After reading Kristen Kieffer’s Do You Know What Drives Your Story’s Narrative?, I learned that character and plot are not mutually exclusive. Au contraire; Kieffer says that “plot and character development [are] two sides of the same coin[, and] most coins [simply] land on either heads or tails” (Kieffer, 2018). I would like to write both plot-driven and character-driven stories, as well as combinations of the two, because I believe that plot-driven stories, character-driven stories, and combination-driven stories all have their place in humanity’s library. An author can and should drop the worries of “[What if my story is not] literary enough to receive critical notice?” (Kieffer, 2018) and “[What if my story does not] contain enough heart-pounding suspense to become [a] commercial [success]?” (Kieffer, 2018). Furthermore, an author need not attempt “[fitting her/his story(ies)] into [(a) box(es)] in which [it/they does not/do not] belong” (Kieffer, 2018). So far, I feel that I shine brighter at writing character-driven stories than at writing plot-driven stories, because I believe that we as people are perfectly imperfect, and that we can transform experience into power; this concept of transforming experience into power not only applies to one’s character(s), but also to the author her/himself. Kieffer agrees: “[Take] care to examine the foundations of your story now. You never know just how much a little insight can transform how you approach a story and your efficiency in bringing it to life” (Kieffer, 2018).
Reference List:
Kieffer, K. (2018, November 28). Do You Know What Drives Your Story’s Narrative? well-storied.com. https://www.well-storied.com/blog/character-vs-plot
Mosaic Ponderings 