Stein on Writing

In Stein on Writing, Sol Stein argues that the most important element of a story is character. He asks us to think of the novels we love most, and what we remember more clearly about them - the plot or the characters?  He mentions a book called Characters Make Your Story, which he says you don’t need to read because the title says it all.

 “Characters,” he argues, “engage us first, and are remembered most. The plots are chapters in their lives.”

 Stein went on to say, “During all my years as publisher and editor, what did I hope for when I picked up a manuscript?  I wanted to fall in love; to be swept up as quickly as possible into the life of a character so interesting, I couldn’t bear to shut the manuscript in a desk overnight. It went home with me so that I could continue reading it. We know what love is. We think of the other person at odd moments. We wonder where they are, what they are doing. We seem a bit crazy to the rest of the world. That’s exactly the feeling I have about characters I fall in love with in books. From those experiences, I am convinced that we need to know the people in the car before we see the car crash. The events of the story do not affect our emotions in an important way unless we know the characters.”

 I should add though, that later in the book, Stein says, “In popular, or transient fiction, the author usually relies much more on plot than character to arouse suspense initially, as Frederick Forsyth in The Day of the Jackal. Forsyth’s ingenuity in creating suspense should be noted.”

 So, it would seem character is important, but so is plot. This topic caught my eye while I was reading Stein’s book because my writing group was recently debating what was essential in a first chapter. 

 I highly recommend Stein on Writing. After taking five pages of notes while listening to the audiobook, I realized i just need to buy my own copy of it and refer to it often, especially his 10 Commandments for Writers. What books on writing can you not live without?