Plot Driven VS Character Driven Stories
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- čas přidán 14. 05. 2024
- Let's explore the difference between plot driven stories and character driven stories... plus the BRAIN SCIENCE behind each of these storytelling methods and which one WINS - every time.
0:00 - Introduction
1:14 - Character VS Plot
5:46 - How Your Brain Reacts to Plot
7:19 - Balancing Internal & External Conflict
10:15 - Case Study: Ready Player One
13:14 - Case Study: The Amazing Spider-Man
16:17 - Recap
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My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.
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All movie clips and soundtracks used for educational purposes under the Fair Use law. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) copyright Marvel Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, and Laura Ziskin Productions. Ready Player One (2018) copyright Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, and Amblin Partners.
Spider-Man: into the spiderverse. Every. Single. Character. So well written. I can’t even express how deeply I love this movie.
I could watch this movie over and over. It's such a great movie.
Indeed. One of the best comic book movies, which we don't get often. Hopefully we get more great comic book films.
@WayneFTW loving one film shouldn't have to diminish another
agreed
Yes!!!
kung fu panda, believe it or not. It has dumb jokes here and there but the protagonist is super well written!
Now I want to watch Kung Fu Panda again
@@benjaminramsey498 Same!
absolutely agree
Dumb jokes? Are you out of your mind? They are great.
Jokes are for children, story is for the adults, saga is for everyone. Just watch it
You can like Kung Fu Panda and it’s dumb jokes, it’s okay 💀
I read almost exclusively high fantasy. The issue is, that fantasy has so much conflict, magic and mystery in it, that it is very tempting to focus on worldbuilding and plot, which is why the characters tend to be flat underneath their cool badass quotes, skills and abilities. I wish more people were able to master both worldbuilding and characters, it seems too often one comes at the cost of the other.
That's exactly why I rarely read 'classic' high fantasy anymore. Thankfully, I feel like there's a trend towards more character-driven books now, perhaps fueled by the popularity of YA in the recent decade (and the now rising New Adult subgenre). Also I recommend actively checking out books by female authors, I usually find their characters to be less...bland, without the world, magic, plot, etc. losing any of their power and intricacy.
a song of ice and fire is a perfect example of character-driven fantasy, though i'm sure you've read it already given its popularity
Maerwynn id say the Mistborn series and Children of Blood and Bone are good examples too
I write fantasy, and I am currently 8k words deep into backstory on my character because I want to make sure its fully fleshed 😂😂 May just end up creating a prequel because of it. I agree. Everything has to make sense! Its my goal to write a fantasy novel where you have cool characters with cool powers in a fun world, but they're also so relatable they could be someone you know in your real life, or even you.
@@taylorduarte6725 Are you going to participate in NaNoWriMo?
Mulan will always be my favorite movie, period. Yeah, yeah, it looks like it’s just a woman dressed up as a man to fight in a war, but is much more than that. It’s about a woman finding herself and her self-worth, and understanding that she’ll bloom in her own way, and that’s OK.
She learning how to fight and actually fighting the Huns is a lot of fun, but is not the important part.
that's weird as i disliked mulan simply because of how boring its plot was, (i did have high expectation before i watched it tho) honestly the only thing good from it was 'man out of you' bit. the movie felt way too one note and cared only about the main character and not anything else going, felt disappointingly generic
@@ThePalatineHill After it all, it's a movie for kids, made a while ago. That's kinda the style, but it's fine. We all like different things.
@@A.H._ I would say, imo, Mulan is a great example how to create a strong female character without her coming off being a jerk and man hater.
I disagree, Mulan doesn't have a arc, she is a flat character, she already believes in the truth, what changes is the world around her.
SAME I LOVE HER.
I’ve always loved anime so much, and now i realized why - 99% of anime focuses on a character’s inner conflict so much it’s almost obnoxious! But you grow to love the characters and when they face that huge battle/climax scene it hits you like a punch to the gut. it occurred to me that, actually, anime has a habit of perfectly balancing characters and plot. no wonder it’s so popular!
Japanese authors tend to focus on emotions and internal conflicts more directly, so it's not surprising.
Just finished the Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood .
Masterpiece, an absolute Masterpiece
Thank you for using sci-fi as your examples. I feel like some sci-fi movies are like look at this amazing CGI and not the under developed characters!
People of Hollywood need to watch your channel.
Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much to me, and I am thrilled that the content I make encourages you to chase your dreams and make your story MATTER!
I really disliked Altered Carbon from Netflix for that very same reason. Everything felt bland and meaningless to me. Flashy violence for the sake of it.
