4 Elements of a Character Driven Dtory
Let’s begin with the basics and work our way up. What is a character driven story? A character-driven story is pushed forward by the emotions of the main character or characters. Meaning the plot is not intensely structured and the conflict that will arise is centered around an internal battle the character is facing. Therefore, when the climax of the story starts its incline, it will be a test of character development rather than the unraveling of something taking place outside of the main character.
Many character-driven stories will have most, if not all, of the following plot points: inner conflict, strong background story, enhance point of view for the character, and overall character development.
If your story is character driven, you are more likely to focus on the development of the character rather than the unfolding of the plot. When you are focusing on a character, the audience will be more interested in how a character reacts to situation they are in due to their backstory rather than how the situation itself pushes the story forward. It is the character who is the driving force and not the plot because the changes the character undergoes takes precedence.
There are numerous questions authors are encouraged to ask themselves regarding the main character when writing their manuscript. The questionnaire is like an interview where the author is getting to know who the character is and how they view the world they live in. One of the greatest assets an author can have when writing a character driven plot will be to create an authentic point of view of the character specifically. This goes beyond first person and third person, this dives into character voice.
Character voice is how a character reacts and/or responds inwardly and outwardly. Since the character’s point of view is how they view the world, it will largely affect how the author develops the character’s voice.
Which is the epitome of a character driven plot since their decisions––reactions and responses––will drive many aspects of the story. For instance, when a story is based on the character’s emotions, you can expect a lot of their decisions and reactions to not have much logic in them.
Now that we have successfully identified how the character driven story will play out, let’s focus on elements that help bring it all together, such as character development. In this case, we are focusing on how they evolve throughout the story. Here is an opportunity to really shine light on who your character is and who they become, because there may be a conflict in the beginning of the book the character failed at but by the end of the book they can overcome said conflict.
Whatever their conflict is, again, make sure it is internal to highlight whether or not the character grows or if they continue to stumble backward. If stumbling backward is what takes place, make sure it’s obvious to the audience to keep them engaged as they will more than likely want to know what happens next. Give your audience enough to understand who they are as people, so they can connect with the character and even root for them in the end.
I believe it is easier to learn when there is a good example. So, I want to highlight a book a read titled, The Perfect Ruin by Shanora Williams. In The Perfect Ruin, Ivy Hill is driven by revenge. After being given pertinent information regarding the person responsible for her parents’ death, Ivy formulates a half-baked plan in hopes of avenging her parents. For one, Ivy received information and immediately ran with it. This is the perfect example of reacting with emotion. She did not try to determine if it would be worth it or what the cost is for her to do something like this; she immediately went into planning revenge. And though she has a plan, throughout the story Ivy easily becomes distracted by things that she wants and desires, which clouds her already poor judgement, and slowly but surely derails her plan.
Take a look at my example for The Perfect Ruin hitting every point I have suggested thus far.
Point of View
Ivy’s point of view causes her to believe someone has to pay for what happened to her parents, and she believes what she is doing is the right way to go handle the situation. This causes her to proceed with her plan when in actuality she needs to stop and consider every outcome.
Character Development
Ivy is faced with various scenarios that challenge her ability to navigate a world that she inserted herself in. Where she can either make a decision that would actually play in her favor or she can make a decision that can potentially break her in the end. And I hate to say it, but she definitely does not make good choices.
Inner conflict
The conflict is character vs. self-conflict. Ivy is facing the fact that she now knows who is responsible for the death of her parents and at any moment she can pull out. It is truly up to her on how she handles everything from the moment she gains information. Will she see her plan through or will she gain a conscious to handle this situation differently.
Backstory
Ivy’s backstory of losing her parents was strong enough. Simply because of how some people can understand why a person would want to seek revenge on the person responsible for the loss of their parents.
And since I am trying my best not to spoil this book for those who haven’t read it there are so many other things the book executes that exemplify a character driven story. If you are looking for a reference book, go pick up The Perfect Ruin.
So, keep in mind, to effectively create your character driven story be sure to create a point of view for your character, character point of view helps to create a starting point because it gives the audience an idea of who the character is. Backstory, what is their backstory and how can it help to move the story along. Inner conflict, something the character will have to face that personally affects them and challenges them to become better or become worse. And, of course, character development, this one can play off the inner conflict because you can now focus on what they have or have not learned throughout the journey.
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