My Musings - Plot vs Characters

There is an ongoing debate of which produces the better novel, a plot-driven or character-driven story.  But, is it really that simple of a distinction?

Within the mystery genre there are several sub-genres like cozy mystery, historical mystery, paranormal mystery, police procedural, private investigator, suspense thriller, political thriller, psychological thriller, espionage and many more.  Many people seem to make a broad judegement that mysteries are all plot driven, but I disagree.  Let's take a look at this distrinction of story telling and see what you like and why.

My definition of Plot-driven is a story that ensures it holds my interest with twists and plenty of story developments.  That is basic and everybody seems to have different definitions.  

According to the post "A Guide to Character Driven vs Plot Driven Stories" at SkillShare Blog: A plot driven story, also referred to as a narrative driven story, is one in which events supersede character development—think plot twists, complex and fantastical world-building, and plenty of action.   

I like my definition better personally.  

The plot-driven definition provided by SkillShareBlog definition broadly describes fantasy books, and yet Lord of the Rings trilogy has given the world some of the most beloved and complex characters. Frodo, Sam, Gandolf, Aragorn, and even Gollum are unforgettable far and above the epic battles and sweeping action to save the world from evil.

My definition of a character-driven story is one that ensures you are invested in what happens to the main character(s). It's simple, I know. The characters are obviously fleshed out, but I know that character enough to care and even think about him or her after I've finished the book because they have so come to life.  Again, the post "A Guide to Character Driven vs Plot Driven Stories" at SkillShare Blog says: ...the protagonist doesn’t just have things happen to them. Rather, they actively change as a result of the events they face, and the author makes sure that you’re aware of what these changes are.  

I am going to throw a little wrench in here.  I love novels where the setting is a character! If you use the "change" definition of character-driven stories, you would think the setting has nothing to do with character.  Oh, not so.  I don't know who first really developed the setting as a character, but it was perfected in gothic novels where the atmosphere is filled with mystery and horror, an undercurrent of violence or the supernatural. Other than a gothic novel, the setting can take on a persona of its own in a novel such as the woods in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the moors in Sir Connan Doyle's The Hound of Baskerville, or the saltmarsh in Elly Griffiths' The Crossing Places.  As an element that has taken on a persona, it doesn't go through change or have an arc, but there are books where the setting is definitely a character.

I believe there are some mis-conceptions regarding character driven writing in that they are more literary and thus better.  Whereas plot driven is assumed to have little substance and for... gasp... genre fiction!  As if it is simply a lot of action like a continual car-chase (or a super-hero movie) and written in third person or similar.  But even in the Marvel universe there is the Black Widow with her sad and tragic backstory that drives her quest for redemption, which is surprising character development.  In a hard-core action story, character depth can be explored and displayed too.  

Even in the Dan Brown's thrillers (widely criticized as plot driven and unworthy) we are given one of the most moving villains - I contend - in the last several decades.  I am speaking of the broken and tragic character of Silas, the albino assassin, [Spoiler Alert] in the Da Vinci Code who was horribly abused as a child and learned to defend himself and even kill to survive.  He is rescued from that life and shown kindness by a priest who later uses Silas and tells him to kill for God. That is a heartbreaking character story, that would be considered literary (if we were in his head experiencing all his pain) except it is in a suspense thriller that is primarily plot driven.  

Cozy mysteries (labeled plot driven) are known for focusing more on the characters in a tight community.  Arguably one of the most loved cozy protagonists is the Scottish Jim Qwilleran with a lush mustache and a slave to two Siamese, in The Cat Who series.  But because we aren't experiencing his inner struggles or witnessing a big change in who Qwilleran is as a character it wouldn't be considered character-driven.  

But that is the popularity of the series, Qwilleran went through that growth and transformation before the series even starts - he is a recovering alcoholic who lost everything (his wife and career) and now finds companionship in his two Siamese cats while he solves murder mysteries.  The entire point to the novels is they are enjoyable escapism while having an interesting, but not somber or melancholy, character.

Since I read primarily mystery, suspense, thriller, and espionage novels I am therefore reading mostly plot driven books according to more strict definitions.  Yet, I dislike books that don't have the main character developed enough for me to give a rat's tail about their future.  There have definitely been plenty of those that I've never finished or continued in the series.  

Alternately, I have read books that are primarily about the internal conflicts of the character so they develop and grow.  Except for in some remarkable classics, I will get bored pretty quickly if they don't have enough twists and urgency in the plot to keep things moving, or I've found them to be too dark and depressing.

I propose that a good book, whether it is a rom-com or women's fiction, a cozy mystery or political thriller, must have both a strong plot with enough happening and a twist or two plus well developed characters that I give a fig about.  An author may excell at one over the other or the story may place more emphasis on one more than the other. But I believe any good novel has characters that you are invested in and a plot that grabs hold of you and keeps you engaged throughout the story. 

What do you enjoy more: plot-driven or character-driven?  Do you agree with its both?  Do you like the setting as a character?  What are some misconceptions you've heard?  What are your thoughts?