The Character Story

**The ideas here come from Orson Scott Card in How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. This is my take on them.**

Aah, Character. How often have we been asked, as writers, if we're more plot-driven or character-driven? I'm of the opinion a character should always drive the plot – that is, he should be proactive. This doesn't mean he consciously chose to be a part of the events. A character might be proactive if he takes a few actions and, before he knows it, he's in a big mess. This is what happens to Richard Mayhew in Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. He stops to save a dirty, bleeding girl on the street, and is irremediably pulled into the story.

In a Character Story, however, the character is the plot. A character story will be about a character's attempt to change himself or his relation to others. He might be discontent with his current role in the family or close neighbourhood. He might hate what he's become and try to change himself.

The character story starts when your main character decides to make these changes and ends either in his success or failure. A father who attempts to reconcile with his son after a decade is a character story. He might succeed and grow closer to his son, or his attempts might be constantly rebuffed until he abandons them.

My February Shiny Idea, Fezim Aulm, is a Character Story. It begins with the MC’s admittance in a wizard asylum and his decision to ‘fix himself’ as much as he can, and it ends with his acceptance that while he might change, he can never make up for his past actions. There is a lot happening, but my story structure milestones revolve around his character evolution and, in planning my novel, I often relied on James Scott Bell’s character layers.

While I find the Character Story structure is rarer in fantasy as the main one, it's quite often there as a subplot. After all, events of the magnitude of what your throw at your characters should change them. That's the whole fun of it!


The point of a Character Story is this change. The character arc doesn't support the main plot. It is the main plot. 

The Epiphany

I know I had a more serious post planned for today. Something about the nuts and bolts of writing. For the life of me, though, I can't remember what the topic was. It'll come back when my brain settles.

But what puts you in such a state, you ask?  (well, maybe not, and besides it's in the title, but I'll act as though I hadn't noticed).


Yesterday as I walked to class, I had a writing epiphany.

Not on WHITE ECHOES. It's another story, one I have carried with me for longer than I even write novels. All I had was a character, born from a short-lived game of roleplaying. I created tons of RP characters in my years, and they all tend to vanish.

Not this one.

For six years he waited in my head. Once, I tried writing his story. I blocked after 4000 words. I had no idea where this was going. I did not like what he was becoming. Every few hundred words, he also said or thought something horrible. Fezim is as twisted, disgusting and complex a character as I've ever done, but he happens to be charming and funny. It is so hard to balance the two. Especially when you have no idea where this is all going. In a way, I didn't feel safe with him 'in control' of the storyline.

But it's over now! With a 30-minute walk under big snowflakes, chatting up with friends, I somehow saw the ending. Within two hours I had drafted three scenes, including the last one and now my mind is bubbling with subplots and main characters.

This is going to be fun.

I do need to remember, however, to finish WHITE ECHOES' draft before I give in entirely to the Shiny New (well, somewhat new) Idea.

Isn't it fun when this happens? How do you guys deal with the new ideas? I normally just jot them down and move on. Any other tricks?