Plot, structure characters, but the greatest of these is characters.
I’ve been struggling with a plot glitch for some weeks now and sinking into what’s looking seriously like writers’ block. I could not find a way to write the scene I saw so clearly in my mind’s eye. Why?
BECAUSE THE CHARACTER I HAD CREATED WOULD NOT DO THAT.
That’s why. You (generic writer you) can always tell that the plot is frog-marching everyone to a conclusion when the characters begin to grimace. Then they girn and then they go back into lurk and everything stops.
So why was this? The answer – and I really hope it is an answer- was in the structure. Cart before horse again and I saw it, but I didn’t see it. And now I do. So lots of hard work just when the Festive season is making demands.
Are you a writer? What stops you in your writing tracks?
http://goo.gl/4LWt1H Mariah’s Marriage UK
http://goo.gl/JjY907 Mariah’s Marriage US
http://goo.gl/P3lmzk Bella’s Betrothal UK
http://goo.gl/7mh8FI Bella’s Betrothal US
Novels Now 
Interesting post, Anne. I’ve always been more concerned with characters than plot and often find the latter more of a problem to get right when I try to manipulate the plot too much!
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Hi Ros, yes, I see what you mean. I do find that once it goes wrong, it takes a lot of patient re-building to find the track again. Anne
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Good post, Anne, but I’m really more of a story person than a character person. Yes my characters have to go along, but the story has to make sense. The order of events has to make sense. Like you said, the cart before the horse just doesn’t work–at least not often. I’ll FB and Tweet. 🙂
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Hi Marsha, there’s a lot more detective type suspense in your books than mine. I think that gives the plotting greater emphasis. thanks for sharing, Anne
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