Aug 2020
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Aug 2020
Aug 2020
SagaHolmgaard
Aug '20

Both at the same time for me as well. I kinda starts with one scene or one sort of dynamic that I want to explore. It's not really a plot, just something I think could look cool or be an emotional scene. Then I fill the scene with characters, and they are just ocs for a while. There's no real plot outside of the scene or the dynamic, even though I might get a couple more ideas for scenes and stuff. I'm just creating the characters at this stage. Then I start worlbuilding, and finally I start fleshing out the story line, usually by tying together all the loose ideas and seeing what I need to do to make it into a fully realized story.

Flauschwurm
Aug '20

I care about characters foremost. Good characters carry a good medium.

To me, bad characters are must worse and less bearable than a bad plot.
A bad plot can be overlooked if the characters are good and believable.

I care, for my stories, more about the characters and their personal stuggles more than about the overall plot.

CommanderMarty
Aug '20

I tend to focus on my main character most in my novel because my novel is mostly a character study with tons of action tossed in.

EyesInTheSky
Aug '20

I tend to write in the third person. Focusing on the overall plot first. As a general out-line then gradually expanding it. I also try to think of the ending first. I'm a newbie writer to be honest and I had some synopsis ideas I thought I could try and develop, to see if one of them (Monster Idol) could be turned into a film / games project (We can all dream! :money_mouth::money_mouth:). I have pitched to a few small companies but they didn't have the budget for my idea, even though they liked it. Other companies didn't accept submissions. So I joined Wattpad a month and a half ago and Tapas nearly two weeks ago. To see if I can get feedback.

MorganaMevil
Aug '20

I do a mix of both. Sometimes it’s the character and sometimes it’s just a rough premise of the main conflict.

With that, I usually try to write a chapter or so, introducing my MC, getting a feel for the idea in my head and deciding if I want to continue it. It’s also how I scratch the creative “itch” in my brain after I get a new idea. Then, I set away from my idea and I think about whatever I’m fuzzy about still—either the plot or the characters, sometimes both—and I start detailing how I want the rest of that to go. If I have a good internal understanding of my characters, I don’t usually write their detailed character descriptions until I’m on my second draft. But I always make sure I’m at least familiar with what their flaws, their strengths, and their ticks are. Everything else just kinda follows.

Idk if this works for most people tho, because I am one of those people that remembers their dreams a lot, and I can guide my thoughts with reasonable success to dream about my WIPs and characters so that my subconscious does the work while I sleep.

domisotto
Aug '20

I am plot driven, delighting in twists and turns, but I love character and dialogue work a lot. For me they are inseparable, but I do start with a plot.

Messaff
Aug '20

I think characters. Its what draws people in even if the world or plot inst that interesting. Especially if they change and work of each other.

Iris-Grimoire
Aug '20

Neither - premise first. Then characters and what plot could fit both of them together. Characters are fun but they can be only OCs, and a plot can "require" characters you don't want to make. But if you think of a premise like, "this cursed cookbook turns people into dishes if not followed correctly", you don't have a story around it yet, but you can start formulating who'd be fun to interact with this object. THEN, what would work best with this combination: a terrible cook wrecking havoc around town? A master cook that wants to create a masterpiece despite all risks? A beginner, who feels responsible after someone they liked turned into a hot dog?

Your start needs to have the heart tying all together, or it's just separate pieces that might be nice individually but don't quite fit.

nathanKmcwilliamsIn the making of Bunneh The Rabbit
Aug '20

A little bit of both actually. I don't believe in only creating one way or the other.

WLHcomics
Aug '20

I usually do the plot first, then pick which character would fit the role, it actually a lot helpful since I write a lot of short comics.

M.ComicFan
Aug '20

For the comic I'm working on now, I definitely had the plot in my head first. Certain characters took some time to figure out.

Freemints30
Aug '20

Characters first generally

More like
Vague idea of the premise(emphasis on vague)-----> Character indepth-------> fully get the plot premise-------> get my plot

TheGentleArtist
Aug '20

Characters first. After thinking about how I do my stories and remembering how the process goes, I create the character(s) first then do the story; it is somewhat rare for me to do story first then characters.

Hazumirein
Aug '20

Characters. Most of my stories have really weird casts of characters because they were created separately and then I stuck them together and built a plot around them. A lot of times the overarching plot comes secondary to character writing with me; I love writing dialogue and thinking about their relationships and dynamics.

AmazementComicsThe Best Fruit Smoothies
Aug '20

Mhm. I always focus on the characters before the plot. Half of the story really goes to the OC(s), their personalities, and motivations. The other half goes to the plot itself ) or if it's a slice of life, then the episodes come second.

I like to do character studies of characters that gives them the true depth they need in order to adapt to the plot of the story. How they react to certain moments in a story is vital and in my opinion their reactions must be tonally consistent with their personality traits.

Harmony-S-S
Aug '20

I do plot first. It makes things easier when making the characters. However, if you have an idea for a character, then I suggest saving it until you create a plot that matches.

thel3tterm
Aug '20

I'm actually somewhat surprised by the number of people who get plot ideas first. Perhaps it was a fluke, but my friends and other writers/creators that I've known all seemed to be character-first types. This has been kind of eye-opening!

Llyrel
Aug '20

Characters first, plot next. My stories tend to be very character-driven, so it is vital for me to have their personalities and flaws figured out before I get to the plot. That said, though, I don't like jumping into the writing having only a vague idea of what the story is going to be about, so once I'm done with the characters I like to work on an outline of the events that are gonna happen in my story... and then expand, cut or fix stuff as I write :smiley:

jcmraz
Aug '20

Depends entirely on the story I'm writing. I've done both

vblairehawthorne
Aug '20

Characters and Plots come side by side. You cannot plan a story by only thinking about which of those plot points come first because at the end of the day, they're both slaves to the bigger problem you should be addressing first.

Theme.

Layout the theme of your story first and the rest will come naturally. Don't think about who you wanna write or which story you wish to tell. Ask yourself first: what do you want to write?

Do you want to write about cults? What about them? Do you want to tell the insidiousness of the cult and how they manipulate people's agency to draw them into their "Family"? Then, that's your theme. Cultists are awful people, and they manipulate innocent bystanders to take from them. Now you already have two characters: the cultist and the innocent person. Now the plot will come naturally because you have a goal in mind, you have a story to tell. This is exactly the thought process I used while writing Megachurch hahaha!

Both characters and plot are a secondary part of your many worries. Hope that helps <3