Which came first: the characters or the story?

[rssllue]

It is almost always the story first. Sometimes it even just begins with a title that evokes a place for me and the details just fill in from there. But though it starts with the story, as the characters develop, they create their own stories that get woven into the whole.

[AliciaC14]

I tend to allow the character to unfold within the story. I have an idea in my mind of what the character is like and the story is outlined but sometimes I even surprise myself at the change as it comes before me.

[hamernik001]

Usually the character comes first. You think of a specific person and they tell you what their story should be. Sometimes I start with a scene and fit the story and characterization around the scene, but sometimes it can be a word or a line to go around. Listening to conversations of other people in public can give great storyline or character ideas.

[lindell]

It depends on what feels most inspiring, but for me it's often the characters that comes first and then the story is built around them.

[JennaFay]

For me, because I started writing on forum RP play-by-post and because I trained as an actor, my characters tend to be more fully fleshed out than the plot when I start writing. I definitely have a bank of them that I use on a pretty regular basis - minor traits and backstory may change here and there depending on what I'm writing. But even though I have these characters, I can't start writing until I have at least a bare bones of a story to go along with it. Setting, basic plot, central conflict, what have you. Then the bulk of the actual writing is me just bouncing the characters off of each other until I get them where they need to be.

[ameliadefield]

Both. My novel came out of NaNoWriMo and the characters developed with it. Before that I would create any where from 2 to 5 characters a week. I write their names in a list and narrowed it down through the years to 100 characters. Each has their own place in a universe, but can be easily put inside any universe.

[icemech04]

Honestly, I'm not sure if you can create characters without creating the story -- as most stories (I think) are built on how a character makes meaning of something that happens to them; that is, the story and the character cannot exist without each other.

My answer: unless the story has no people in it (or whatever type of characters you are using) then both story and characters happen together.

[hareid03]

I usually think about the story first. I'll get some inspiration and start sketching out a rough outline until I think it's enough to start writing. Then I start building the character around what I have going on in my story and change things about either the characters or the story as I go.

[LivreAmour217]

I actually have the same problem (coming up with characters before I have a story). I call it a problem because while I find creating characters to be a very easy process, I struggle with creating a good story in which to place them! It doesn't work very well for me, I'm afraid, but perhaps if I just concentrate on one character at a time, something will finally come together.

[SharisseEM]

I guess it depends. Very often I find myself coming up with a character and thinking that he or she will make a great character for a story and the other characters follow along with a story. Then the rest of the time a story comes first and then the characters. Both ways I suppose. One just comes with the other.

[milliethom]

With the trilogy I'm writing, the two main characters came first, one of them in particular. As the books are historical fiction, many of the events in my story were already set in place. I simply had to put my own interpretation on them. Of course, I included many fictional characters and events in order to tell my tale. However, I frequently get ideas for future novels with no definite characters yet in mind.

[Amheiser]

I have found myself building stories around characters and also building characters to fit into stories so I think either way can work. I think I like building characters to fit into stories better because if you build characters then a lot of times the stories just happen because of the characters that are created and what they might end up doing.

[ALynnPowers]

It depends for me as well. Sometimes the characters come first. Or a certain character in a certain situation. Then the story comes around that character, and then the other characters are made to fit into the story as needed. Maybe that's my main technique.

[Snickerdoodle9]

I almost always come up with the story before the characters. Once I come up with a solid idea, then I will start to develop the characters, because they might be majorly affected by the plot. Of course, several times I have come up with the characters first, but that is a rare occasion.

[Avid SciFi Fan]

At least some of the charaters come first for me. Usually the main character and the main villian. Then I outline a brief story I had in mind with those characters. Once I get started, the side characters and details of the story take it from there.

I think this is all up to your particular style and can vary widely between people.