Previously I did a post covering character-driven versus plot-driven stories, and I explained how it's really more of a spectrum than an either-or situation. Most successful stories are, to some degree, character-driven and plot-driven. Yet some stories lean heavily toward one direction.
Critics of character-driven fiction feel that "nothing happens" and wonder, "Where's the plot?" It's like eating liver--it might be "good," supposedly, but what does it matter if you can't handle the first bite? Critics of plot-driven fiction feel that the stories lack meaning and substance, and they may wonder what the takeaway value is. To them, it's like eating candy--maybe it's dumb fun, but it lacks nutrients.
Personal preference isn't a sin. However, if you desire, you can minimize these criticisms by strengthening what each is apparently "lacking."
And as promised, today's article is all about writing stronger characters for plot-driven fiction.
(Next time I'll cover writing stronger plots for character-driven fiction.)
6 Tips for Plot-driven Characters
Long ago, I used to think I didn't prefer plot-driven stories, but then I realized it was that I didn't prefer some of the characters that populated them.
Some plot-driven writers don't put much thought into their characters, beyond them being vehicles for their plots. Some of these writers are very successful. So, I'm not going to say you can't do that.
However, usually you'll reach a wider audience if you don't.
Just because your story is plot-driven, doesn't mean your characters have to be as hollow as porcelain dolls or as flat as pancakes.
In fact, I've realized that some of my all-time favorite characters actually come from plot-driven stories.
Here are 6 ways to create better, stronger, or more memorable characters for plot-driven fiction.
1. Utilize, Customize, and Subvert Character Tropes
Often (though not always) the plot-driven stories that handle characters well, take advantage of tropes.
Tropes are sometimes confused with cliches, but they are two different things. A trope can become cliché, but not all tropes are clichés.
A trope is a recurring storytelling device, and while they are used in plots, they can also be used for characters. "The Underdog," "The Nerd," "The Bad Girl," and "The Dumb Jock" are all character tropes. We've seen them before.
Tropes work well as a sort of "shorthand" in storytelling. If a "Bad Girl" walks on stage, so do the audience's expectations of her. They've seen this sort of character before, so the writer doesn't need to spend a great deal of time fleshing her out for them. The audience will assume she's similar to other "Bad Girls."
In fact, the "Bad Girl" will start to feel cliché if the writer does give her a lot of attention, when she really is just another "Bad Girl." It will feel redundant, like the writer is trying to make her out to be more complex and interesting than she is. The trope will feel "overused" to them, and the story will feel slower as it draws attention to how generic she is. Get on with it, the audience thinks (subconsciously). Yes, she's a Bad Girl. We get it.
Because tropes work as a sort of "shorthand," you can easily grab them to fill in characters for a plot-heavy story. You don't need to spend as much time on them, because the audience comes with assumptions of who they are already.
However, if you want to kick it up a notch, you are going to do more than that.
You are going to further "customize" the trope. How is this Bad Girl a little different from others? Does she run a nonprofit? Because that's a little more unique and interesting. Or maybe she prefers Sunday dresses and pink purses over tattoos and piercings. What's something unique that you can add to make her feel like a more individualized, a more specific, person (without detracting from the story of course)?
In Knives Out, in most ways, Benoit Blanc fits the detective trope we've all seen before, yet his Southern charm and voice make him strikingly different from detectives we've seen before. If he didn't have that, he'd feel rather generic.
Other characters in the films tap into tropes as well.
Find the right details to further customize a trope in unique ways.
You can also combine tropes to come up with someone interesting. What if The Wise Mentor was also The Mean Girl? That's something we don't see very often.
If you want to take it a step further, you can find ways to subvert the audience's expectations of the trope.
If a trope is "shorthand" and the audience comes already equipped with assumptions, then you can deliver something different for an interesting effect. You can present the Dumb Jock just as we'd expect, then reveal that he's smarter than everyone in the room--he's only pretending to be dumb. This makes the character feel more complex in a small amount of space.
