This past weekend I bought a book just for idea hunting. The book is titled 101 Things Everyone Should Know about Science and it covers, in very short bursts, interesting scientific tidbits. One that I read early on in the book is that all Navel Oranges in the world stem from a single tree. It was a mutant tree that grew in Brazil in the 1700s, and all subsequent trees bearing that seedless fruit have been created by grafting on bits from the original tree and its descendants. All very interesting, yada yada.
Here’s where my mind took it. I started imagining myself sharing that factoid with a variety of different characters, and how they might react. It got me thinking how it is that I “get in character” when I write. It’s as if I am there – not really a part of the story, but there and interacting with real people. Most of my characters are constructs built of bits and pieces of the people I’ve met, so the trick is to take those people and imagine how they’d react to whatever the elements of my story happen to be.
The Navel Orange. One character might say that the tree was obviously grown through some sort of alien contact, and that we had perpetuated that alien life over the years by grafting it to trees all over California. A more classically educated person might comment on how, in natural selection, such a plant would not be possible, and how if we allowed it the navel orange could disappear form the planet in the space of a couple of years. A fanatically religious person might say we should not be altering the genetic makeup of what God has created, and that no good will come of it. A lot of folks would just nod, shrug, and forget it the second you mentioned it.
The trick, then, is that once you have established how a particular character “is” you have to remain true to that decision. If your story was supposed to hinge on a particular reaction, but the character you’ve created just would not react that way, then you have a problem, and the character wins unless you want to retro-engineer from the reaction and recreate the character. Quite often my books have taken sharp curves or gone in different directions altogether because the character I created demanded it.
If you aren’t true to your characters, they will fall flat. The points where they act “OUT” of character will be jarring and will irritate your readers…not to mention driving you crazy, because you’ll know.
To a point, you can plan far ahead enough to account for upcoming events, but it doesn’t always work. In my novel Deep Blue, Dexter, the drummer, is sort of OCD. He is obsessed with patterns. I wrote that because it was fun, but later he was problematic. I considered changing him – but if I had listened to that devil-horned voice in my head and done so, then Dexter couldn’t have saved the day at the end of the book, and his back story, which turned out to be fascinating, would have been lost to me.
When people say fiction is either plot driven, or character driven, this is what they mean. In my opinion, it is impossible to reach the same levels of intimacy with readers and the same level of intensity in your writing in a plot-driven story. In one case you have a story telling a story – in the other you have people living it. I go with people every time.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on it…and by the way, how do you react to the information about Navel Oranges?
Written by David Wilson - Visit WebsiteFollow me on Twitter
I'm one of those who'll probably forget about it by the end of the day, LOL. Later on, possibly months later, it'll pop up in my head again and I'll wonder where I learned that tidbit.
I think most of my characters definitely have a life of their own, and are just letting me play biographer. I'm continually surprised by some of the background info or turns a story takes. Some of it is of the the 'D'oh! Why didn't I know that up front?' variety.
Writing's an adventure, and one I love undertaking with each new voice that pops up in the House of Craze tavern (mah brain).
I think as you come to know characters, you tend to realize things about them you didn\\'t at the start…sometimes it means you hit that \\"D\\'oh!\\"
Good post. People drive the plot otherwise you only have a story and as a writer and reader both; I tend to get bored with a book that is not people driven. The people make the plot the plot doesn't make the people. Just my own opinion.
The naval orange thing? Isn't in the least bit surprising. I would like to know if that tree still stands and how today's naval oranges compare to that particular tree.
I\\'ve read things that were plot driven that I didn\\'t hate, but I tend to remember the characters, and things they say and do, rather than the overall plot…Sometimes their mannerisms get incorporated into my everyday life (lol) For instance, after reading the Dark Tower series I kept going around saying \\"I cry your pardon, gunslinger\\" to people…not sure why I mention this. Lately I\\'ve done it to myself. I keep saying \\"Whoof!\\" and laughing…just because of the characters in Redneck Dragon
Yeah, I see plot driven and character driven stories in a similar way. One genre of writing I often get bored with is the complex plot driven mystery. It seems like no matter how surprising the twists or unpredictable the ending is, I often wish I hadn't read it. Really, to me, an over-complicated nuance riddled plot is a cliche in most cases. A look inside the lives and minds of people is always more powerful and profound. I like stories where a major "change" in a character is central to the story.
For me it\\'s the realism involved. With a well-done character, you can relate to how he reacts to things. In a plot driven story – particularly the mysteries you mention – you often end up in a big loop of going to this character to question them, going to the next, coming back when you learn the next twist and talking to them all again…this is difficult to make realistic…and even more difficult to make interesting.
I'm a totally character driven writer.
I always knew you were driven
Now you know for sure. :)
I am one of those people who Love random bits of information like that. It's filed in my mind & I'll probably be sharing it later. :D
Ditto on the character-driven part
That\\'s pretty much what I do, except I don\\'t always share it in person, pretty often it\\'s through some character who knows something that I find interesting and has a perfect moment to share it. I never seem to be able to forget the trivia.