You know, I have to rant again. This time, it's about the distinction between "plot-driven" and "character-driven" stories. People sometimes throw these words around. The implication is often that "character-driven" stories are True Art and of high literary merit. "Plot-driven" stories are meanwhile brainless popcorn entertainment.

If you are confused by that, I am, too.

Like, what is a "character-driven" story? What stories are not driven by characters? Most people would say that hard science fiction is not character-driven, but even there, the main characters drive the plot. You could argue that a story is only character-driven when there is a strong focus on the character's motivation, but it feels weird to call everything else "plot-driven".

In Twilight, Bella Swan has practically no agency or motivation. Her actions don't drive the plot and her motivations aren't explored. Yet, Twilight doesn't really have a plot either. While the characters don't drive the plot, the plot still revolves around the characters. It might not be character-driven, but it's VERY character-centric.

One distinction I have found is that character-driven stories are centered around the main characters while plot-driven stories are centered around large-scale events.

Character-driven stories would, by this logic, be romance, drama, tragedy, or comedy while plot-driven stories would be action, mystery, horror, thriller, or sci-fi and fantasy.

The problem is: Almost no-one uses this distinction!

Instead, people use "plot-driven" for stories where the characters are too flat or where they behave in implausible ways.

I think this distinction might exist because, in a good story, the plot is invisible and you are forgetting that you're reading a story.

But the reason I don't like this distinction is that it teaches newbie authors that the plot doesn't matter. There is a lot of discussion and advice on characterization, particularly in the form of character profiles. For plotting, you have almost nothing though. You'll only get a bit of advice on pacing.

Anyway, I do think there is a reason we should be talking about plot vs. characters. While both are important, some readers have preferences. Some audiences want a fast-paced plot and are fine with simple characters. Others specifically want to watch the characters they care for grow and change.

Likewise, different writers are good at different things. Some writers are good at describing feelings, writing dialogue, or having characters interact. Other writers are good at logistics, numbers, and scenarios as well as pacing and tension.

Generally speaking, as a writer, it is your job to make sure that the plot and character are in perfect harmony with each other. But why can this be so hard?

Well, there is this thing called Maslov's hierarchy of needs:

This hierarchy of needs says that some needs are more primal than others. If our life is in danger, we don't care so much about complex philosophical questions. We do care about that sort of stuff when we have nothing better to do.

Character-driven stories are often about love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. Plot-driven stories, on the other hand, deal with life and death. According to Maslov's hierarchy of needs, people prioritize survival above everything else. To be blunt, your character isn't going to be interested in love triangle drama when lives are on the line.

Stories are about conflicts, that is, a character wants something and has difficulties getting it. If these wants are about biological needs (like survival), we can call it external conflict. If they are more about self-actualization, we can call them internal conflicts. Relationship conflicts (like romance) are kind of a middle ground here. Love is a biological need, in a way, but it is also strongly connected to self-esteem and actualization.

As you can guess, it's hard to have both of those conflicts happen at the same time, but it's possible. In chosen one fantasy stories, the fate of the entire world will normally rest on the shoulders of a single farm boy and he needs to go on a journey of self-discovery before facing the dark lord. Many superhero stories use similar tropes. As do romances, as in many cases, their love might be predestinated by fate or their relationship might decide over war.

The more the world revolves around the main character, the more plot and character development will be interlinked. That's why young audiences like the "chosen one" cliché so much. It's also why fantasy, superheroes, or romances have the reputation of being childish.

The downside, however, is that it's not very realistic. In the real world, most of us are rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes, we're trying to survive, sometimes, we're wrestling with our inner demons, but our feelings rarely decide the fate of the entire world. If aliens invaded America today, Joe Biden would be the main character of that story, but even then, he couldn't save the day without his cabinet, his advisors, or his generals and army.

That's why stories for older audiences tend to prioritize either external or internal conflicts.

As noted before, sci-fi/fantasy and crime/thriller/mystery/horror have a tendency to be plot-driven while drama, romance, or tragedy focus more on the characters. If you aren't sure where your strengths lie, you can look at what your target audience prefers. Knowing your genre can help a lot.

Otherwise, you can ask yourself what motivates you to write. It might be a specific plotline ("I want a fantasy story that's set in space."). Or it might be a character idea you have (like an OC of which you've drawn a picture on DeviantArt or of which you've created one of these character profiles you find online).

If plot comes first to you and characterization second, you need to find out what type of character you need for your story. If it's a Western, your main character should be a cowboy or bounty hunter and have traits that these guys usually have. If a character is your motivator, try to figure out what sort of plot would be the most interesting. If your character is arrogant, how about creating a plot where their arrogance is broken?

If both are equally important, you need to build your world in a way so that your character is very important to the plot. Your character might be the best soldier in the world or be the prettiest girl at school or have a superpower or be chosen by destiny or whatever.

Generally speaking, most stories will need external and internal conflicts. Even if the story is mainly about something like survival, giving the characters a few quiet scenes can help a lot. And even if a story is primarily about relationship drama, a physical fight between two characters can bring these emotions to the outside.

Phew. It started as a rant, but I think I gave you some useful advice for those struggling with the whole "plot vs characters" question.