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| This poster is all about the characters. |
This past weekend my wife and I went to see the Hunger Games movie. My wife hadn’t read the book, but I had read it way back when it was first released. I can still remember finishing the book and then turning to my wife and saying, “This is going to be a huge series, and it BETTER be a movie, too. A great one.” Well, I was right on both accounts. The series has been a blockbuster, and now the movie is a blockbuster, too (and rightfully so, in my opinion).
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| This poster gives us a bit more about plot. |
But after watching the movie, my wife and I were discussing the book and the movie and a question came up that made me stop and think. That question was: Is it the plot that hooks you the most, or is it the characters? I had to really think about this. In the end, I determined that it was the plot that does it for me most. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the characters as well, but in the end I believe I’d still love the books just as much even if the characters were weak. And that got me thinking about books in general, and which is more important: characters or plot? Not long after my conversation with my wife, I tweeted the “characters vs. plot” question and had some interesting responses. I realize that ideally you want great, fully-realized characters AND a great plot when you’re reading a book. But for the sake of argument, let’s think of which one you take to more, and which one you feel is more crucial to a good book, not just Hunger Games.
Now I’d like to ask you that question: Which is more important (which do you take to more), plot or characters? And, why?
