Book Blogger Hop (2)

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books, to help book bloggers and readers interact, and to find new blogs. Every week, a question is posted for participants to answer.

Question:

"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

Answer:

As a writer, the best answer I can give is that both are essential to a good story. You can have the best plot in the world, but if the characters are too weak, the story will fall flat on its face. On the other hand, you can have the best, most dynamic characters in the world, but if the plot isn't interesting, then it's a good bet few people would want to read it.

Personally, though, I might say that character wins, if only by a very small margin. I've finished a book on the merit of a character more than once before, and I've often found it rewarding. It's the characters, after all, who tell the stories; we as readers experience their lives as our own. If a character is dull, then it so follows that the story will also be dull. On the other hand, if a character has some interesting qualities, then the story will be that much better because of it. I'll also say this: it's much more difficult, at least for me, to come up with strong characters than with a strong plot.

Hoppy happing!