I suspect it’s this belief in plot as a magic formula that’s responsible for the clinical feel from which modern stories sometimes suffer. But a plot can never work in isolation. This is why I believe the focus on plot should be shifted onto character. It’s people, not events, that we’re naturally interested in. It’s the plight of specific, flawed and fascinating individuals that makes us cheer, weep and ram our heads into the sofa cushion. The surface events of the plot are critical, of course, and its structure ought to be present, functional and disciplined. But it’s only there to support
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