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Character-Driven Vs. Plot-Driven Stories

On 22 Mar, 2012 By With 5 Comments

Character-driven or plot-driven stories?
What kinds of books and movies do you like? Do you prefer big action spectacles or introspective relationship tales?

While it sounds like I might just be talking about the differences between stories that men and women like, aspects of character-driven and plot-driven stories can be surprising.

The movie Braveheart, for instance, was more about the character of William Wallace than it was was about the plot. Sure, lots of stuff happened in that film, but it would have been a radically different story if Wallace had not been the main character. His sense of honor and burning desire for freedom inspired those around him to action.

Sticking with the medium of film, you could also assume that a movie is plot-driven simply because it has a large shooting budget. Titanic, one of the most successful films of all time, had an estimated budget of $200 million back in 1997. Thankfully, it was a character-driven film. If it had been plot-driven, it would have been fairly disappointing. (Spoiler Warning: the boat sinks!)

Even in the dramatic environment of the Titanic’s sinking, director / screenwriter James Cameron was able to weave a beautiful love story. The sinking of the ship changed the characters forever, yet our focus remained primarily with Jack and Rose throughout the devastation.

The Best of Both Worlds

Stories do not have to solely dwell in one camp or the other. There are plenty of examples of stories with big hooks that immediately engage the audience in terms of the plot while still delivering strong characters that show tremendous depth and development throughout the story.

Superstar authors Stephen King and J.K. Rowling are experts in this blending of story objectives.

The Stand opens with the hook of the super-flu and its devastating effects on humanity, yet the depth of the characters allows the reader to fully understand the emotional impact of a staggering loss of human life. As the story continues towards its ultimate conflict, the reader is invested in the outcome of each character.

And Harry Potter… the boy wizard’s massive fanbase was collectively holding its breath to see if the character they had grown to dearly love the challenges that faced him in the last book. Despite his many adventures rich with plot, Potter’s character (and the rest of the cast) had time to resonate with the audience.

Reveling in the Extremes

But sometimes we want to jump completely into a plot-driven story or a character-driven story.

Director Michael Bay, author Steve Baldacci and several other creators have made profitable careers of plot-driven, action-packed tales. There are days when we want to revel in the big-screen delight of an enormous explosion or feel the intensity of an urban shoot-out in a gripping novel.

Other times, we’re ready to reflect on the nature of life in character-driven pieces like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (one of my personal favorites).

How Does All of This Fit into Your Writing

If you’re currently working on a story, can you identify what type of tale you are telling? Perhaps you need someone else to take a look at your story and let you know. You might think you’re writing a story that is perfectly balanced between character and plot only to find out that another reader could not recall a single memorable trait about your lead character.

While the average readers or movie-goers will rarely stop to think whether the story they are consuming emphasizes plot or character more, they will experience the story through the lens you’ve used to tell it. The massively popular television series Mad Men would be entirely different if it spent all of its time achieving plot goals without exposing you to all of the heart-wrenching drama behind the consequences of people’s decisions.

Writing Exercise: To further define the differences, try writing a short scene (less than 500 words) about a couple on a walk. In a character-driven example, you could write about the feelings each have about their relationship and their awkward attempts at conveying those emotions to one another. In a plot-driven example, you could write about a couple desperately trying not to draw attention to themselves as they walk away from a robbery with their pockets full of cash.

In both examples, the action is the same, but the tone is completely different.

What Do You Think?

Which stories pop to mind as examples of plot-driven or character-driven tales?

Photo by PJ_Vanf

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  • http://sydneyaaliyahwrites.wordpress.com Sydney Aaliyah

    Great post Michael. I think that every story I write is character driven. I have define, describe and give my characters traits that are illustrated by the difference situations they are put in. I tend to rely on my character being who I have described her to be. Keeps me focused, but not as interesting in the long run. A good mix would seem to make a more well rounded and memorable story. In character driven stories, my characters react the same way to similar situations. In plot driven stories, the character will acknowledge that the situation they face will cause them to act in a different way.

    • Michael

      Thanks, Sydney.

      In researching these articles, I came across some blogs who swore that only character-driven stories had any real value, and plot-driven stories were mindless wastes of time.

      I think that each story type is effective at the right time. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

      I don’t tend to write character-driven stories, so it’s interesting to hear of the struggles you face. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://Website Serena

    I really liked your sections on getting the best of two worlds, and reveling in the extremes.

    Hmm, my way of telling whether a story is plot or character driven would be my “Spoiler Test”.

    If you tell me all the major plot points–who died, who married who, who was the evil master behind the conspiracy, etc, and then you don’t want to read the story anymore, or this ruins the enjoyment of the story, then it’s plot driven. This is because plot driven stories excel in creating suspense–they thrive on how readers never know what will happen next. They depend on the readers’ desire to be surprised again and again. Who wants to read a suspense story with all the suspense sucked out of it? That would be a total waste of time!

    But, if after you tell me who died, who and who ended up together, where the secret treasure was, who the real murderer was all along, etc, and I STILL want to read the story and CAN enjoy the story, then this is character driven. For this, spoilers don’t destroy anything for me, because the main pleasure is the gradual, step-by-step experience of all the emotions, thoughts, actions, and dialogues of the protagonists. Plot spoilers can only ruin the suspense and surprises, but they can never take away my joy in “feeling and experiencing” every detail, thrill and complexity of my character’s psychological life.

    I hope you like my “Spoiler Test”!

    • Michael

      That’s a great point, Serena. I’m a big comic book / serialized storytelling geek, and “spoilers” are always a danger. I find that they don’t bother me, though. I’m just as interested in the events that lead up to the big reveal and the development of the characters along the way.

  • http://thewritepractice.com Joe Bunting

    This is a great question, Michael. I’m not an expert in this area, probably because I almost exclusively read character driven novels and almost exclusively watch (what I’d call) plot driven movies and tv shows, but I’ve noticed people usually call a story character driven when they’re a little boring. Literary fiction, for example, is character driven. People call it plot driven when they feel the story is superficial (i.e. Michael Bay and his Victoria Secret model heroines).

    I realize this is a terrible definition because it’s so subjective. What’s boring to me won’t necessarily be boring to you. However that’s how I see it used most often.