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What come to you first? Plot or Characters?
For me, honestly it’s both. Sometimes a cool character comes to me sometimes a cool plot.
However, that’s a bit of a cop-out answer so I’ll say what most commonly comes to me. And that would be plot ideas. When fleshing out a story idea I always focus on characters, however, the basic premise of the story usually comes to me first.
Like, I’ll get story ideas by reading a book and thinking of ways I could flip or twist the premise or scenes on it’s head to make them more interesting, or by exaggerating small moments in my life until they become novel worthy.
So yeah. I love characters, but most of the time, plot ideas come to me first.
What about you? Do plot ideas or characters come to you first?
I don’t always have one that comes to me before the other. However, in general, characters that come before their plot are usually inspired by artwork or specific names. Plots that come first typically come from wanting to develop or use a specific concept/trope. Sometimes setting ideas are the first part, and can be inspired by pretty much anything.
So I end up with a lot of random things that I just put into a list and combine when stuff starts to click.
Great success often depends on being able to distinguish between the impossible and the improbable.
In my most recent story idea, I still don’t have a plot.😅 But I do have a bunch of really cool characters, and an awesome world. So yeah. Just need a plot now.
I think in most my stories the characters come first for me … because the way I write, often the characters are the plot. Or, more accurately, while there may be external plot events happening, the heart of the story is the characters, their choices, their relationships, how they grow and love and live … and learn who they need to be along the way. So yeah, I’m gonna go with characters — characters always come first for me.
The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
That’s my wish to create.Ooh. . . interesting question. Honestly, it’s probably the plot – which I find a bit strange, since my writing is so character-driven.
I think that I usually start with just a whisper of a plot, but then the characters develop much quicker than the plot – like they need that tiny whisper to bring them to life before they can take the reins.
That’s an interesting question. . . I’ve never really thought about it before. . .
To be fair, it also depends what length it is. Novels usually come like I said before, with a bit of the plot. But short stories usually start with characters – a boy whose brother’s gone off to war, a Fear charged with keeping a nameless captive from escaping. . . hm.
Definitely an interesting question.
wonder | beauty | truth | love
@kathleenramm Depends. 90% of what I write is fanfictions*, so I already have several characters–and can just work out a plot and maybe a few more characters.
But for my original story, I got a plot and main character at almost the same time. Right now, I’m working more on creating characters and the world than I am the plot.
*The fanfiction I write is more speculative than it is something that could tie in to the original story. One example of my fanfics would be the Flower Squad stories. These happen in the Star Wars universe during the time of the Clone Wars–basically, the cloner-geneticists had five female clones left over from a deceased donor/customer, and someone had the bright idea to train the girls as Republic soldiers alongside Jango Fett’s clones. It’s more humor and comedy than much else…and since these five characters are in no way related to the male clones we’re more used to, it made for two hilarious romance tales, one hopeless one, and one which was part funny and part sad. (The fifth character has zero interest in guys.)
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
@kathleenramm I’d say both. Sometimes I have names and character ideas and I want to flesh out a plot around them; other times I have a plot idea and I make up quick characters to fill in the blanks. But if I had to choose one, it’s most likely characters first.
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into daysThe plot usually comes to me first, although it is shortly followed by characters. For my current WIP, the plot kind of came at the same time as the characters since I had always wanted to write a story with triplets who possessed special talents. My plot ideas, however, are what made me actually start writing the story. In general, however, I come up with an idea which turns into a brief plot which usually ends up in my notebook of stories to write at some point. 😉
Some people fail; others learn what not to try.
Characters.
Usually I think of a character in a setting, with a bit of their backstory. That backstory and setting then point to what may happen/ what the plot will be.
However, they don’t always communicate perfectly, so I often end up with only a vauge idea about what the plot actually is.
I used to say that all my books were mysteries: not even I knew where they would go!
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
I would say that usually, I get a plot idea first, then the character just naturally shows up as I’m plotting, but sometimes I do get an idea for a cool character first, and then the story plots itself around them.
So it varies.
Plot and characters (or at least, main characters) are very connected for me, though. They’re essentially inseparable.
Usually, when I conceive a plot idea, the MC is already a part of it in my mind, as if they were always there. It’s a little like they’re a real person, and I’m just trying to tell their story for them.
It’s pretty much the same thing when I think of the character first. It’s like I’m trying to figure out what their story is so I can tell it as best I can.
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