The plot of a story is the various events that occur over the course of the story. A character’s journey is how those events affect a character. A plot is a combination of 1 or more character journeys, often using a character hierarchy, focusing on specific characters. Many stories contain pieces of a character’s journey, with other portions happening before, after, or “off camera”.
103 Characters-2-using
Character’s Past 103-05 (Revealing Character IV)
9. Character’s Past
In many ways people are a product of their past. People create stories from their past, interpreting what happened to fit how they see themselves. People often try to recreate happy memories, and avoid anything reminiscent of unpleasant ones. Past experiences are another way to gradually reveal character. Here are a few methods for revealing a character’s past.
Hobbies & Habits 103-04 (Revealing Character III)
At first hobbies/preferences and habits/routines are minor details. They offer very little insight about the character, but over time those details can build on each other to create a more well-rounded character. Habits and preferences help to reveal different sides of a character, and build character relationships, as well as enrich scenes with minor self-contained subplots.
Secondhand 103-03 (Revealing Character II)
Audiences often learn about characters indirectly, through the stories other people share. Some are objective historical accounts, but others rely on personal opinions, observations, and assumptions, including stereotypes, reputations, and relationships.
First Impressions 103-02 (Revealing Character I)
One way to engage audiences is through characters. Audiences enjoy getting to know the characters, building up to an “ah ha” moment, when the audience understands a little more about who the character is, and how that relates to the story as a whole.