Regarding: Character Development and Plot · 6:07am Sep 23rd, 2021
Recently, I was talking to a close friend, and they mentioned something, and I quote,
Cause it'll be an awfully short chapter, especially compared to our previous ones
And that got me thinking.
Is wordcount the important thing in the story?
To that, I say no.
Firstly, stories don't have to be focused on one theme. In fact, it's best you don't do so. Pushing your story to one main theme is detrimental to it, and extremely unhealthy for the people reading it. Let me explain why.
Stories don't have to be focused on driving the main plot. In fact, I'd honestly prefer to read a story that didn't just drive the plot. People already know what the ending of the story will be, which means that the goal is not to rush to the ending for the sake of doing so.
Next, we need to understand the fundamentals of comics, cartoons, and stories. They all have one thing in common, which is their writer's thought process, even if they don't realize it.
For example, why do we keep watching a cartoon such as My Little Pony, when we already know in general how they're going to end every episode? They always get the happy ending, and you could argue that that's boring.
The answer? The characters.
Many authors are tricked into thinking that pushing plot is the most important thing of the story. I was one of them.
Instead, the actual goal is the characters. Don't push the plot into the story, instead, breathe life into your characters. Write your characters by giving them emotions, thoughts, and choices. What are their motives? What do they want? Most importantly, their characteristics and quirks.
People think they're reading the story for the plot. Truth be told, their minds are fixated on the characters.
Ever read a story and went, "Oh, I hate the villain! He's such a douche and he deserves to die for hurting (insert main character name here)!"
That's a sign the author is doing well. They're giving you a protagonist to love, and an antagonist to hate.
That, and if you breathe life into your characters, they naturally flow into your plot, giving it the feeling you think you always wanted and needed. If you force the plot with backstories and ongoing schemes, you'll only push aside the character development people love so much.
So how do we do this?
We start by choosing a character. We then give them a motive. Something to work for.
For example; my story "For Whom the Twilight Falls". What is Princess Sunset's goal?
To get the love of her life back from the Nightmare? But how would she achieve this? What are her feelings on the matter?
Another example; Luna in the story. What is her motives and goals? Does she want to impress Princess Sunset? Does she want to be a good student? Does she want to be the best sister and daughter she can be?
The motives fuel the emotions and decisions, driving the story more than climatic parts. Decisions regarding emotions and friends/family hurt much more, letter the character develop past what you probably designated them for.
Allow your character to grow and flourish. They're the most magical part of the story. Not the magical beasts, not the magic spells, not the cute animals. (Although they were close.)
In my opinion, there's nothing better than watching a character you know grow from the reckless pony/person she/he was and become a leader everyone looks up to. Or, even a hero becoming a villain because they were forced to!
Which is what I think every author should aim to do. Every author should aim to fuel character development more than the story plot! I'd prefer for authors to write character interactions in 50k words than rush to the ending in 50k words. What is the point of the story for the readers if we don't empathize with the characters?
Whew, this was a long thought process. To whoever made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope my thoughts help you with your stories! Don't fall into the trap many others and I did, and make sure your characters grow!
This is iAmSiNnEr, signing off. Thank you for listening to my tedtalk.
This was a wonderful read, and really made me think - thank you for writing! :3
Agreed in entirety. This is something I set out to achieve--and I write hella long things.
I love seeing authors think and care about their stuff...It makes everything seem so alive. Like process of writing is sometimes as moving as reading the work itself.
I would also add (for me) I found the characters that I write that are...off-beat, different, say different things are the funniest (and engaging on the page?) to write. Now if only I can remember that for more then two seconds...
Excellent write-up, sinner
Having my characters feel alive is what I strive for
Quality is more important than quantity.
Thank you for sharing this, it's quite inspirational.