@@nachoojeda3002 I loved Altered Carbon. I raved about that show. The real reason why I loved it is because of its dystopian feeling, that overwhelming pressure, and the compliance and conformity Harlan's World required. The Envoy was simply someone, who had been sleeved one too many times, and barely could stitch together his real memories until the very end. He also couldn't express whatever humanity he had left because sleeving has a psychological and emotional cost. What makes Altered Carbon so good is not the flashy violence; it's the choices that the main character has to make that drew people in.
Who's the best and memorable villain in Altered Carbon? No, it wasn't the millionaire, Harlan, or the Special Forces. It was Reileen Kawahara, Kovac's sister. She was the most memorable villain who had a clear agenda, a drive, a motivation, and an underlying need. She was not a predictable character; she was a seemingly innocent young girl who turned into the dark path and became a villain from choices that she had to make in order to survive, even if it means she has to make evil choices; those came at a cost though when she realizes who the Envoy was.
I’m sure someone’s already said it, but in the book, Ready Player One actually has great internal conflict and arcs for the protagonist and side characters... though it does still suffer from some infodumping at the beginning. The movie basically went, “Let’s throw out everything about these characters and stick in a high-speed race with King Kong and a T-Rex instead!” The book goes a thousand times deeper than anything in the movie did.
My favorite seemingly-plot-driven-but-actually-super-character-driven thing is Lost. There’s plot happening ALL over the place, but the backstories we get for each character in various episodes gives meaning to what’s happening on the island in the present. Some of the best character development ever written (and performed) in that show.
So so true what you said about Lost. It's honestly my favorite TV show of all time!!
Lost; great show, watched it twice. Vehemently hate the final season. So many things they could have done, so may threads they could have tied up. What did they do? Careen of a cliff into a realm of "wtf?!". But that said, the characters were/are the best and are the only reason I suffered through the maddening final season. I just wish they could have gone back and rewrote the last season so that everything is explained and ended properly. As is? Glaring plotholes throughout.
Lost is the best!
I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like the movie as much as the book, it was more up-to-date but there really wasn't any conflict. The whole reason Wade really wanted to win was bc he believed having money would make him happy, being the only kid in his school too poor to even afford to leave campus. The reason he wins is highly dependent on the fact he had nothing better to do with his time than learn everything about the hunt whole everyone else went out and had fun.
i remember reading an extract of ready player one in my english class, which made me want to buy the book.
Speaking of Marvel movies, I actually think the first Captain America film, although not the best film, is pretty character driven. Steve is a great character, but some of the movies didn't do him justice at all.
I thought Winter Soldier was good too.
I think that's true. A lot of people say he doesn't grow enough as a character, but I think his "misbelief" is that his death would be more valuable than his life. He's always willing to die for what he believes, and it's not until the end that he decides to choose a life he enjoys living.
@@Lexy-O Oh, absolutely. Winter Soldier is my favorite.
@@wanderwyrd Ik I'm late to the party but he also grows into accepting that the world is much more complicated than he first thought. Not only does he choose to live for himself, he chooses to fight for what specifically he believes in, even if it's against his country.
@@SkittlesInYourHand yeah, I would say the MCU is a character-driven franchise even though each individual film is not necessarily character-driven.
Avatar the Last Airbender is Character driven.... while The Legend of Kora is Plot driven.... I had been wondering recently why one made such a significant impact on me and why I didnt even remember the names of characters from the other.
Exactly, I agree
There both character driven ones just better than the other
I think it's kind of hard to call Korra plot driven. In season 1, Korra is an arrogant, impatient kid. The events of the story are caused by her poor choices. She gets humiliated by Amon, captured by Tarrlock, and has her bending taken away because she was too hot-headed to even consider that she could lose a fight. In season 3, a mistake she made in season 2 leads to the creation of the season's villain, which resulted in Korra nearly dying, and having to suffer PTSD. Season 4 sees that PTSD preventing her from performing her actions as the Avatar. I don't think Korra is a perfect show at all, but all of these conflicts were caused Korra as a character, not by outside forces from the plot.
Korra has internal conflict tho
I disagree, LOK is just as much (if not more) of character driven story as ATLA. LOK's main problem was that its series was more rushed, fragmented, and disjointed than ATLA, but that was more due to budgetary constraints from Nickelodeon. The studio only ever gave them the budget for one season at a time, so the creators weren't sure if they could do an over-arching series like ATLA, meaning each season had to contain an entire story arc (compared to ATLA using all three seasons as a three-act structure for a larger story). Also, each LOK season had only 13 episodes compared to ATLA's 20, meaning they had even less time to develop each story arc than an average ATLA act length.
