As we all know some stories are character driven while some are plot driven. For some time I was very worried that my stories were too character driven with too little plot and that it would automatically make them bad stories. Then, a little while ago, I read a book written by one of my favourite authors, and realised to my amazement that she had very little external plot and that the book was almost completely character driven. And it was a great book!

So now I’m not quite as worried. I’ve come to terms with that a story can be good without a lot of external plot (which is good since I’m not good at writing external plot - I’m a character person 100%!), and it makes me feel much more comfortable when writing. Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoy a good plot as well as anyone else; I just can’t write them.

When I write the characters tend to be the first thing that come to me, and then I work out the story from the characters. (Of course there are other times when a scene or something else will come to me first, but the majority of the times it’s the characters.) My current WIP I’ve had these characters’ personalities and qualities down for a long time since I knew about them already when I started my first MS, so it’s great to finally get to write them a story where we can get to know them better.

When I read, I will read anything - be it plot driven or character driven as long as the story in itself is good.

Do you - as a reader - have a favourite kind of story (be it character- or plot driven), or do you - like me - enjoy both? As a writer, what do you consider yourself writing and what comes to you first - the plot or the characters?