If you had to pick one, what matters more to you in a book, the plot or the characters?
If you had to pick one, what matters more to you in a book, the plot or the characters?
40 Answers
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Loading Please wait
If you had to pick one, what matters more to you in a book, the plot or the characters?
The plot; if it doesn’t make sense it doesn’t matter how good the characters are.
Characters. I like characters I can invest in. I don’t even have to like them but they must be realistic. I suspect I would slap John Rebus in real life but I like reading about him.
Well you can’t have one without the other
The characters,I become invested in them?
The plot
Both, equally, if either is lacking, the book does not work. The best books are those which have good, well thought out plots, and characters you can believe in. There are some books out there whose characters just do not work for me, and yet other people love them! I just find them really irritating(I am not going to name them) – great if others love them, but I would not read a second book if I found this to be the case!
Characters slightly more ad further books with them in can get better plot wise and allow character development.
The plot most definitely. I sometimes feel that if the story is about the characters and their personal lives it’s a filler as the author can’t think of a decent plot. Seems to happen a lot in TV series.
You need both.
characters, but I would put Voice above both.
Characters, no good having a great plot if the characters are bland and shallow
the plot
Yup I’m with Tony, the voice has to capture me, if it doesn’t I don’t care how good the characters or plot are, I won’t be reading it, as I’m not engaged.
You need both, to make a good novel!
Both. I read a book a while ago and while I found the characters charming and believable, the plot was way over complex which ruined it for me
Both are needed. Good characters and a bad plot, won’t read well. And the same the opposite way round….
Both equally
.
Both are very important
both…the plot is nothing without the characters…and vice versa
They’re as important as each other. The best of plots is ruined if the characters aren’t engaging and believable.
Characters x
Plot
Characters- if you can’t connect on some level it doesn’t work for me.
Can’t really choose. To me, plot and characters go hand in hand. Also, don’t forget settings are also important.
I remember the characters, forget the plot. “Oh, yeah … the one about” when I’m reminded.
Must be well written
Characters. Without believable characters the plot generally falls like a house of cards, anyway.
Almost impossible to choose, but for me a brilliantly observed character can pull me through a dull story, whereas if I can’t buy into a character then the story can’t drag me with it.
Characters,, I can think about them sometimes when I’m in
bed…
The writing itself.
Characters, even a great plot or storyline can be let down, by wishy washy characters who are difficult to relate or warm to!
Characters.
I guess Literary fiction can work with great characters and no plot. For my writing I often have the start of a plot first but then the characters arrive and help me develop the whole story.
I need both. But if I don’t care about the characters then it’s hard to get into the plot. By ‘care’, I don’t mean I have to like them. I coul equally loathe them as long as they draw me in.
Difficult question. However, I suppose plot. There are a number of crime novels I’ve read which have a wonderful story but I don’t care much for the characters. As such, I can get through them. Great characters but poor plot I think I would struggle with. Both would be preferable!
I think its the characters or should I say the protagonist because if you can’t warm to him or her the plot falls flat.
I couldn’t pick just one. Characters and plot are both vital for me.
Well, this has been interesting. I wasn’t sure if there would be a clear preference one way or the other, but things look pretty evenly split. Personally, I can put up with a so-so plot if the characters are really engaging. On the other hand, if the characters are not up to scratch then I don’t care how good the plot is, I’m out of there.
Character, especially that of the. investigator!
You realy need both to be good but if your reading a set of books you need to be abel to gel with the charictor you need to understand them
So ye maybe the charictor