With regard to whether they're character driven vs. plot driven, let's examine the protagonists in the first few episodes (to avoid major spoilers) with regards to the plot vs. the character's desires, fears, and misbeliefs and see how they differ.
For Aang, in the first episode of the first season, his primary desire to master all the elements in order to defeat the Fire Lord. This is external conflict, something Aang is thrust into without any agency on his part. His fear is that he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord, and his misbelief is that he's responsible for the 100 Year War because he ran away right before the Fire Nation attacked. While he does have a significant character arc over the course of the series, growing from being a goofy kid to a responsible young Avatar, and learning to overcome his guilt and grief of running away 100 years ago, as well as his fear when he ultimately has the final show-down, most of the plot is externally influenced, and his choices are mostly reactionary to the external forces he faces. Aang chooses to leave the South Pole because he must master the four elements in order to end the war.
For Korra, in the first episode of the first season, her primary desire is to master airbending, the one element she hasn't been able to master due to her lack of spiritual connection. Her fear is that she won't be a worthy Avatar without mastering her forth element, and her misbelief is that being strong and independent means being rash, foolhardy, and solitary. This is entirely internal conflict, there is no external force demanding that she learn airbending (yet), but it's just a drive from within herself that she must overcome. Korra's choice to leave the South Pole is entirely motivated by her internal conflict, there is no deciding external force compelling her into action. Korra's conflict with Amon comes after and is secondary to the conflict she's first wrestling with in the start of the season, and parallels her character arc of the season (she overcomes both her internal conflict and her external conflict at the same time, connecting her season 1 character arc with the plot of the story).
I think it’s different for everyone though!! My dad can’t stand character driven stories because he doesn’t care about connecting to fictional characters - he just wants to read an interesting plot. Different stories attract different sorts of people. I think as writers we need to get that everyone looks for something different in a story and not everyone is looking for a lesson or a character to connect to. Some people just want a good plot with twists and turns and surprises and the characters are just vehicles to experience it. There’s no wrong reason to read and therefore there’s no wrong thing to focus on when writing. Some people are looking for a good world. Some people are looking for plot twists. Some people are reading to care about characters. I think looking down on plot driven stories is fine, but realize that’s what some people look for in a story, which is fine too!
Furthermore, plot driven stories don’t actually mean we don’t care about the characters. It just means the plot is what decides the character’s actions and pushes the story forward, not the character’s inner deliberations. In many examples of character driven stories, nothing really HAPPENS because the author is focused on telling the character’s story and thoughts instead of an adventure. And that’s fine! Some people dig that.
Character driven stories aren’t just stories where you care about the characters, and plot driven stories aren’t just forgetting about the characters in favor of plot. It’s just a term used to describe motivation. A lot of “character driven” stories I find the characters unlikable and am turned off immediately. Too much emphasis is on how the characters are feeling and I don’t care and there’s no interesting plot to fall back on. Like your misbelief thing - some of the misbeliefs chosen in stories are so cringy and ridiculous I can’t stand to read any more to find out if the character learns from his mistakes. Whereas a book that focuses more on plot has the potential to be interesting and impactful even if I stop caring about the characters. It just depends. I think it’s important we as creative people don’t dismiss other points of view as inferior just because we don’t personally like it. We talked about that during my creative writing course in college haha. Anyway I enjoyed the video and your aesthetic is so pretty!!!
Balance.
@@matheusholanda6077 yes
Theres a balance,as long as you dont point out interesting stuff to explore only to ignore it the entire story,its frustrating.that usually happen in plot driven that tries to be deep.good example would be final destination and mission impossible? Its action All the way through.but with balance we can have both!!.
Im just pulling my ass here :p
I actually don't find the misbelief thing cringy. It's really enlightening if I can say so. That's what character development is for. Wondering when the character will learn from their mistakes? That's why we have a story to tell.
An example I'd bring up is Kung Fu Hustle, specifically regarding Sing (Stephen Chow's character). His backstory is that he wanted to become a good guy to help those around him, but when he gets his chance to do so by helping a mute girl being bullied by boys, he gets his butt beat. This leads to him getting the fear of defeat under a misbelief that good guys always get beat up. It's what drives him to join the top notch gang of killers to prove himself as a strong person.
It's really part of understanding character, and it's why most action movies are kind of stale.
Misbelief thing could be more impactful than you could ever imagined if it's executed really well. There is no terrible story, it just a matter of how are they executed. Everything could be so shallow and cringy if you think just above the surface. Character driven and plot driven are both important in the story. There should have been a balance between the two.
This just helped me have a MAJOR breakthrough with a character! Exactly what I needed today
Did you finish that story?
