Character or Plot?

I attended the first in a new series of literary events at the Bloomsbury Institute last night, focused on how to plot the perfect murder mystery.  Speakers included James Runcie, Anne Zouroudi and Claire McGowan.

Interestingly, the talk evolved into a popular debate about Plot vs. Character.  I am constantly telling new writers that a clever plot is not enough.  Character is so important.  We need to relate to and empathise with your characters in order to invest our time in your stories.

The impact of the crime on the characters is as strong as the plot.  If you look at the popularity of the Danish TV series, THE KILLING, it’s because we were so invested in the characters’ lives that we wanted to spend hours and hours in front of it.  THE KILLING, SERIES 2 didn’t do as well because it was more plot-led rather than character-led.

Morality and the impact of the crime are just as important as plot.  James Runcie made the clever point that ‘Whydunit?’ counts just as much as ‘whodunit?’  The plot is the framework but when people think about their favourite books they think about the characters, for instance Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Jack Reacher.  Lee Child has always emphasised the importance of character: “You say Agatha Christie, and people remember Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple.  Almost every book is remembered for character.”

When I sold Lee Child’s translation rights for his thrillers, everyone talked about his protagonist Jack Reacher.  They loved Jack Reacher and they wanted to read the next book because of him: ‘women want him, men want to be him.’

Character is so important.  I want to see rich, believable and likeable characters.  I want to get to know them.  I want to read your books because of your characters as they connect me to the plot.

The creator of Jack Reacher

Our bestselling thriller writer, Lee Child, is awarded an honorary degree from De Montfort University in Leicester.  Watch fabulous coverage here, including his advice to students: ‘read now, read 10,000 books then start writing’ and, it’s never too late for the rest of us: ‘You’re looking at a guy who was 40 years old before he figured out what he was supposed to do’.

Lee has just won the 2011 Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year Award for his 14th instalment, 61 Hours, in his bestselling Jack Reacher series.  Lee’s books have sold more than 50m copies worldwide, and we have sold translation rights in more than 40 languages.

If you’d like to join my Jack Reacher Recruits group on facebook, click here!

My advice to new writers – create a great character.  Lee has done it with Jack Reacher.   Think James Bond, Harry Potter, all the great superheroes and  all the characters in Shakespeare and Dickens…

On author loyalty

An agent will never underestimate an author’s loyalty.  It’s the key thing I look for when I meet an author for the first time.  I need to believe that we will still be working together ten years down the line.

Lee Child on electronic self-publishing: “It is a version of what authors sometimes do when they reach my stage and the next deal is gigantic. They get rid of their agent and do it themselves. I feel that is so disgusting … Agents and publishers work for years at the beginning, often at a loss. You can’t cut them out. That’s not ethical.”

Read more on Lee Child’s Lunch with the FT