I came across a blog post out of curiosity that set out to reveal whether characters or plot matter most to readers. So with that I attempted to look into this.
Reading and Thinking because I love words... reading ...
As an avid reader, I , believe characters matter to a point but plot matters more. For example see Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Twilight didn’t have characters with real complexity but the plot itself was rather good, since it became an instant hit with many young adult readers including with me. Although, the plot being better than characters isn’t all black and white. For romance books or heavily emotional baggage books character complexity should be central.
It’s also important to note that sometimes neither character or plot can come out dominant at times. And when this happens, you have books where plots and character importance is on the same level. These authors are what sometimes come out with a winning book.
Some Examples:
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Great plot. Character complexity doubtful.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Character complexity is the focus.
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Great plot and characters.
What matters most to you as a reader, plot or character complexity?