I am going to write my first thing ever.. I've started to outline
@@prico3358 How's it going almost a year later?
Same !!!
@@prico3358 great
Little Women: I grew to love all of these characters and really felt like I knew them. They all go through so much growth as people, and I love it!
Favorite character-driven story??? Hard, there's so many, but I just rewatched Big Hero Six. So good. All the characters are great, it's got action, but the best part is THE EMOTION. My favorite superhero story.
Oh my goodness!!! YES! BH6 IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES!!!
I agree!!!! You understand Hiro's internal conflict and care about him as a person, and the plot is still adventurous and interesting
On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate your pain?
I wanna create a story that makes the reader completely fail in love with the characters then at the end hurt the characters so badly that it leaves the reader emotional scarred
Have you tried reading Robin Hobb? She's very good at that. As in so good I'm literally too scared to read the "Fitz and the Fool" trilogy out of fear of what is going to happen to those characters...
Oh yes. I want to write a book which leaves the reader in tears
Sounds like Berserk to me
So banana fish?
@@steampunkofgondor2619 although with berserk the only ones you feel bad for are guts and casca. The rest of the band of the hawk members are very flat with barley any depth so when they die you're meant to feel bad for guts and casca the rest is meh.
You need BOTH. Character and plot go hand-in-hand to create an enthralling story. Without plot, all you have is a bunch of random inconsequential things happening. Anyone who says plot is what makes a story bad, and I hate to say this, have yet to truly understand what story IS. A STORY happens when something EXTERNAL forces someone/someones to confront their INTERNAL shortcomings (flaws, fears, etc). You don't need massive world-ending stakes to have a plot. All stakes are about life and death. Losing the chance to be with someone you love IS STILL ABOUT DEATH! Without plot, there is no conflict. And without conflict, there is no drama. And without drama, your story will be boring. No matter what words you use, without any of this your 50k word manuscript is sure to make a great doorstop.
You need BOTH. It's a chicken and egg situation; character can come from plot or plot can come from character. But you need both to be strong. A strong plot FORCES a character to confront their inner self. They can't sleep on it, THEY ABSOLUTELY *MUST* ACT *RIGHT NOW* , or risk death (which, as alluded to above, can be an emotional one).
Maybe a bit dramatic in that last sentence, but the point is that something happens which forces the protagonist (or protagonists) to take action.
By the same token, you also need a great character. And here's what fiction writers can learn from other mediums -- it's not what we SAY, it's what we DO. A great way to show who a character is, is through the choices they make IN CONFLICT, of which there are six types: internal, relational, situational/environmental, social, paranormal, and cosmic.
Simply put:
INTERNAL = Versus self. Something that stops a character from moving forward. An example would be a man (and I know, I'm stealing this example) who wants to move in with his girlfriend (before marriage), but guilt holds him back.
RELATIONAL = Versus someone else. Protagonist can't win unless the antagonist loses, and vice versa.
SITUATIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL = Usually involves fear; a natural obstacle between what the character and what they want. One example could be a lifeguard who's afraid to save a drowning girl when he see's sharks surrounding her. It could also be something more human or man-made, as long as it's a clear obstacle that would still be there otherwise.
SOCIAL = Versus a group of people.
PARANORMAL = Versus the supernatural, or technology, or magic.
COSMIC = Versus God/fate/etc; a more existentialist sort of conflict.
All of these should naturally arise from your hero(ine?)'s dramatic need.
Another point: we are _intrigued by characters who WANT things (plot)_ . We don't just empathize with a list of traits. That's not what makes someone likable. We empathize -- we understand, and connect with someone who WANTS SOMETHING... _badly_ . We empathize with the STRUGGLE that people go through. "external vs internal, mental vs emotional, etc" traits do not matter nearly as much as we'd like to think, which is why I personally do not focus on them.
Yes. To say "all good stories are character driven" is ignorant. "Many popular stories are character driven" would be appropriate. For example, there's this anime I watched called Monster. We don't know much about the protagonist aside from what the plot demands (there's also the fact that he also serves as an audience insert) But still you never feel the need to know his backstory to connect to him and that shows good writing.
People give so much emphasis to characters that they forget that the main thing that stories need is to capture readers attention, whether it is through plot or character, and a balance is absolutely necessary for a good story.
Popcorn movies = all plot, no character. They can be entertaining but you're watching it for the explosions.
But the other extreme, I'd consider Twilight to be too much character. I don't hate it, the characters mean something to a lot of people and that's no small feat. But there's nowhere near enough plot for 4 books and 5 movies. They could be reduced to 2 books/movies without losing anything.
