Unbury the Plot, Love the Characters

Now I have to say that there is nothing wrong with writing blind.  It's a different experience and brings with it, its own kind of rewards.  You never know where the story is going and that becomes an adventure all its own.  But it isn't always that simple.  Sometimes it is actually a little tough.  Sometimes you need something, just one little point in the plot, one little twist and everything can build up around that.  It's more than just starting with a character.  That's all well and good, but there is more to it than that.

I've learned, at least when it comes to myself that some of my best stories come from focusing on the character.  Despite what people think, however, focusing on the characters doesn't mean that you're flying without a plot.  In my opinion, it just means that you do not let the plot guide the story.  You do not make it so that the characters are merely plot devices manipulated to suite the plot's needs and thus negating their ability to be.  To me, characters are alive.  They are vibrant and real.  They make mistakes and sometimes they get with someone that you don't want them to get with or they do something that you hadn't intended.

But, I think that is what makes stories so wonderful.  Watching characters develop in ways that you might have never imagined.  I don't believe that you fall in love with a story because of its plot line.  Or even because of the twists that you find it.  Yeah, those are great.  They add so much to the story that you read and what you experience, but they're not really the point.  You can have the greatest plot in the world, but if the reader can't connect with the characters in the story, it's really a moot point, isn't it?

So really, I think that a good story is a balance between the plot and the characters.  If you have a good plot with characters built to follow it, the story comes across as shallow.  If you have great characters with no plot, the story becomes dull and though people might want to force themselves to read on, usually they can't.  So you have to find the balance.  And honestly, the balance can be the hardest part at times, but it's the most fun at the same time.  So, that's what you work for and right now, that's what I'm working to find as I start off with this story.  I look at Malak, I know her and I know her well.  And now it is time to give her a plot that is worthy of her.

I hope I am up to the task.