Friday, December 17, 2010

Book Blogger Hop #15 - Dec17 to 19

Book Blogger Hop
This is a weekly PARThosted by Jen at Crazy For Books. It's a chance to discover new blogs and to garner new readers for your blog as well.
Thanks for visiting!

"What do you consider more important: plot or character?"
For the most part, I would take character any given day. I've felt that most of the experience of reading depends on the experience you have in your head while you are reading a book. I'm more able to enjoy the story if I relate to or like the character. Otherwise, the story becomes secondary to the voice in my head which is grumbling about what I dislike in the book's hero/heroine.

That usually does not end well.
There are some exceptions of course - Epic novels like Lord of the Rings, books with vast plot structures like The Malazan books of the Fallen, these are so plot-driven that it is almost irrelevant if you enjoy the character narrative. These authors have also created strong evil characters, multi-dimensional heroines, brave souls - and the storyline lives up to the promise.
What do you think? Is it an either/or situation? Could it be a good character makes a sketchy plot come to life, but a poor plot can sink anyone?
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14 comments:

  1. Stopping by to say Hi! I choose plot, but went back and forth about seventeen times. It's very possible that by the end of the hop I might change my mind again… Have a great weekend!

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  2. Hi
    Just hopping by and following through. Thanks for stopping by Book'd Out earlier. I agree it can definatley be an either or situation.

    Shelleyrae
    www.bookdout.wordpress.com

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  3. Stopping by from the blog hop! :)

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  4. Good point about the epic stories. Usually there are so many characters that the plot is definitely more important. Without that there isn;t really anyone to connect to.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier!

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  5. The best books usually have both plot and character! I went for plot though as I can read a book with weak characters but get bored easily with weak plots. :)

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  6. This might be the best Book Blogger Hop question I've seen to date.

    So what's the answer? Plot! Hop over to my blog and let me tell you how a good plot rescued bad characters from bad book oblivion.

    Howard Sherman
    http://www.howardsherman.net

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  7. Just hopped on over along the blog hop trail. Good answer. My answer is very much the same.

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  8. Hi, hon - thanks for stopping by!

    Very nice to see you mention The Malazan books of the Fallen - in my book, that's easily the best fantasy saga that nobody really seems to be talking about.

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  9. Following from the hop even though for whatever reason my pic is invisible. LOL Don't know how I never found you before! Happy weekend.
    reading,Reading&Life

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  10. Happy HOP! At first I thought that both are important but ultimately for me, it's the characters. Hope you're enjoying your weekend :D

    Come HOP by and visit The Bookish Snob

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  11. Totally, totally agree with you. Getting attached to characters is not all that hard when they're well-drawn, and can be long-lasting and most rewarding over the course of a multiple-book series. There are some characters that, after several installments of reading about them, could just sit and do little and I'd enjoy their "presence." (Does that make sense? I hope so. ^_^)

    -Alisha

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  12. Hopping by from the blog hop.

    Lots of good answers to this week's tough question.

    Stop by my blog to see my answer to this week's question.

    Also check out a design site I found...pretty neat home decorating ideas...it is in the right side panel on my blog.

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

    Happy Holidays!!

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  13. @alisha - that made sense, yes :D

    @Senora - Thanks! I'm following back.

    @Lee - thanks!
    @Sally - How strange is it? I love those Malazan books, and they are sadly under-advertised..

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  14. This will probably come of something as a surprise but the book that changed/influenced my life (more than any other) is a non-fiction book. I know we all focus on novels and the fanciful fiction we love to read but The Four Work Week is the book that gets all the credit. I know the title sounds fictional but it really isn’t. Hop over to my blog and find out why – http://www.howardsherman.net

    Happy Book Blogger Hop Day!


    Howard A. Sherman

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Thank you for the comment! I will always reply to each comment, and if you leave a link, comment on your site as well.

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