Plot or Character - What Comes First?

[rogueinker]

William Trevor, author of My House in Umbria, said in 1991 that "Characters with me always tend to come first. The rest seems to fall into place around them. I don't quite know how it happens."

As a writer, what triggers your writing - plot or character?

As a reader, what gets and keeps your attention a juicy premise/plot or something about a character ?

Personally, I've flipped and flopped on the answer. I did Cocoa Caper because of a plot vision I had. But Favour came out of a desire to create an original non-Rowling villain and the story came to be as much about the villain as AD & MM. Spoken Truth was plot (Albus goes a courting undercover) while Arrangement was character driven (what do we do with a problem like Minerva).

As this Board has an unusual breadth of age, nationalities, life experience and attitudes, I'm curious to see responses. I would think that the answer affects the individual writing process (and the writers block) in different ways.

Thoughts? Any fellow flipfloppers out there?

[EloquentPhoenix]

I've only ever written little one-shots so I don't know if it would be different if I wrote more but as I don't do original characters it's always the plot for me. Saying that, plots come to me because they fit the characters. Which is really a rather circular argument so I don't know.

[rogueinker]

It can be circular. It's not a either plot or either character choice. You can start with a plot then character or vice versa. I was curious as to which one people start with.

I agree on the one-shots being more plot than character. With the shorter stories it's like you have a definite storyboard background that you sketch the characters into.

[mmadlyinlove]

I agree that it can start either way, but I generally find a plot before I find the characters. Nothing big, just the way I happen to do things. Usually, a plot will come to me and then I think, "Okay, what characters can I use/create for this?" Though, there have been times when I've thought of characters before a situation... LOL! So either way, it works, as long as you put the right characters with the right plot.... In my humble opinion... ~mmadlyinlove~

[Sensiblyquirky]

Good question. I tend to flip-flop, and sometimes I flip within the same story. My most involved story I guess was When the Leaves Change and that began as a plot flash. I was watching the third movie and saw the part where the carriages go to the school in the rain and knew I wanted to write a story where Minerva does that. However it quickly morphed into being about the characters, and my wanting to attempt a deeper character analysis at least for Minerva.

I think perhaps the difference is in fanfiction the characters are at least created by somebody else, so maybe I tend toward plot more because the characters have already been moderately defined by somebody else. I don't know if that makes any sense...

Christy

[mcgonagallrocks]

I usually get the plot before I get the character. Mainly because I'll see something on TV or read it and see it then

[Rachel]

I get plot first usually.Something I see or read usually triggers a plot,then I think about which characters and so on.
I haven't actually written any ADMM yet but I probably will soon!

[MinnieQuill]

I'm definitely more of a character then plot person. I always build up what I want the reader to see before even considering the plot. That said with fanfiction you already have the character and I guess you just look for a part that you want.
With my book (I WILL finish it I WILL...) I had the main character planned before I even wrote one word. Other characters were formed to fit about her and so on and so forth. I think it just depends on personal preference.