#characters vs plot

[matt0044]

While it is interesting to bemoan the lack of filler for a chance...

...I'm not sure if that makes for a good conversation about pacing.

See, I often want to just a show based less on what it could be if XYZ external factors were different like how many episode per season.

Can they convey the stories they wish to tell within 26 episodes per season or 13 episode per season? 10 can seem pretty tight and is becoming the norm.

There's also how some shows seem keen to, rightfully, assume that their show will be lucky to make two seasons. Thus there will likely be a sense that a plotline that could've been delegated for a future season but too many are aware of how companies are allergic to paying taxes like "peasents.

Even so.

While we can take Streaming to task for not giving show even the bare minimum of thirteen episodes, what I care about it how well the creative teams manage with the hand they are dealt with.

Can this "eight hour movie" pace itself well?

Can it feel like a chapter book where its it real page-turner?

Does it know what ideas are important to keep?

Can it give itself time for the characters to just be before the next big plot beat?

Can it juggle characterization with plot progression? A lot of stories are actually more about a character's decisions than just things that happen to them.

I get that good pacing is something terribly hard to judge when pacing itself is only noticeable when it's bad, when it jars you out of the immersion of storytelling. But I feel like if we want to appreciate storytelling better, I think we need to actively be more conscious about these sort of things.

[rosiewritesandrambles]

Blue: What’s more important to you: characters or plot?

-@zoya-writes

Thank you so much for the ask, @zoya-writes!

I'd say, for me, it is definitely the characters. Characters are the reason I get excited about books I'm reading, and also about stories I'm writing. They are kind of the gateway into the world, and the way most readers will connect with the story. That's not to say all characters must be likable (I actually quite enjoy writing messy and unlikable protagonists), but they should always be interesting.

While I think having a well-developed story is important, good characters can carry a weak plot, but a good plot cannot make up for weak characters.

[authortango]

Blue: What’s more important to you: characters or plot? (But like, be unnecessarily detailed about it)

Thank you for the ask! And also for the permission to be detailed because I def would have kept it simple.

My characters have always been very important because like, if you create compelling characters they usually bring plot with them. But also I love creating characters in the same way that I love to draw them; characters are a way of capturing the little moments of brotherhood and love, and of recognizing our pain and the fruits of our hardships and how they make us better or worse people. We experience so much and the best way to hold onto that, in my opinion, is by creating characters that reflect and romanticize the things that we love and the values that we hold.

There's a lot to say on this subject, obviously, but these are my base thoughts. Thanks again for the ask!