Plot happens

(This post originally appeared in full on my LinkedIn 8/22/2025)

I have always had a tendency to write plot first, which l learned is a huge hinderance for me when it comes time to write longer form; if you only know what happens and not the people it’s happening to, your reader doesn’t connect. It’s all explosions and no emotions.

It turns out I needed to be out in the world a while, meet more people, and develop myself in order to create characters that resonate. I’m still somewhat plot first, but I actively take a step back and spend time thinking about the people in my stories.

I do a lot of time-consuming exercises with them: writing character sketches and other notes to keep track of their traits and quirks. That way when something happens in the plot I know how they’re going to react.

Beyond just writing descriptions of their physical characteristics, I also spend time writing about who they are as people: their motivations, flaws, and strengths.

Sometimes characters surprise me. There is a character in my new novel who insisted on more screen time, so I’m in the process of making that happen.