2. Use Character Tags
Related, but slightly different . . . You can make a character feel more memorable and defined through character tags.
A character tag is a word, phrase, description, trait, item, or concept repeatedly associated with a specific character.
In The Hunger Games (the first book leans toward plot-driven in particular), Katniss has her braids and bow associated with her, Peeta his blond hair and lashes, Gale his fiery personality, Haymitch his drunkenness and affinity for the word "sweetheart," Effie her wigs and politeness, and Cinna his gold eyeliner. These are all character tags. They help define the characters and make them feel more distinct. They also make it easier for the audience to recall each character quickly.
When choosing character tags, avoid generic and forgettable tags. Tagging a character with a white t-shirt is about as useful as not tagging them.
It's typically best, especially in plot-driven fiction, to choose tags that can be conveyed succinctly.
If possible, mention the tags when the character first appears, then use them throughout the story. You don't necessarily have to use them literally every time the character is in a scene, but use them enough that they feel present and "stick" to the character.
It's nice when a character tag communicates something more about the character than what is directly on the page. A character who regularly smells like alcohol, probably has a drinking problem.
Sometimes the right tags can help a character feel iconic, which is often a plus in plot-driven fiction. Indiana Jones with his hat and whip. 007 with his tuxes. Jack Sparrow with his characteristic walk and preference for being called "captain." Each of these tags makes these characters feel more iconic.
For a full explanation and more tips on character tags, see my article, "What is a Character Tag? Definition, Purpose, and Examples."
3. Inch the "Dial" Toward "Character"
Obviously one way to build better characters for a plot-driven story, is to simply inch the story toward "character" on the spectrum. (As mentioned previously, some stories can handle a "bigger" inch than others.)
To do that, tap into some of the elements related to internal plotlines: internal objectives (motives), antagonist as the self, internal conflict, and character arc.
If your character has a concrete plot goal, there must be an internal objective behind it--a motive. (I often call this the "abstract want.") What is leading your character to pursue the main goal?
Detective Blanc aims to solve a murder case. He is a very "external" character. However, we do learn that what drives him to solve these cases is "the danger, the hunt, the challenge." This is what motivates him, and having that makes him feel a bit rounder. What about your character? Is she driven to pursue justice? Does she want to avoid loss? Or maybe she values integrity. Whatever it is, weave it in a little. It will give her more depth. (You can also do this with other important characters of course.)
Consider how your character can get in her own way and experience internal conflict. You can do this even without a notable internal plotline. As mentioned last time, Indy struggles with internal conflict when confronted with his greatest fear: snakes. It's not a main issue in the story, but it definitely becomes a present issue.
How can your character get in her own way? What personal flaws are creating obstacles for her? Can she experience internal conflict about what to do next on the external journey? Can she have a moment where she debates if it's worth the costs? Or where she doubts her success or abilities?
It's also possible to work in a modest character arc. The Super Mario Bro.s Movie is very plot-driven, but the writers still sneaked in a humble character arc for Mario. It's practically nonexistent, but it's there. You can do something similar. Find a little way to show how your character has changed or grown through the story. This may be a matter of adding a few lines in the right places.
4. Make Your Characters Complex
Many think that in order to write a strong, complex character, you need to give them an internal plotline.
That's certainly one way to make them stronger and more complex.
But it's not the only way.
And it's not the necessary way.
No one would say Indiana Jones is flat and two-dimensional.
Complexity is not strictly tied to internal plotlines.
Usually, it comes from these three things--which I'll go over briefly (because they could take up an article or whole lesson).
A. A Seeming Contradiction
One of the quickest, most useful ways to make a character complex, is to make him embody a seeming contradiction. To take it a step further, you'll explore that contradiction--how and why it exists.
For example, in The X-Files, Scully only believes in hard science. She needs physical proof for everything, and she's skeptical of everything. And yet . . . she believes in God as a Catholic. This seeming contradiction makes her more interesting and complex, especially if we dig into that "gray" area. How can such a hard scientist believe in God? And why does she? Exploring this rounds her out.