@@lazy_biscuits08 I've been watching that show on Netflix and from what I see it has focused very much on its main protagonist since episode one. Giving good focus on a character isn't all about recounting their entire life story. Which since you mentioned anime many of those writers don't seem to get at all. It's about understanding their interests, motivations, ideals, and how the present event have been affecting them internally. Which can all be achieves without giving anything about their past?
My favorite story of all time is the Hunger Games story. The plot is amazing and well thought out, but the characters are even more so. There are almost no characters who we don't get at least a tasting of internal conflict and the more prominent a character they are the more insight we get. Beautiful.
Ready Player One is a WONDERFUL book. The book has very few similarities to the film and it's really a rivetting story that is very character driven. It's sad that they changed so much in the film.
This is so well said and so important. Answering the why it matters question for my MC is what finally got me to finish my outline after 8 years of struggling. Wish I'd found your channel waaaaayyyyy sooner!
Emma Michelsohn 8 years?! Thank you. I started this book four years ago and the time passing weighs heavier every time I think about it. So thanx for sharing that your work finally came together. It gives me hope :)
lenandov I'm so glad my story could inspire someone! Keep watching Abbie's videos and check out Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, that's what finally did it for me. Best of luck!
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson are AMAZING character-driven stories, definitely recommended!
Yo I read the way of King's. That book is AMAZING. One of my favourite books in the world
I've read the whole stormlight archive series
I love how Sanderson writes characters! They are deeply flawed human beings, but he uses these flawed characters to bring about change in their worlds.
I haven't read the Way of Kings, but I read his Mistborn Series [The Final Empire (and co)] and it is also very character driven although the first novel can feel like a slow burn at the beginning, it really does pick up quite quickly, and the main character Vin is great and her development throughout the series is fantastic. I highly recommend it if you like Sanderson. The plot is super fun and even every side character is fleshed out and amazing. It never gets boring.
Also, I liked Skyward, although I felt the second in the series was much more plot driven and I didn't quite enjoy it is as much. I don't even remember the stakes at the end, and I just realized I completely forgot to pick up the third book when it came out, likely because, again, I don't even remember the stakes at the end.
Great video. Characters are the heart of fiction, for sure - but, of course, we need to get the plot right, too. And strong characters are important in every genre. Thank you for recognising this. Stories that focus exclusively, or almost exclusively, upon plot feel so empty. 💝
An older movie that represents the type of story I hope to tell is "Pay It Forward". That movie gutted me and made me really think about the kind of life I wished to live.
Your new space is so nice! Also yes character driven stories [but with a good plot] win every time for me :)
Plus, your editing in this one is epic.
I love it when you say you measure success by the number of lives impacted. I believe in this strongly, and that is just one reason why I love you and your channel!
Gladiator (2000). I love how Maximus chooses to fight for the heart of the crowd to make the Roman people realize their fallen Emperor. He freed the slaves, had his vengeance, and created a new Rome that he never got to witness. I adore this movie.
You’re an amazing person
I value your advice so much
And I love your passion ❤️
This is hilariously on point with what you’re saying because when you said “let’s talk about Ready Player 1,” I was like “nope, never heard of it.” Then you started talking about the plot while flashes of it played on the screen and I was like “oh wait, this is familiar now that I’m looking at it actually,” but I couldn’t tell you a single piece of information about it at all😂😂😂
Success is measured by the lives impacted not by sales.
Another great gem.
Little late to this party, but I have to point out The Last of Us. That game is just fantastic. Yes, it's about a zombie apocalypse, but it's not getting swept up in the blood and gore, it's more about the characters. The first scene is just about a girl giving her father a birthday present, showcasing their relationship, it makes you care about them before it even starts throwing zombies at you (and by the time it does it's more about getting your daughter to safety). I genuinely care about the characters because the writers cared about them; their backstory, motivations, feelings. It's one of my favorite stories and I don't replay it because I want to shoot some zombies, I replay it because Joel and Ellie mean something to me.
I always said plot is the skeleton of a story. When people tell me they are only interested in plot, I feel like they counterintuitively taught themselves to miss the characters and story in order to focus on plot because they think it makes them sound clever.
So many stories forget characters and focus so much on concept, plot or world building that they forget to be about something beyond magicland, fantasyland or dystopianland...
Your video is brilliant 💖
Your presentation is so good..very effective and useful. I have learned a lot. Thank you
plot is skeleton characters are skin
Always LOVE the way you put it into a perspective I can digest, great video, SOOOO flipping helpful!! Thanks.
This is so on point. Thank you, Abbie! 👏🏻✨
Attack on Titan. One of the greatest masterpieces in character driven stories, supercharged with a deep and interesting plot that makes you stick till the end.
