In a character-driven story, the emphasis is placed on the protagonist and her internal journey. The stakes are personal and often tied to the character's identity--her character arc. How she responds to external events matters more than the external events themselves. These stories tend to offer more "substance" and "meaning" (generally speaking). But critics of character-driven fiction sometimes feel that "nothing happens," and may even ask, "Where's the plot?" They may understand on some level that the story is supposedly "good," but if they are too bored to make it through the first act, they may wonder, Who cares?
Just because a story is "character-driven" doesn't mean it can be completely plotless (something that new writers may trick themselves into thinking).
Previously, we covered the differences (and similarities) between character-driven and plot-driven stories, and I gave some tips for writing plot-driven characters.
Today I'm back with the opposite of that: tips for writing character-driven plots.
5 Tips for Character-driven Plots
1. Make Sure You HAVE Internal and External Plotlines
Previously I explained how most stories are actually both (to some extent) character-driven and plot-driven. The main difference is which plotline gets emphasized.
At the most basic level, a plotline should have an objective, an antagonist, conflict, and consequences.
This is often most obvious with the external plotline:
In Moana, the protagonist aims to restore the heart of Te Fiti (objective), but Te Ka (and other antagonists) attack her (conflict). If she doesn't restore the heart, blight will overtake her home (consequences).
Each of these elements is external; they are concrete, and we can "see" them.
But these elements also need to exist, to some extent, internally, in order to create an internal plotline:
In her heart, Moana wants to be true to herself (objective), but she is battling her own psyche (antagonist); she is facing doubt that she is the right person for this quest (conflict). If she doesn't overcome that doubt, she'll never become who she yearns to be (specifically a voyager) (consequences).
If your plotlines don't contain an objective, antagonist, conflict, and consequences, they'll feel weak.
Because a character-driven story is more concerned with the internal experience, it can be particularly important to make sure those elements are there internally.
At first glance, this may seem difficult to do. The internal plotline can feel so abstract, and many writers have been discouraged from exploring and shaping anything "abstract" in their stories.
But the internal plotline is one place where the abstract is merited.
I mean, it has to be, because it is internal.
We just need to handle it the right way.
The internal objective is often the (or at least a) main motivator behind the external plot goal. One of the reasons Moana wants to restore the heart, is so she can be true to herself by becoming a voyager.
Being true to herself is the objective, or what I personally refer to as the "abstract want."
Since this plotline is internal, this means the antagonist almost always needs to be, to some extent, the self. This in turn creates internal conflict.
Which will show up in one of these ways:
- Having contradictory desires
- Struggling with a personal flaw or moral weakness
- Entertaining opposing belief systems
- Dealing with temptations and tendencies
- Debating if the journey is worth the costs
- Facing some form of doubt (over self, success of the journey, personal beliefs . . . )
How the character chooses to respond to the conflict, creates the character arc, which is the "consequence" of the internal plotline. The consequence is who this character grows into; it's what this character's identity will become.
This is often the heart of character-driven fiction.
Character-driven fiction isn't an excuse to just write a bunch of info--whatever you want--about your protagonist. It's about creating an internal plotline and progressing through it to a character arc. That's what makes a character-driven story tick.
Consider the recent biopic Michael. While externally there are flashy lights, dancing, and concerts, the focus is on Michael's internal journey and how he comes into his own.
His objective is to be creatively independent, but he's his own antagonist in that he doesn't have the strength to stand up for himself (specifically against his father). He also struggles with conflicting desires: he yearns to be independent, but he also wants to be part of, and support, his family. As the story progresses, he overcomes his flaw, stands up for himself, and seizes that independence, completing his character arc and becoming the Michael we all know.
Of course, though, there is also an external plotline, which interweaves with this.
Michael also has concrete goals that stem from his motive to be independent. He wants to create a solo album, do a solo tour, make music videos, and even leave the Jackson 5. But his father works as the (external) antagonist, often getting in the way, blocking or creating resistance to these things. This creates conflict. If Michael doesn't win this conflict, his career will be held back and dragged down (consequences).
What happens externally affects Michael internally. And what happens internally affects the people and world around him--externally.
If you don't have these basic plot elements in place, your "character-driven" story is more likely to feel "plotless."
And while the internal plotline is central, creating a solid external plotline will strengthen the sense of "plot" in your story even more.
In fact, it will often also strengthen the internal plotline itself. . . .
2. Make the Abstract (Internal) Show up in Concrete (External) Ways
While you can technically create a plot-driven story without an internal plotline, it's extremely difficult to create a character-driven story without an external plotline, to the point of being nigh impossible.
