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How Character and Plot Work Together, Part 2

by Ruth Owen

How Character Creates Plot

Did you notice I already touched on this when talking about plot? The thing is, the protagonist’s desire is a necessary part of the conflict that creates the plot. If ET didn’t want to go home, there would be no movie.

Which leads me to a new term: Character Agency.

Modern readers—that is, readers in the last 20 years or so—have come to expect and want to read about characters who make choices that cause the plot to happen. They want characters who want something and then try to get it. They want characters who make mistakes and who experience the consequences. Maybe in the past, books got published with characters who just experienced the plot happening to them, but that won’t cut it for modern readers anymore.

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How Character and Plot Work Together, Part 1

by Ruth Owen

When I wrote my first book, it felt like a huge accomplishment. It was as if I had built a whole house. I showed it to some family and friends, who basically told me, “Cool! I like your house! It’s neat. One of the windows was a little askew, and there weren’t doorknobs on some of the bedroom doors, but I loved it. Let me know when actual real people want to move in.”

So I felt pretty good about myself. Then I got some actual, real beta readers—writing peers who knew more about writing books than my family and friends. They also weren’t afraid of hurting my feelings. Beta readers are like construction workers—they’ll recognize some things you’ve built wrong and give suggestions for how to fix it.

Suddenly I was getting comments akin to “You’ve done your wiring wrong” and “You haven’t put in enough insulation.” Bigger issues. I went back and revised. I tore open walls, fixed the wiring, and added insulation until it was up to code.

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