WHAT COMES FIRST—THE PLOT OR THE CHARACTERS?

For me, the plot comes first. What is going to happen in the story, what conflicts are involved in getting to the, as yet, undetermined end, etc. Then, as soon as I have a flavor of the narrative in my head, my characters jump to the page albeit they are ‘wooden’ at that precise moment. For example, if it’s a crime novel and the protagonist or one of the protagonists is the hero detective, you decide if you want him gruff, hard as nails, dogged, determined. On the other hand, he may be a diligent puzzle solving cop who gives off a calmer exterior. Clothes? The first example would be a rolled-up sleeves kind of guy, he doesn’t like ties or suits although he keeps them in his office closet for times he must wear them. He doesn’t hide his emotions from his staff or suspects who take one look at him and know he means business. He’s not some pretty boy who sits in an office and barks out orders. His hair might be cut military style and he vascillates between wearing military or cowboy boots with jeans. He sometimes skips shaving every day. The second detective is a suit and tie kind of guy who studies color to acquire desired results. If testifying in court, he wears grey with a moderate tie. He doesn’t stand out in a crowd and while his exterior projects calm, his insides are constantly battling for composure. This battle might show itself by nervous movements, constantly running his hands through his hair, chewing on his lips, thumping his fingers on the desk…you get the point.

Once the plot is secure and some of the characters are determined, dressing them is the fun part. Creating actual flesh-and-blood people gets my adrenalin pumping. I keep a steno pad by the computer where I jot down different attributes of each character and the list grows and changes with the story.

A sidenote: Discussing characters’ clothes reminds me how much I loved making clothes for my baby doll or paper dolls when I was young. I could design anything I wanted and color them anyway I wanted. I had good girls and bad girls and their clothes showed their dispositions. As I grew older, I actually sewed clothes for my doll which became extravagant, but thought provoking. I guess I’m doing something similar these days—showing my characters’ dispositions by their actions and clothes.

A question: do you prefer a detailed description of a character when they are introduced or do you prefer bits and pieces dropped at various times? Somerset Maugham was a master at giving detailed descriptions of his characters as they were introduced. The reader could get a flavor of the character quickly and weave him into the story. My personal choice is an author who intertwines the characters’ clothes and mannerisms with the twists and turns in the story. Of course, who can quarrel with Somerset Maugham’s characterizations?

Bye for now, Betty