So, this is something I've been wondering about for a while because I felt like my own story was too action based. But when I thought about it, I realized i had no working knowledge of what that meant. So I did some research and decided to share with you my findings.
A character driven story is driven by internal conflict. These are stories involving some sort of internal change within a character. Usually, the goal being sought after by the main character is not a physical object. Romance stories usually tend to be character driven, what with the main character overcoming some sort of mental obstacle to get what he or she wants. For example, an abused woman leaves her husband, meets a new guy, and now has to overcome her subsequent fear of all things male. That would be considered character driven because the conflict in the story revolves around the main characters mental state.
If a character driven story is driven by internal conflict then naturally it figures that a plot driven story is driven by external conflict. That means that your character hinges on the things he or she does rather than the things he or she thinks. These are stories that progress on action, not just thinking about action (that’s important). For the most part, there are you action stories (Duh), your sci-fi stories, fantasy and paranormal. Of course this isn’t an absolute; it never is, but these are the types of stories that tend to fall into this category.
DIFFERENCES
I read somewhere that with plot driven stories you could sub out the main character with someone else and the story would still end the same way, while with character driven stories, the way that particular character thinks is what drives the stories onward. Queue awesome Disney analysis!
Stories driven by Characterization: I really wanted to use Disney Princesses for this example but they’re all too similar, so we’ll go with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Aladdin (The Disney Versions). If you were to swap Quasi with Aladdin the stories would most definitely not end up the same. Aladdin is impulsive; he makes things happen. This may make it seem like his storyline is plot driven, but when things happen to him he makes decisions. He decided to help the princess; he decided to go into the cave of wonders etc. If put in Quasimodo’s place, he never would’ve stayed locked up in the tower for as long as Quasi did, and his idea of solving the problem probably would’ve been more akin to making the decision to run away. See, decision based progression. The same can be said the other way around. If you were to have put Quasi in Aladdin’s shoes, the story would’ve fallen apart because not only would Quasi have more than likely made wishes to make himself normal, but he probably would have actually freed the genie when he said he would. Princess Jasmine would probably be irrelevant, because let’s face it, girls and Quasi, they either fall into his lap or they don’t exist. That being said, you can see how both stories fall apart with the characters that were originally designed for their roles. If you’ve never seen the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Shame on you) try this: Hermione from Harry Potter and Bella from Twilight. Could you replace the two characters with each other (keeping in mind that their personalities are still the same) and have exactly the same story? I’ll let you decide on that one.
Stories Driven by Plot: Now I can use the Disney princesses. Swap out Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) and Snow White for each other and you’re probably going to end up with exactly the same storylines. Why? Because progression in these stories happens because of stupid actions: touching something that doesn’t belong to you, and taking food from strangers.
*Aladdin and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are both good examples of what it means to be both plot driven and character driven at the same time.
WHAT TYPE OF NOVEL DO YOU HAVE
Well, it’s all in the progression of the story. Does your story progress through one of the characters making a decision to do something or does your story progress through an action that’s made. Every novel has a turning point of some sort. Examine whether your main character comes to this point via decision or action. A decision demonstrates thought, indicating internal conflict, while an action demonstrates it’s opposite.
However, even with all that said it can still be difficult in determining what type of novel you have. Mine, for example, was especially difficult just because of the whole multiple POV thing. For this reason, I’ve found that it is better to examine your characters actions and the motives behind them, rather than the story as a whole.
Plot Driven: Sam’s storyline is plot driven because the turning point for him as a character occurs after kissing a girl he shouldn’t.
Character Driven: Elliot’s storyline is character driven because the turning point for him as a character occurs after making the decision to accept the mistakes he’s made.
In both cases, it is only after these things have occurred that the storyline can progress.
WHY DOES IT MATTER
It matters because a healthy story will include instances of both. Meaning your story could be plot driven, but have smaller instances of character driven plot, or your story could be character driven, and have less emphasis on plot development. Either way, in order for your characters to be fully fleshed out your storyline should progress using both. A great example of this (and yeah this a shameless plug) would be Alysarden’s The Casquette Girls. The main character makes a mistake by accidentally opening something she shouldn’t (action), and then makes the decision to fix said mistake (character). Now, it can get confusing just because, isn’t the, “fixing the problem” part also an action? The answer is yes (hey I said it was confusing), but that's exactly it. You need both. Chances are, if there's room for confusion as to which side you're on, you're probably on the right track. Recipe for a plot and character driven story: Action, progression, decision, progression, climax, conclusion or visa versa, switching decision with action.
It’s important to remember that percentage wise there is no perfect recipe. There isn’t a set line that says your story has to be forty percent this and sixty percent that. They really just have to be there. I mean, let’s face it, who wants to read a story about a boy who finds out he’s a wizard and….
See what I did there?
As always, if you have something you want to say on the subject let me know and I'll add it. Hope something I said made sense. Tchao!