No part of my being was prepared to hear Amazing Spider-Man referred to as Marvel’s best writing yet.
Andrew infact was good looking for the role thats why he was hated
The best piece of character development advice I ever had was from a guy on CZcams whos name I'm ashamed I can't remember (he analyzed Zuko's character), he said: Don't just have something bad happen to your characters, have something happen to them that they BLAME THEMSELVES FOR. I love that you really made this a point in this video. A character has to take responsibility for their actions (their fatal flaw usually causing it). In fixing their mistake, they then inevitably have to overcome their flaw.
I'm so glad I didn't succumb to peer pressure to see Ready Player One with my friends. It seems terrible...
Amazing video as always Abbie!
I can’t tell you how much I’m grateful to have found your channel!!
I don’t even get bored while you explain!!!
Thank you so much! 💜
I love this new space! I honestly found myself looking at your backgrounds a lot during your past videos. This minimal set-up makes it easier to focus on you
Thanks so much!!
This video was super helpful for my story, thank you! I already had a lot of this from watching your other videos, but this one helped realign a couple things I had out of place. Can't wait for the next one!
My favorite character driven stories are My Hero Academia (a tv show) and the Green Ember (a series of novels) both handle character development really well, despite being totally different stories! And Avatar the Last Airbender
My Hero addresses and fixes all the issues she had with the Ready Player One movie.
I liked Ready Player One, but it was no masterpiece or character study film. My Hero is though.
So happy I found your channel! I've read many script writing books, but your approach to explaining how to write compelling three act stories has been so incredibly clear and easy to understand. Also your passion is motivating me to keep writing even on the toughest days, thank you for that. Can't wait to watch all your stuff!
Thank you so much Abbie! The way you explain how to make story structure correctly and how to make it actually matter has made me understand so much :D It's making me excited to start my comic that I'm creating. You're an amazing teacher
Thank you! I’m so grateful for your channel there’s not a lot of videos supporting upcoming writers so carry on doing what your doing your making such a big difference if you don’t know it already❤️
Wow, this is seriously high quality content! I feel a lot more confident about the story I’m writing, and feel like I know exactly what I need to work on. Thanks heaps!
What a powerful intro! Loved the change. I'm happy you're back 💕
Thanks so much for watching!
Hi Abbie! I found your channel a couple days ago and I cannot leave it! You've been brilliantly speaking to my soul and I've been enjoying your every word, and putting all of them to use. This particular video has caused me to press pause, applaud your genius and write you a short note to let you know that in this very moment your work is changing my life. I appreciate you so much. Thank you. You'll be seeing me around here frequently. Ok, back to the video. Lol
What a lovely message! I hope she sees it 💞
@@nikkireigns I hope so too Nikki!
omg!! I finally found this, the advices told frankly really make everyone realize how important the difference of Plot Driven and Character Driven... good job
4:34 The way you described success was very inspiring. Holy crap your content is awesome! Very helpful for a new author
I think I know what you’re trying to say, but you really need to read Creating Character Arcs by KM Weiland. It’ll get you to stop thinking about plot, character, and theme as separate entities.
Thank you for The Breakdown ‼️ Best One Yet ‼️
Your insight and knowledge are truly amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Abbie, learning a lot from u❤️
I am a playwright and a teacher of theatre. I just stumbled onto your channel and I really like how you present these two concepts (plot and character) as interdependent. Definitely gonna check out some of your other vids. Good work.
What a new way to look and analyse writing and how to make a book better. Thanks so much these are really engaging. ✨💓
I have been trying to figure out what my character was missing, you nailed it. I love spending time with my characters, and while I was understanding their internal conflict and knew what was driving them, I realize now that I just haven't explained and explored it enough in my writing. Thanks so much!!
Thanks to your videos... I finally understand what plot is :) This has bothered me since high school as I never received a clear idea what plot was as I used to get it confused with story. Thanks. I just discovered your videos today and subscribed.
I gotta say Abbie, I have been following you for like 7 years now, almost as long as I have been working on my novel. I don’t like ever comment on peoples channels lol but for you I had to make an exception. I am just finally getting to the revision process and have been having a tough time gauging if there is enough internal conflict in my two very different characters. And MAN watching this so well spoken and analytical video about how to make even action story’s matter is inspiring since that’s my goal. Just wanted to encourage you and remind you that there are others like you who have a passion for making stories matter. I’m out to prove that action books can still hit peoples hearts. Thanks for the awesome video as always!
