I was thinking about character driven novels today; alternatively plot driven novels do not really entice me to read, and I was wondering what it takes to write about a protagonist who can speak to and for a reader. I get really excited by a central characters flaws and how that writer or author is able to develop realistic behaviours that make a reader want to continue the journey. I guess it takes a lot of hard work to produce a hero that, with all their difficult faults, can entice an emotional response from the audience.
What do you think? Are heroes important in a character-driven story or do they belong in a plot-driven narrative (such as crime or science-fiction)?
Do not get me wrong, every story needs a plot or it is not worth reading but do character's make the story or do plots make a great story? I think the elusive participant is the one I love; you know the one character that sits in the background and all of sudden appears with the most poignant thing to say. Somehow good writing really can make you sit up and take notice and even though I read from many genres I would say that the hero I like best is the one with all the problems; the one who isn't perfect; the one who can make me want to scream at them or the one who pries a virtual hug from my arms.
As it seems, I am continuing my journey to develop a character such as this; a hero of the human experience; an emotional wreck and completely and utterly self-absorbed to the point that they provoke tears in a fellow bookworm. Currently I am writing a novel with all these traits and hoping that one day it too will capture the heart of someone who spent their hard-earned dollars on my risky book!
So I ask the question again, Do you like a hero to be conceivably flawed or do you like it to be plotted with a little characterisation mixed in? While I wait for you answer here is my new quote, it may just help you make up your mind!
'We are the hero of our own story' - Mary McCarthy
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