In the best stories, writers link plot and character so intricately that you couldn’t pull one out without the whole thing unravelling. If you can, it’s going to lead to “can’t connect” or “didn’t love it.” We call this intricate link the plot – character connection.
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This is the first and most important problem to solve in your story–how are the two major elements related?
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These tips today give you a place to start making your plot – character connection. To go deeper, I recommend Story Genius by Lisa Cron. This book is most helpful when you have a good understanding of plot arc and character arc, but there’s enough goodness to benefit any writer.
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How are your plot and MC inextricably linked?
5 Notes About Plot + Character:
- Plot needs to be connected to character.
- That means only ‘this’ main character could be in ‘this’ story.
- How do the external goals connect to the main character’s emotional wound?
- How does the main character overcome internal issues because of the plot?
- Subplots need to give your main character skills to meet their main goal.
Once you look into how your plot and main character are linked, it’s time to go deeper. I’ve been working hard on a resource that will allow you to get your manuscript into shape in a short time frame. It’s designed to give you the basics to make it through a full developmental edit on your own story. That’s when it’s time to download my new resource, TOP DOWN REVISING: A QUICK START GUIDE. You can get it FREE when you sign up for my newsletter, which is chock full of tips for you to use in your writing and revising.
As always, if you have questions about how plot and character interconnect, reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram.
