Are your books character or plot driven? It’s question that Book Length Project Group members hear a lot at author talks.
At our meeting in May, we challenged ourselves to describe the main character in our current projects:
- A plodding accountant with an eye for detail
- An introvert who quietly observes what no-one else sees
- A widow committed to righting injustice.
We started with our protagonist
And then we asked how our protagonist’s unique character determines what happens in our story:
- Does the accountant find an innocuous transaction that provides the vital clue?
- Did the introvert notice the killer surreptitiously send a text message to her victim?
- Does the widow’s personal backstory motivate her to persevere when everyone else loses faith?
And then we flipped it
Once we knew how our protagonist drove our story, we turned the question on its head and asked ourselves how our protagonist was changed as a result:
- Did the accountant discover a latent passion for forensic finance?
- Did the introvert learn to value their unique powers of observation?
- Did the widow find her own peace by lifting another person out of misery?
We decided that character and plot are not either-or questions, but and-and ingredients that combine and alter each other, giving our book length projects their own unique complexity and depth.
What will we do next?
The Book Length Project Group meets on the third Sunday of every month at Mattie Furphy House in Swanbourne. All FAWWA members and friends are welcome. If you would like to join us, please go to The Fellowship of Australian Writers WA (fawwa.org)
Karen Herbert 