It is a sad truth that modern fiction is defined by the struggles between story and character. We use that line of demarcation to decide what is literature and what is not. However, the line blurs in every story, because at the sole of every story is a character and that story ought to be about how that character grows or changes throughout the story. What then is the conflict? The way I see it the conflict comes down to the concept of plot.
Plot is best defined as what happens to the character in a story. The term plot-driven refers to stories in which the main conflict appears to supersede character growth. Recently I re-read the works of Warren Ellis. He’s a wonderful author who comes up with rich and creative stories about downtrodden men that remind me quite a bit of Warren Ellis. Here’s the thing: There is never any great epiphany for these characters. Something happens in the story to interrupt their day-to-day existence and it forces them to question who they are and how they operate. Yet in the end they keep on living. If they change it is very little. That seems entirely real to me. Too many stories force a character to be irrevocably changed from the person they are as opposed to modified by events in their lives. Change doesn’t have to mean reset, yet it feels like literature is about that reset or endgame or ultimately reflecting on who you are as a human and reaching some manner of conclusion. What I enjoy about Ellis is that conclusion is usually, “Well, I might be that guy, but I still have to wake up and pay the bills tomorrow, so…” In other words, for me the character arc and growth is about the reader reflecting who they personally are against the character and the situation.
The situation has to be important, thus there needs to be balance between story and character. You don’t get Harry Potter without the growth of the kid over, what, seven books? However, you cannot have seven books that are hundreds of pages long and yet still designed for short attention span having kids to read without a ton of stuff happening in each book and each moment. So, balance. It is best if the plot shapes the character while the character’s ‘self’ shapes the plot in terms of how they respond and how those responses force them to change and adapt.
Sounds complex? Try living life. It really helps you recognize how that balance plays out.