Writing Stronger Characters for Plot-driven Stories

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.)

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What is a Character Tag? Definition, Purpose, and Examples

A character tag is a word, phrase, description, trait, or concept repeatedly associated with a specific character.

Purpose of Character Tags in Fiction

There are several purposes for character tags:

1. Tags help define a character, making him more distinct, more individualized from other characters in the story.
2. Tags work as identifiers--they make it easier for the audience to quickly identify a character.
3. Tags help with recall. When used appropriately, a character tag allows the reader to immediately recall the character, his traits, personality, and mannerisms.

Character tags can be particularly useful for flat characters and characters with small roles, who are often only defined by a few features, but tags can also be useful for round characters and characters with major roles.

They're especially important when working with a large cast of characters, because they allow the audience to easily keep track of who is who. 

But in order to better understand them, let's look at some examples.

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