Here’s a question that’s sparked more writing forum arguments than “how many spaces after a period”: Should you start with plot or character?
I’ve seen writers tie themselves in knots over this one. They’ll stare at blank documents, paralyzed, because they read somewhere that “real” writers start with character, or that genre fiction must be plot-driven, or that if you don’t know your protagonist’s childhood trauma before page one, you’re doing it wrong.
Let me save you some anxiety: it’s a trick question.
The Great False Binary
As someone who’s edited hundreds of manuscripts (many of them deliciously dark), I can tell you that the plot-versus-character debate is one of those craft “rules” that sounds profound but mostly just confuses people.
The truth? Your story needs both. Always. And which one you start with matters way less than whether they’re actually working together by the time you type “The End.”
Think about The Silence of the Lambs. Is it plot-driven (FBI trainee hunts serial killer) or character-driven (damaged woman seeks validation and confronts her past)? Yes. It’s both. The plot doesn’t work without Clarice’s specific damage and determination. Clarice’s arc doesn’t work without the ticking clock of Buffalo Bill’s murders.
Or take Bird Box by Josh Malerman. The high-concept plot (mysterious entities that drive people to suicide if seen) is inseparable from Malorie’s character journey as a mother willing to do anything—including navigate a river blindfolded with two small children—to survive. Strip away either element and the story collapses.
When Plot Comes First (And Why That’s Fine)
Some writers are plot-first people. They get excited by situations, by “what if” scenarios, by the mechanics of a good mystery or the escalating tension of a thriller.
If you’re writing dark fiction, you might start with:
- A premise: What if a support group for trauma survivors was actually run by the thing that traumatized them?
- A situation: A woman wakes up in a coffin with no memory of how she got there
- A structure: I want to write a locked-room mystery set in an abandoned psychiatric hospital
This is completely valid. Genre fiction often begins with plot, and there’s zero shame in that. Some of the most satisfying horror and thriller novels I’ve read started as “wouldn’t it be cool if…” ideas.
The catch? You still need characters who feel like actual people, not chess pieces you’re moving around your cool plot.
I’ve edited too many manuscripts where the protagonist is basically a camera with legs—observing creepy things, running from threats, but never having an internal life that makes me care whether they survive. That’s when plot-first becomes a problem.
The fix: Once you have your plot skeleton, ask yourself who would be the worst person (psychologically speaking) to go through this particular hell. In The Shining, Jack Torrance isn’t just any dad taking a caretaker job—he’s a recovering alcoholic with anger issues and writerly frustration. The Overlook Hotel doesn’t just haunt a random family; it specifically exploits Jack’s existing cracks.
When Character Comes First (And Why That’s Also Fine)
Other writers are character-first people. They meet someone in their imagination—a voice, a personality, a walking wound—and they need to figure out what happens to this person.
You might start with:
- A character: A mortician who can see how people died by touching them
- A relationship: Twin sisters, one of whom may have murdered the other’s husband
- A voice: A narrator who’s funny and charming and definitely, definitely lying to you
This is also completely valid. Some of the most memorable dark fiction is character-driven. Think We Need to Talk About Kevin or The Vegetarian—books where the horror emerges from who these people are, not from external monsters.
The catch? You still need things to happen.
Character-first writers sometimes end up with beautiful character studies where… not much occurs. I’ve read manuscripts with fascinating protagonists who spend 300 pages thinking deep thoughts and having feelings, but there’s no engine driving the story forward. No escalation. No stakes.
The fix: Ask yourself what your character wants (even if they don’t know it yet) and what’s standing in their way. Then make it worse. In Mexican Gothic, Noemí is a specific, vivid character, but she’s also got a clear goal (check on her cousin) that gets complicated (the house is alive and wants to absorb her). Character meets plot, and they make beautiful, creepy babies together.
The Secret Third Option: They Arrive Together
Here’s what actually happens for a lot of writers, especially once you’ve written a few books: plot and character show up as a package deal.
You don’t think “first I’ll create a character, then I’ll figure out what happens to them.” You think: “There’s a story about a woman who returns to her hometown for her sister’s funeral and discovers her sister was investigating a decades-old disappearance that might be connected to something supernatural.”
Character (woman with complicated relationship to her hometown and dead sister) and plot (investigation into disappearance/supernatural mystery) are already intertwined. You can’t pull them apart because they are each other.
This is usually a sign you’re onto something good.
How to Figure Out Your Approach
If you’re stuck at the starting line, try this:
Freewrite for 10 minutes on each:
- What happens in your story (plot)
- Who it happens to and why they’re the perfect/worst person for this to happen to (character)
Whichever one flows more easily? That’s probably your natural starting point. And that’s fine! Start there. You’ll figure out the other piece as you go.
Or try the “dinner party test”: When you imagine telling someone about your story, what comes out of your mouth first? “It’s about a detective who’s losing her grip on reality” (character) or “It’s about a series of murders that might be connected to an urban legend” (plot)? That’s your instinct talking. Listen to it.
Why This Matters for Your Manuscript
When I’m editing a manuscript that isn’t working, it’s often because plot and character are in two different books.
The plot is a paint-by-numbers thriller, but the character is written for a literary family drama. Or the character is a complex, morally gray antiheroine, but the plot is a straightforward good-versus-evil adventure that doesn’t give her room to be complicated.
Understanding whether you’re naturally plot-first or character-first helps you identify where your blind spots are. Plot-first writers need to remember to develop interiority and motivation. Character-first writers need to remember that things have to happen, and they need to happen with escalating stakes.
Both approaches can create brilliant dark fiction. But both need the other half of the equation to actually work.
The Bottom Line
Stop worrying about which comes first. Start worrying about whether they’re working together.
Your character should be shaped by your plot. Your plot should be driven by your character’s choices (or inability to choose). They’re not opponents in a cage match—they’re dance partners.
And if you’re deep in a draft and can’t tell whether they’re dancing or stepping on each other’s feet? That’s what editors are for. Sometimes you need someone from outside your head to say, “Your plot is solid, but I don’t understand why your protagonist is making these choices,” or “Your character is fascinating, but nothing is actually happening for 150 pages.”
Now stop overthinking and start writing. You can figure out what you started with after you’ve actually got words on the page.
Struggling to figure out if your plot and character are actually working together? That’s exactly what developmental editing is for. Let’s talk about your manuscript.
