Character vs Plot-Driven Stories

I must say, this video took me by surprise. During the past year or so I have read a sh*tload of writing blogs and watched ridiculously many videos about writing. Everyone else (and I mean EVERYONE(!)) that I have seen/read so far classify character-driven as the "right thing to do" and plot-driven as the "wrong/lazy way to do it". No questions asked, no thorough explanation - just completely black and white. (Which kinda bothered me, seeing as I believe the story I've been working on for the past year is leaning towards plot-driven, and it has been driving me crazy to try and "fix it"). So it was a relief to see someone approach the topic differently and explain how neither one is "good/right" or "bad/wrong", and how the different types of "drive" can work in a story. Thank you, Shaelin. I really needed that.

You're literally the only person I've watched to give plot-driven stories merit and even offer up some advice. Please do more on plot-driven. Learning how to write good and entertaining plots is not as easy as most writing teachers I've come across seem to pretend.

DEFINITELY CHARACTER DRIVEN! I LOVE YOUR TIPS. SO HELPFUL.

I'm a songwriter who gets a lot of mileage from your channel. Another great upload.

I write plot driven most of the time.

I prefer character driven stories, because they are much more interesting to read about.

The film "Paterson" with Adam Driver has little to no plot, but is still great because of the theme which is conveyed by the character. "Arrival" has a brilliant plot that is directly tied to the main character, Dr. Luise Banks (played by the astonishing Amy Adams). "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin barely has a plot, but explores the characters so deeply that the novel becomes a spiritual experience. And Baldwin is a master of character driven stories. I feel like character-driven stories are richer and more in depth when it comes to exploring human experiences. However, I really enjoy when a plot like in "The Martian" by Andy Weir catches me and drags me into a world with fundamental questions of existence, while it also maintains to show an interesting character.

Really Awesome , Very Helpful 👍😊

Actions (plot) make character develop

Great advice thanks.

great video

Thanks

Thanks!

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I usually write character-driven, I believe, though I had not thought about it. I have a mystery I wrote that I am editing that probably is more plot-driven, but very strong on character. I guess my question is, what difference does it make? Does an editor/lit agent or publisher care, or is it more informational for the writer? Thanks!

What about a story with a very engaging plot but also told from the point-of-view of a very complex character?

How would you go about a plot driven novel when there's more then one characters that are the cause of the chain of events?

What do you think, in the context of this conversation of course, about Avatar: The Last Airbender? It is mos def plot-driven, the creators even knew how it ends from the get go, yet this series is famously loved because of the depth and realness of its characters! I mean, isn't this a perfect example of Character AND Plot woven perfectly? It sure explains the series' massive success to this day..

My last two short stories were strongly character driven. I usually do character driven stories.

I prefer character-driven, but not for the reasons you would think. I really I'm not a huge fan of the concept of " A MAIN Character"..... I usually find most pieces of literature, (with the exception of comic books) whether it's a novel, a TV show or movie, that follows one Central character and focuses on that character and their specific Journey, to be very uninteresting most of the time. I prefer ensemble cast, with deep character-driven narrative and explores their interpersonal relationships with one another and gets the reader emotionally invested and multiple characters. Some of my favorite fictional stories are Lost, Game of Thrones, Cobra Kai, Stranger Things, the Star Wars saga, The Avengers, Fast and the Furious, the Eslking Dead, the Stand, Needful Rhings, Vampirates, The Chronicles of The Necromancer, just story lines with several characters that are all-important to the overall story. But also have deep relationships with one another, and their own steaks outside of the main plot. When you have an ensemble cast, there's always room for a Redemption Arc which I'm also a big fan of