This is in part because those abstract plot pieces mentioned above, should naturally show up in how the character behaves.
If Michael's greatest desire is to be creatively independent, then naturally, he should be making concrete efforts to do that--taking steps to make a solo album, music videos, and go on a solo tour. If he's not doing that, then it's obvious he doesn't want to be independent that bad. This makes both the internal and external plotline weaker.
Similarly, in Legally Blonde, if Elle truly wants to be taken seriously for who she genuinely is, she can't just think about it. She has to do something. So she applies to Harvard, shaping the external plot. She believes if she does law school, she'll fulfill her want.
And Hamilton can't just sit idly by and wish he had a legacy--we need to see him go out and try to build it.
The internal world should show up in the external one.
This is most effective with the other plot elements as well.
Hamilton is in some ways his worst antagonist--it's his own loud mouth that ruins his political career and gets his son killed. If his "loud mouth" only showed up in his inner monologue, it wouldn't feel important to the plot.
If we didn't see Michael shrinking and buckling in external, concrete ways, it wouldn't matter much that he felt internally weak and controlled.
It's also often a great idea to have an external antagonist who brings out or mirrors the character's antagonism. Jefferson, Madison, and Burr bring out Hamilton's loud mouth, while obviously Michael's dad, Joseph, highlights Michael's weakness.
In Legally Blonde, Elle verbally doubts that anyone will ever take her seriously--to them she's just a "dumb blonde" with "big boobs." And her worries are perfectly mirrored in Warner, who breaks up with her for those reasons. He's the embodiment of this doubt. He's the external "antagonist" to Elle's objective. He's the main person who does not take her seriously.
Inner conflicts are also more interesting when they show up in external ways. Sure, we could have Hamilton only internally at war with himself as to whether or not he should be with Maria (I mean, we "couldn't" because it's not historically accurate, but you get the idea), but it's more effective if he takes actions toward Maria and actions away from her. It's more interesting that he stays with her, then tries to leave her, then gets roped back in. The external back-and-forth is more impactful.
Likewise, it's more effective to see Michael try to be a solo artist and part of the Jackson 5 at the same time. He takes steps down one path, then changes directions and goes down the other. It's a "tug of war," where it seems one step toward one, is a step further away from the other. He's not just in a studio agonizing internally about which way to go. We see the internal conflict play out in his actions.
And finally, it's more effective to show how the character has grown through the character arc. It's not enough to just have Hamilton think about how he's changed internally. We need to see him externally throwing away his shot when dueling Burr.
And at the end, Elle doesn't just sit around and ponder how she's remained true to herself and done serious things. She wins the case because she's true to herself, which earns everyone's respect. And when Warner comes crawling back, she rejects him. There is no room for that kind of doubt anymore.
It's not enough for Michael to just think he's done with the Jacksons, he needs to announce it, while looking into his father's green eyes. He needs to physically walk away.
This proves and validates the arc.
So one of the key ways to strengthen plot in a character-driven story, is to make sure the inner experience is expressed outwardly. It's not enough for the character to think it; show it.
3. Choose External Events that Push the Character Arc
In a character-driven story, the external plot is primarily used to test and try the character as he pursues his objectives. How he responds to the antagonists and conflicts (the obstacles) completes his character arc.
One way to approach plot is to consider what could happen, externally, to push the character through the arc you want.
In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge must encounter several ghosts, and even confront his own death, to be pushed to change. These external experiences impact him internally. His change would not have happened with the "wrong" events.
Similarly, in A Man Called Otto, Otto seeks death because he's lonely. But his suicide attempts keep getting interrupted by people who need help (external events). Otto's character arc is about learning to accept help--that he can't do it all on his own. So, one of the best ways to push him toward this realization, is to put him in situations where he has to help others.
Some character-driven stories are not about changing who the character is, but rather testing her resolve--so she becomes more of something.
In the beginning of Legally Blonde, Elle believes she can be herself and be taken seriously . . . but doubt creeps in, in the form of Warner. As she goes to Harvard, external events there test her beliefs. When she lands an internship with the most respected teacher, he tries to seduce her, revealing that's the only reason he chose her for the position. If the most respected teacher at Harvard doesn't take her seriously, how could anyone else?
The external events test Elle's resolve. Her arc isn't about changing who she is, it's about remaining steadfast in who she is, despite the world pressuring her to do otherwise. It's about growing stronger and more confident in her original identity.
The "wrong" external events would not have tested that.
What internal journey is your character traversing? What external events will create the arc she needs?
