Fitting character moments into heavily plot-driven narratives

I suppose, in your shoes, I would ask myself: What aspects of my characters do I actually wish to reveal? And what level of characterization is necessary to the plot? I don't want to railroad you into attempting to write a deeply character driven story in the New Yorker mold. But if you're asking for help, I'm sure the answer is, "My characterization isn't cutting it."

In that case, this is the knowledge that has helped me the most:

  1. Choices define character. The choices your characters make will define them, whether in fast paced scenes or in slow and meditative regroupings.

  2. Define your characters before you begin. Your characters needn't be complicated. They may require only one or two traits to come into focus. I find the most important traits to stress are desires, motivations, strengths and weaknesses, and your character's general background. This will give you the foundation you need to imagine their actions under any number of conditions. When your readers see your characters acting in specific ways, this will show them who your characters are. The meteor might be unavoidable, but how your characters solve the problem is what turns a plot into a story.

  3. Your characters need something at stake. They should have skin in the game: if they don't solve the central conflict of the plot, they'll be fucked personally. Even if it's the whole universe at stake, you need a slice of that universe to focus on or it just won't land.

  4. Figure out your central dramatic question, and if it's not character based, make it character based. If your central dramatic question is "Will my characters save the world?" make it: "Will my characters overcome their flaws in time to save the world?"

  5. With that in mind, give your characters dilemmas. Make them choose between less than desirable options. Make them decide what they really value and who they really are. This will draw your reader in as they consider which choices they would make in a similar situation.

  6. Learn how to balance action and reaction. The "scene, disaster, sequel" model outlined earlier is a wonderful place to start. After the "disaster" is typically the best place for quieter scenes. The characters are tired, down on their luck, rethinking what they thought they knew. They'll commiserate and bare their guts. Then they'll make a decision. Look for places in your story where it's natural to say, "You know what, I would take a breather here too." That's when your characters get to sit down to muse on the value of their great grandfather's painting, no plot jamming required. In fact, your readers will be grateful. Too much action can be exhausting.

  7. Ask yourself how much character development your story actually needs. While writers love to praise character development under any and all circumstances, the fact is that not all plots require the same amount. Look at stories similar to the one you're writing. How much do the characters change? There's a sliding scale between Indiana Jones and Tolstoy, and it's important to know where you land before you start implementing any advice you hear online or in books.

  8. That said, look into the concept of character arcs and character development. It's a bit too complicated to get into here, but the basic principle is this: By the end of the story, your characters' beliefs will change, either for good or ill. Not all stories require the character to change (a common bit of advice is "by the end of the story your character either needs to change or fail to change"), but since character moments are what you're looking for, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you want some arcs. K.M. Weiland'd "Creating Character Arcs" is a bit too formulaic and Hollywood for my tastes, but it's not the worst place to start, especially if you're writing genre fiction. It definitely won't make your writing worse.

  9. The exposition (act 1) and denouement (end of act 3) are two more great and natural places to emphasize character rather than action. Lay out what's at stake. Show us your characters in their normal world before you blow it up. The exposition lays out everything your readers need to know before the action starts. The denouement wraps it up: everything your characters have learned and all the ways the world has changed.

  10. Character is plot, and plot is character. When people say "plot driven story," what they really mean is "external conflict driven" story. Conflict occurs at three levels: internal, interpersonal, and external/societal. In a so-called "plot driven story", external conflict gives your characters impetus, but it doesn't define their actions in any meaningful sense. If their actions are utterly defined by the external action, they will be two dimensional by default. A person with no interior doubts or interpersonal difficulties isn't a person: they're an external-comflict resistance device. They'll push back in generalized, emotionally uncomplicated ways. Meteor needs to be stopped? Launch the missile. Robot invasion? Shoot them. The conflict remains external and your characters die on the page.

  11. From these mysteries, theme will arise. Your characters will face dilemmas and questions will emerge. If your character lacks courage, your story will suddenly become about courage. If your characters struggle to balance their duty with their personal lives, boom, that's a theme. Just don't include too many competing dillemas/themes at once: tie them to your central dramatic question and content yourself with the fact that stories are finite and can never actually be about everything.

I hope that helps!

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