I know your probably super busy, but I was wondering, do you think internal conflict can be desire vs fear, even if the desire is a wrong one or maybe even wrong reasons for the desire…
I have a character who desires to make the world better, to help people, but the only reason is because he wants to prove to others he can achieve what his father couldn’t. His desire is driven by pride and selfishness not altruism. I’m curious if you think that, that will still make the audience care even if the desire isn’t exactly an idealistic or pure desire (not like Disney where the characters desires are usually pure)
Thank! Keep making awesome videos.
Abbie, you are amazing and I'm so proud of all you have done. This video has helped me a lot.
My favorite character driven story would probably be Inception. The plot/concept definitely takes a lot of the attention being so intriguing and different, but the story of Cobb and his journey to get home to his kids really does get me every time! I think it's a perfect example of taking an interesting plot and rounding it out with a character who's story you really do care about! It wasn't just about the unique idea, it was about a journey to forgiveness and returning home.
You’re amazing Abbie ❤️
Outlander is my current favorite book. I love the entire series. Love for the characters make care about the plot. And a lot happens! Great story ❤️
Loved your intro and new background 🖤
I think this is the best video explaining this topic, amazing explanation, thanks.
Love your descriptions
Lucas' Star Wars made me understand the 10-minute rule twenty years ago when I sat down and timed everything that happened in the film. I also observed that this rule also works in any part of a film, or a tv series, even in the middle of an episode, in the middle of a season, and in the middle of the series. If after 10 minutes you're not hooked, it's bad. Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series made me understand that the plot should be at the service of character development and, therefore, good storytelling. Nice video.
Unrelated but the backdrop music at around 6:04 is amazing!!!
Thnx for the tips btw..
This was really helpful I really like whenever you talk about external and internal conflict
Your videos help me so much, I genuinely look forward to coming home from work to watch more!! Highlight of my day, and a well of knowledge that is gonna help me make my story badass and meaningful. Thank you so much
That means so much to me. Thank you!
Thanks, this really helps me understand and know what makes a good story.
I watch a lot of anime and most anime are character driven, especially One Piece.
Cooler Man lol same I LOVE ANIME
IMO, One Piece has a balance between character-driven story and plot-driven story. It's got good world building as well as compelling characters.
If you ever read / watch 'Bakuman" (By the creators of Death Note), it is implied that the first and most important think "mangaka" / "comic artist" should make is a interesting character readers will love. So yeah... i think that how it goes for manga and anime.
Thank you so much for all your videos!
I needed this! My character was starting to become a bit passive (he has an addiction and the whole story is him reacting to it and not doing much about it) now I know how to fix him and have him drive the plot (his addiction causes him to do things that mess up other peoples lives and therefore come back to affect him in the inciting incident)
Yes! Characters are the HEART of the story. This was so so so so good!!!! 😄
Best explanation about the character-driven story on CZcams I watched
Thank you so much for this video and for helping everyone.
I haven't seen Ready Player One but this talk about it is reminding me of the Transformer movies with Shia LaBoeuf. Now, I was into those movies largely because of the action but also I think because Shia LaBoeuf managed to still make his character compelling even though the filmmakers didn't give him much to work with.
This girl has taken the feelings i have always had but not known how to articulate and expressed it perfectly. Now i know what makes a great story!
there are no words to describe how many of my stories abbie has saved.
abbie have you read the last unicorn? it’s one of my favorite books of all time and a great example of weaving plot and characters and internal conflict with the path of the world they’re in🤩 love love loved this video, when im in a writing slump your vids always put me back in the right headspace :> 💖
Always so helpful 👏👏 and clear
There’s so much good information in this video, it’s seriously the basis of everything you need to know on this subject! Funnily enough though, I LOVE ready player one.. but I can see what you mean. The difference between RPO and other movies is that it starts out right in the plot but it slowly comes around to this character development. It certainly doesn’t lack it, but it no doubt does it in an opposite order than most stories. Try actually watching the movie. I think it’ll change your mind on it. Thank you so much for sharing all this! It really is very useful information. ☺️
Thanks you for this video.... Love your channel ❤️♥️♥️♥️ It's so helpful...
Such a great help. I was wondering why my first draft falls so flat and you helped me see - that although I care about my protagonist - I didn’t give enough backstory, enough reasons for readers to understand why they should care. And I’d say Celie in The Color Purple. One of my all time favorites. It’s amazing how we don’t care what happens to her only because of all the injustice in her life. Any one with a heart would say how horrid. Because of Walker’s perfect character development, we root for for on every page because of her goodness and independence. It makes her overcoming so gratifying for the reader.
Great editing!!! :)
Figuring out this channel now. Amazing video!
I have a treatment to write for class and this is gonna help me out so much!! Thank you 🥺💕
The movie Ever After is one of my most favorite movies. It has character internal conflict, character development and interaction.