4. Link External Events Through Cause and Effect
While not required for a great character-driven story, one way to make such a story feel like it has more "plot" is to link its external events through cause and effect.
In a very character-driven story, what matters is the "internal" cause and effect (how the character is impacted and how he arcs).
In a very plot-driven story, what matters is the "external" cause and effect (how the world or others are impacted and how they "arc").
Therefore, by strengthening external cause and effect in a character-driven story, you inch the "dial" toward "plot."
If that all sounds confusing . . . I'll explain by comparing and contrasting some examples.
A Man Called Otto is very character-driven. In it, the external events don't link together very much. If we cut the internal plotline (hard to do with this one, but imagine with me hypothetically), the external events are sort of "one-offs." They aren't linked. He attempts to hang himself. He helps a neighbor park a trailer. He fixes Anita's radiators. He takes Marisol and her family to the hospital when Tommy breaks his leg. He gets mad at a clown. He adopts a cat. . . .
It feels sort of random.
Christmas Vacation is a little similar. If we weren't watching the accumulation of holiday mishaps drive Clark up a wall, the film would feel less cohesive and more random.
In contrast, the external events of Legally Blonde and Hamilton are more linked.
Warner breaks up with Elle, and so she applies to law school. Because she applied to law school, she gets in, and so she strives to do well in class. And because she does well in class, she becomes an intern in a high-profile case, and so she works closely with a highly respected professor . . . who tries to seduce her. And so she quits and tells Brooke (the defendant), who then hires Elle. . . .
Hamilton is a touch less connected, but still very much so. Because of Hamilton's efforts, Washington hires him to be his right-hand man, and because of his skill and relentless begging, Washington allows him to lead men to victory in the war. Because the war is won, the government needs to be founded, and so Washington asks Hamilton to be the Secretary of the Treasury. Since he is a secretary alongside Jefferson, they start feuding, and so Jefferson plots against Hamilton. . . .
When you can link together what's happening externally (one event carries consequences that lead to another event), the story will feel like it has a stronger "plot."
To take it up another notch, you make sure the external events are escalating, creating a "snowball" effect. The events of Legally Blonde build and build on each other, until Elle wins a legal case at the climax. This escalation inches this film closer to the "plot" end of "the character-driven vs. plot-driven spectrum" than any of my other examples in here.
5. Use the Objective to Frame the Story
In a character-driven story, the internal objective (the abstract want) matters more than the external objective (concrete goal). The best character-driven stories use this to frame the narrative.
In the beginning of the story, the character should have (or gain) a deep internal want.
Michael wants creative independence.
Hamilton wants to build a legacy.
Elle wants to be taken seriously for who she is.
Clark wants to have an amazing family gathering.
Otto wants to stop living, so he doesn't feel lonely.
As mentioned above, the character then aims to fulfill this want in concrete ways.
This is what underpins the plot of the story.
Whatever the character is concretely pursuing should, more or less, directly or indirectly, relate back to that want (though I admit, I'm simplifying a bit for the sake of this post).
The story ends satisfyingly when the character gets, or gives up, the abstract want in a defining way.
When we look at Michael, the story doesn't end with Michael's death. In fact, it doesn't even include the second half of his career.
But the story feels self-contained because the internal journey was finished: Michael completed his arc by coming into his own, standing up to his dad, and subsequently claiming his independence--what he wanted all along.
Likewise, in Christmas Vacation, the film does not even end on Christmas Day. Christmas does not even happen in the movie, despite the fact there is a countdown to it through the whole film.
It ends when Clark gets his abstract want in a fulfilling way.
In Hamilton, the duel with Burr is rather secondary to the protagonist's internal experiences. The story isn't "about" the duel. Even on the "external" plotline, the duel feels almost like an "afterthought." Nor is the story really "about" founding America. It's about Hamilton's journey with the abstract want, and how he must let go of it at the end.
That's what really matters.
But again, if you want to inch the story toward the "plot" side of the spectrum, you have a major concrete goal we've been building up to get resolved as well, like we see in Legally Blonde. Elle wins the case while simultaneously proving she can be herself and do serious things. This gives a little more strength to the external plotline.
So, simplistically speaking, you can use the internal objective to frame the story, which will make it feel like it has more of a cohesive plot.
And there you have it, five ways to strengthen the plot of a character-driven story . . . which was admittedly harder to explain than my previous post on strengthening plot-driven characters. 😅
But I think that's because many of us have not been clearly taught about what an internal plotline is.
In any case, I hope you found something helpful!
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