in the world? How can you show this from the very start? What are their flaws and what do they do to correct them in their lives, in order to be happy? What is the change they need in order to become better, more whole, human beings? How do they get there? What needs to happen to get them there?

02. Focus on inner conflict. Plot-driven narratives often center around external conflict, whereas character-driven stories are able to center in on inner conflict that occurs largely within a character(s). So what's your character's inner conflict?

03. Build a point of view. No, I don't mean first, second, or third point of view. When developing a strong, believable, and realistic character, part of the process is developing a well-defined point of view. Think about what makes your character tick and how they see the world - how they see others. A clear point of view necessary when creating a character that will be carrying your story. 

04. Think through the plot. By this I mean think about how your plot will directly connect to the change your character will undergo. Make sure the connection is clear and solid. Make it make sense. 

I hope these were helpful and if you have any questions or want more tips on this topic, let me know!