Anne Skyvington
  • Writing
  • Mythos
  • Travel
  • Australia
  • Book Reviews
  • Poetry
  • Memoir
  • Publishing
  • Guest Post
  • Psychology
  • home
  • ABOUT
  • Contact

Anne Skyvington

The Art of Creative Writing

  • Writing
  • Mythos
  • Travel
  • Australia
  • Book Reviews
  • Poetry
  • Memoir
  • Publishing
  • Guest Post
  • Psychology
Writing

Plot or Character?

written by Anne Skyvington February 18, 2013
beauty man-made
Aristotle

Aristotle (Photo credit: maha-online)

Our writers’ group recently invited a speaker from the University of Technology, Sydney to present a talk on “Poetics”, which he defined as the features of narrative writing.

Did you know that Aristotle wrote the first literary treatise, entitled Poetics, on this subject in 350 BC?

You can read the book online at

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poetics.mb.txt

We discovered that Aristotle considered plot to be the most important element in constructing a narrative.

Character was next in importance, but secondary to plot (sequence of events). Mark, our lecturer, demonstrated this by retelling the story of “Oedipus Rex” in Sophocles’ dramatic tragedy written in 429 BC.

Sophocles. CastHere characters are subservient to fate, which throws in their pathway terrible events with tragic consequences.

I recalled Australian writer Kate Grenville, expressing the opinion that plotting was a more traditionally “male” way of constructing narratives, whereas many women tended to write in segments—events based on characterisation and “showing” rather than “telling”—which was her chosen modus operandus. In this way of operating, the plot evolves as questions are asked and answered.

Is this really a more “female” way of writing?

Perhaps a synthesis of the two approaches is the ideal way: have an idea of the story, but modify or recreate as you go…

Other narrative elements include language, structure, setting, dialogue, theme, genre, point of view and tense.

Mark defined tragedy as “terrible things happening to good people”,  which is different from comedy, whereby characters are often severely flawed from the outset, and might change as the plot develops.

Complex plots involve a change of fortune, accompanied by reversals and character recognitions. The reader’s response is one of pity or fear when a tragic outcome is achieved.

Related articles
  • Essay: Art as Imitation in Plato and Aristotle
  • 8 Points on Plotting that Novel
  • Making a Plan, Losing the Plot, and Reaching The End

Plot or Character? was last modified: April 9th, 2019 by Anne Skyvington
aristotle and poeticsaristotle the father of narrative structureis it better to plot or not to plot?Sophocles and Oedipus Rexwhat is the concept of tragedy in literature?
0 comment
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Anne Skyvington

I have been a reader/writer all of my life as far back as I can remember. Blogging has opened me up to another world, where I can share my skills and continue to create through word and picture. Writing is about seeing the world and recreating it for others to see through different eyes.

previous post
Ave Maria
next post
Alternative Narrative Approaches

You may also like

Alone not lonely in Apartheid South Africa

December 17, 2018

a funny thing happened …

March 1, 2018

We Are Not Alone

August 11, 2016

Writing a Book Review

June 17, 2014

The Source of “Voice” in Fiction

January 9, 2018

Spring Gardens Down Under

October 17, 2017

Creative Nonfiction: a modern genre

September 27, 2012

An Aussie bloke remembers: Guest post by...

September 30, 2015

The Night of the Barricades

February 15, 2021

Daffodil: Biography of a Flower

April 25, 2016

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About The Author

About The Author

Anne Skyvington

Anne Skyvington is a writer based in Sydney who has been practising and teaching creative writing skills for many years. You can learn here about structuring a short story and how to go about creating a longer work, such as a novel or a memoir. Subscribe to this blog and receive a monthly newsletter on creative writing topics and events.

Buy Karrana my debut novel from Amazon online

EBook Cover

My How To book about Writing A Novel: The Big Picture

The Craft of Writing Included in Top Creative Writing Blogs

Top 30 Creative Writing Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Connect With Me

Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest Linkedin Youtube Email

Recent Posts

  • Fear of Flying in Planes

    July 19, 2022
  • The Fear … the Fear…

    July 10, 2022
  • An Amazing Story About Stuttering

    June 14, 2022
  • From the Archives: Australian Story

    June 14, 2022
  • Have You Ever Experienced The “Numen”?

    April 27, 2022

I’ve joined ALLI

About The Author

About The Author

Anne Skyvington is a Sydney-based writer and blogger. <a href="https://www.anneskyvington.com.au She has self-published a novel, 'Karrana' and is currently writing a creative memoir based on her life and childhood with a spiritual/mystical dimension.

Popular Posts

  • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills

    May 7, 2020
  • 5 Further Publishing Facts

    April 1, 2020
  • Symbolism of Twins

    October 2, 2017

Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

&copy: 2021 Anne Skyvington. All Rights Reserved. Site by Nate Hoffelder.


Back To Top