Abbie, you helped me out a lot already! Greetings from Germany 😊
this helped A LOT
I’d say that Before We Go Extinct is pretty character-driven. It’s one of my all-time favorite books. I’m rereading it right now and I’ve already cried like twice. (It’s not that sad; I’m just over-emotional)
My favorite action character-driven story is Eagle Eye.
We find Jerry at first as a pick-pocketer, gambling thief, and very sly. Though we cant help but notice there's really a soft guy beneath all of it, and we learn that he lost his twin brother and the grief still affects him. Not only that, but his relationship with his father. Long story short, although he's thrown into a unique, intriguing plot, Jerry transforms from a self-serving, internally broken guy, to someone who has learned to accept his past and help others.
I didn't want to spoil it, but the ending is a HUGE point in his development, but to tell it would be unfair.
Anyway, a great movie, really recommend, and great video, Abbie! I think you'd like it 😉
That was so epic girl! Great clarity and insight. I'm doing research into character driven story because I've noticed how it's always been there when I've been affected by a movie.
Multiple friends have told me that character driven is the best too so got me curious. My plan is to use storytelling and cinematic techniques in my marketing. I'm aiming at helping tech companies do this in their marketing too through edutaining videos 😎 Then of course I have my paid options to work with them also. Either to have a consultation or to get video campaigns created for them.
So excited to be getting clearer with MY mission, desires, fears and obstacles that are in the way. I'm a character that plays a part in this but my ideal client is the hero and I am the guide. The Yoda to the Luke if you will!
Before I knew about your channel, I found myself liking character-driven stories than plot-driven ones. I've seen Stephen King's Bag of Bones and 1408, and while I like both, I loved 1408 more because I connected with the protagonist more-I think he's enneagram 5- so when bad things were happening to him, I cared not because it was bad but because I got to know him.
Gah, too many stories I like that are character-driven, but since you said bonus points if it's Sci-Fi, I would say 2017 The Endless. The protagonist, Justin, perfectly fits into the Type 1 Enneagram Reformer, but he is still a flawed character and is able to be relatabke without being unlikeable to the point where I don't care for him but the movie tries to manipulate me.
I'm truly happy that I've found your channel, Abbie! You made me see how backstory can really flesh out a character's misbelief.
Arcane on Netflix is incredible. It’s a character driven masterpiece.
Character development is my favorite thing to do. I’m obsessed with it. I literally have a huuuuge love for getting to know personalities, mindsets, instincts, reactions, internal fears or conflicts... in real people, and in my own characters. But plot? Eheheh... get back to me on that. 😂
Plot always takes me a longgg while to master. And then writing everything out without moving on to a new idea, or spending (totallyyyy hypothetically) over two years trying to perfect a set of characters in their settings and perspectives?
...yeahhhhh um I need to work on a bit 😅
This video inspired me so much on what kind of stories I want to write. I want to write stories with great plots and concepts, but I also want to write complex and relatable characters. I want to write stories where my characters interact in the world where we can see what the world I created while seeing their external and internal stories as they change and face challenges that we could possibly relate to like in real life.
And I think a series I would think best examples both plot and character driven elements is the Zodiac series by Romina Russell. It’s a sci-fi series in an alternate universe, but the way Russell writes the stories makes the world feel real and we only learn more from the character’s interactions. And the main character, oh, her arcs have so many ups and downs, and makes her so, so relatable (and not just because she’s a Cancer). I really sympathized her, she faces so many conflicts and is shown to not be a perfect hero, but a real human who is bound to make mistakes. I never paid attention to those elements back when I read them, but as I learn more from studying and learning more about writing, I realize that the series has so many accomplishments in her writing, such as relatable, complex characters; a unique world-build; external and internal conflicts.
My heart and other black is the best book i ever read and it was character driven.
John greens books are also kinda character driven and i love them
Thank you so so much Abbie. Thank you
Thanks this was great. The more l watch shows am able to see the character driven.
Another very helpful lesson, I always knew it was the characters rather than the action that determines how good the story is but I primarily like action stories s... Understanding the " science '" behind the character/plot relationship is very helpful
Thank you so much! Favorite character-driven story: ROCKY
God bless you, and thanks so much for the advice! You really must find a balance! I was reading a book but had to put it down because too much time was spent getting to know the characters & no conflict. It was boring
I was disappointed last week when I didn't get to see a video from you, so I'm super happy to get one this week!
I can think of a really great character driven story. It's an unpublished story my older sister wrote that I got to read for her; I'm still waiting for her to finish editing so she can do the next book and let me read it... 😂