Plot? Character? Why choose?

Recently, on the Florida Writers Conference blog, I asked which was more important, plot or character. (One of the sessions covers that question, among other things.) Obviously, plot and character are as important as your right and left leg. You can't really choose which one is more important because both of them are required to allow you to stand.

But everyone has a dominant leg, and mine, in this metaphor, is character.

The first three seasons of Lost moved at a glacial pace. There were flashbacks galore, as we gained insight into the characters that make up the Magical Island. We found out what made everyone tick, even characters who are long since dead. Sometimes the plot points only seemed important in relationship to the character development.

Then, Jack flashed forward instead of back, the pace went from leisurely to breakneck. Since then, rescuers have found the island, turned out not to be rescuers, six of the survivors got off, the island disappeared and started hoping through time, Juliet and Sawyer wound up in love in 1978, Hurley went nuts, Jack became an addict, and Kate became a mommy. Then they all came back and half of them wound up in 1978 and the other half wound up in 2008. And finally, John was murdered by Ben, then came back to life and led everyone on the island--the 2008 version.

I still like the show, because I care about the characters. And because I care what happens to them, the show's writers get a lot of lattitude from me when it comes to plot contrivances. In most universes, going to a frozen cave and turning a wheel isn't going to cause people to careen around through time like little silver balls in a galactic pinball machine.

I'll put up with a lot if I like the people who are going through it. Magnum, PI is one of my favorite shows largely because of the character development. The central characters, Magnum and Higgins, aren't even close to the same people they were at the beginning of the series. Magnum was kind of shallow and immature and Higgins was a boorish pain in the butt.

By the time the series ended, they were interesting enough that you could get trapped in an elevator with them and not be bored. (In fact, that exact thing happened in a seventh-season episode--and it was a good time.)

Obviously, plot is required. Having Magnum and Higgins sit on the porch and watch the grass grow wouldn't be much fun. But strong characters can cover an average plot--and the details they bring can turn a pedestrian plot into a page-turner.