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Character-driven is a term we get a lot when talking about story—typically contrasted with plot-driven. Too often writers think character-driven narratives need to be plotless, that they consist only of deep explorations into internal lives, and unrealized emotions … where nothing actually happens. Such misconceptions can both hurt a writer’s work and turn readers from the very idea of character-driven stories.
An ancient question, indeed. Explored by countless generations of scholars, philosophers and artists, debated on at length by fools and great minds alike. Still unresolved…
Until now.
Here, in the splashy ramblings of some nobody’s blog the answer will finally be revealed. So … that’s one thing taken care of. You’re welcome, Universe.
In the previous post, we took a minute to define what exactly makes up a story. Literally. Breaking Story down into its fundamental components. We then used these to build it back up again.
Today we’re going to look at narrative structures. We’ll explore classical structures you’re probably familiar with, some which maybe you haven’t seen; then finally, end off with how I personally tend to structure my narratives.
So let’s jump in!
Story writing is such a big subject. There’s so, so much to talk about. So much to think about. I expect in future posts we’ll be doing some pretty deep dives. I’ve found one of the easiest mistakes to make, however, is taking stuff granted. Assuming I know what I know. Assuming that I’m right. So let’s start this off putting first things first.
What is a story?
