Talia_Brie

So, which do you think of first.

I'll tell you what I mean. In my mind I have about 4-5 characters, who are pretty much sitting around doing nothing, or reliving the same few scenes every few days, while they wait for me to think of a story to fit them into.

So I was just curious about what everyone else does. Do you think of a charcater first, then find a story, or a story first, then fill it with characters?

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Chris

I voted Other.

I think of concept first, you know like "What if...etc etc." Then I develop plot and characters out of the particular concept.

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"...Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite:
Fool! said my Muse to me, look in thy heart and write. - Sir Philip Sidney

xayaxos

Voted "other" as well.

I come up with a world, a concept, perhaps a beginning situation (where some characters might begin the story) and then work from there. I honestly don't see much point developing an entire plotline if you have to force your characters to conform to it, or developing characters so much that they become too contrived and stereotypical.

Well, that's my 2 cents.

gabriella

I'm voting for the imaginary "all of the above."

Sometimes I'll think of the name of a country, and then make the world and then story. Or I'll start with the title of the novel. Or I'll work it around a painting. Or I'll make up an awesome character and then decide that I would love it if they had their own solo. Sometimes I'll think of a brief plot outline - hell breaks loose, and these five dudes have to save it, for example.

And then it all depends on what comes first of that idea - sometimes I'll think of the character's name first, and then the personality, or the other way around. Or the basic outline of a square world, say. Or the country name. Or a race. It aaaaall depends.

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You write by sitting down and writing - Bernard Malamud.

Wyndham

I voted for other. It's possible to stretch it and say that I have a plot idea, but usually it's just a thought. Someone said "what if" and it's sort of like that, only I guess mine is more like steps or building blocks. I start with an idea then I write several drafts, each one building, but also improving on the other. Eventually the character comes into being because I think, well, she would have to be this way or that way for these things to happen to her or for her to react in the way she does.

Emma LB

I voted for main character, I normally know about the characters first, but also what sort of environment they are in, then the plot.

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Vixen

Other.
They are interdependant.
Sometimes a story flies at me, but the characters must exist (if only vaugely) in my mind for the story to exist. Most of my characters come with back stories. They just do. When I imagine a city street scene, I can sort the living forms by who has a story, and who is essentail functioning like a movie extra. Most of the time, If I focus to long on imagining someones face, or other description, scenes of thier life seem to drift into focus. Sure, some of my characters are waiting for things to happen, but they are also remembering thier childhood, and the stories thier parents told them, and thier first kisses. Are half thier lives irrelevant to a story? Of course. Yet I can't imagine a story without some sort of chracter, and my characters are created by thier life stories.

frostystar

I voted for Main Character. I believe that if i have a character in my mind, i can quite often come up with a story to fit their personality.

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Love you from Amy!

bane

This is how I go about it as well

Mentair

i said character first.. for some reason my ideas/stories always come to me as a CHARACTER first anyways plus having characters first can help boost up your stories realism and quality pretty well

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sig comen soon!

Vicki

I usually have a plot first, but it may be only a subplot. I always have an image of the character, however vague, in my mind but I think it's more about the characters quirks that a set person.

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Vicki