Major characters deserve an entrance, not just for the reader’s benefit, but so that you (the author) can establish their stake in the story, how their motives will interact with those of the other characters.

EVERY STORY NEEDS A TELLER

But most important of all is the structure of the incidents. For Tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of an action and of life, and life consists in action, and its end is a mode of action, not a quality. Now character determines men’s qualities, but it is by their actions that they are happy or the reverse … If you string together a set of

Plot, in other words, resides in establishing a clear chain of consequence. Not this happens and this happens and this happens. But: this happens, therefore that happens. And because that happened, this next thing happens. My scenes needed to expose hidden truths (Recognition), upend expectations (Reversal), escalate tension, and instigate further

THAT’S HOW IT WORKS with strong characterization: the character’s actions register as the inevitable outgrowth of their core identity. It’s important to emphasize the word actions here, because (as Aristotle reminds us) it is action that determines fate.

As E. M. Forster reminds us, in Aspects of the Novel, certain characters are intentionally one-dimensional. Still others serve a functional role in our stories. But the characters we are meant to care about must be round: complex, contradictory, capable of evolving, and thus surprising the reader in a convincing way. This standard applies not just

MEET YOUR GREATEST GIFT TO READERS, THE NARRATOR

Plot shouldn’t just spur external action. It should expose the internal conflicts that plague your characters.

This may be the most lucrative question we can ask when it comes to our characters: Where are they in conflict with themselves? More precisely: What are the dangers bound to their desires? Once you’ve figured that out, you have the link that connects character to plot.