B. Layers of Identity
People identify us differently depending on what they see or know of us. My family views me differently than my clients do. How I view myself is different than how my friends view me. My enemies see me differently than society does.
I also likely act differently depending on who I'm with; I don't interact with my family the same way I interact with my clients.
By showing different "sides," or perspectives of a character, you can create more complexity.
In Stranger Things, we see Billy from a lot of different "angles," which makes him one of the most complex characters in the series. To the main characters, he's a bully. To Max, he's an abusive stepbrother. To Mrs. Wheeler, he's a sexy heartthrob. To his father, he's a negligent piece of trash. To himself, he's an impressive piece of masculinity.
C. Boundaries & Limitations
You can make a character complex by showing where his "boundaries" or "limitations" lie.
What does it take to get your character to do what's right?
What does it take to get your character to do what's wrong?
One character may only help someone if he gets something out of it. Another character may only help someone if he has the time. A third may bend over backward to help someone at the drop of a hat. These are three very different people.
When Jack is introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean, we immediately see him striving to take advantage of others--he's not heroic, and he's out for himself. However, he draws the line when a damsel is drowning. Instead of using Elizabeth's predicament as a distraction, he risks himself to save her . . . and winds up imprisoned.
Consider, what would it take to get your character to do something he wouldn't ordinarily? Can you push her to her limits?
D. Bonus: Pet the Dog AND Kick the Dog
You can also make a character more complex by showing him "pet the dog" in one scene and "kick the dog" in another. In other words, by showing him doing something likeable or kind in one moment, and then something dislikable or unkind in another (simplistically speaking).
Stranger Things utilizes this a lot. Jonathan is admirable in his quest to find Will, but we get the ick when he secretly takes pictures of Nancy making out with Steve. Mrs. Wheeler is a respectable mom, but we cringe when she plans an affair with Billy. Hopper has a heart of gold, but he's terrible at parenting El.
5. Create a Relevant Backstory
You can also create a relevant backstory to round your character(s) out. Usually the most relevant backstory is the one that conveys why your character has her internal objective, her abstract want, in the first place. For example, in Interstellar, the reason Cooper is so motivated to help himself and his family live (literally and figuratively) is because he and his wife had that taken away from them. Cooper was on track to be a thriving pilot, but the blight and the dust bowl forced him into farming (figurative "death"). Likewise, these catastrophes meant his wife couldn't receive proper medical treatment, which resulted in her literal death.
Nolan could have technically left this out, because the extinction of the whole human race is certainly enough to propel Cooper on his journeys. But including it deepens and rounds out his character.
Cooper's backstory is not emphasized, but it's there, in several dialogue exchanges.
6. Make First Impressions Count
A first impression of a major character is important in any kind of story, but it can be especially important in plot-driven fiction. Because there isn't as much focus on the characters, you don't have as much time and space to develop them. You need to convey who this person is, immediately.
In Casino Royale, the story wastes no time with James Bond. The prologue alone conveys practically everything we need to know about him--what he does, how he was recently promoted, his fighting skills, and his ability to outsmart others. Sure, Act I continues to build on this--by showing how he's even more skilled, smarter, and . . . more arrogant, than we first realized, but one scene in, and the audience already has a clear impression of the guy.
Pirates of the Caribbean does a great job of introducing Jack Sparrow. In a matter of a few minutes, we get a strong impression of Jack, and the writers quickly check off most of what I listed for complex characters above--we see his contradictions, his different sides, his boundaries, and we even see him "kick" and "pet" the dog. Not to mention, we get all of his iconic character tags.
Indiana Jones also gives us a great first impression of Indy.
So, just because a story is plot-driven, doesn't mean it needs cardboard characters.
Aim to distill characters, not dilute them.
With these tips in mind, you should be able to create strong characters in plot-driven fiction.
COMING SOON: Writing Strong Plots for Character-driven Stories
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