When I first started writing, I concentrated on plot. I’m still a mostly plot-driven writer. WHAT happens in a story pops into my head before WHO is in the story. But over the years, the characters matter to me more and more, almost to the point that the people in the story are as important as the story itself.

On my first draft, though, the plot’s what I hammer out. This happens, then that happens, and that causes something else to happen. I pay more attention to setting and senses on the first write than I used to, and I add a few feelings in but not many. How did X react to that news? Etc. But it’s not until the second day that I go back and flesh the scenes and chapters out. Without that second polish, my work would be too lean, too simple. On the second day, I ask myself about what else might be going on in the scene. Who’s there? How do they feel? What do they think about what’s happening? Does it change any of the dynamics between people?

So the first draft is mostly about what’s happening. The second draft’s about characters.

Most of my friends start writing, driven by their characters. The characters’ reactions lead them to what happens next in the story. They have to work to keep their plots moving in the right direction. My question is, if you get the balance right, can you tell a difference between plot driven and character driven stories? Can you find a balance that has the perfect amount of each?

I think some of it depends on the genre you write. Mysteries need a certain amount of plotting. Thrillers do, too. But the best plots are enhanced by characters who grab us like Louis Kincaid. His personal story is almost as important to me as solving the mystery he faces in each book. Literary novels are character-driven where the internal struggles of the character are more important than what happens in the story. But if nothing much happens, the story grows stale, so the character still has to face some conflict and work to resolve it. I consider Elizabeth George’s novels literary mysteries because the characters’ growth is almost as important as the mystery that needs to be solved.

I found a great blog about plot vs. character that might interest you: https://nybookeditors.com/2017/02/character-driven-vs-plot-driven-best/#:~:text=A%20character-driven%20story%20is%20focused%20on%20studying%20the,inner%20transformation%20or%20the%20relationships%20between%20the%20characters. How do you write? Does the story come first or the characters? Do you have to go back to reinforce plot or add depth to characters? Or both?

And the truth? There is no right or wrong, but it helps to know what kind of writer you are, so that you can work to balance your finished product.