Tuesday's Inspiration gleaned from Ken Follett

"The object is to have a plot and a character that fit together like ball and socket." When I read the essay by Mr. Follett I was struck by someone saying plot and character go hand in hand. I've read stories where for some reason I wonder why the writer chose the character for the story and other times I've found some where the character doesn't really fit the plot.

Sometimes in my own writing I have to look at the character I've chosen and wonder what he or she is doing in the story. Often this means fine tuning the character. Does this mean the plot is more important than the character? No. The fit of the character and the plot is rather like chicken and egg dilemma. There are times when the plot isn't working and this may be a glitch in the plot or a character who isn't just right. Making them fit is what a writer does. So if you've hit a snag look to see if the pairing of plot and character needs refining. For me this is where revision comes in. How about you?