Plot (or the lack of it)

I love to plot. Really. I think many writers don't, but I do. I have read some authors say that if you have interesting enough characters the reader won't care if nothing is actually happening (Ann Lamont's Bird by Bird), but I disagree.

Yes there have been some plotless mushies published that were still rather enjoyable (who's read Glimmer Train?). But I believe that an actual storyline could have improved them.

A good plot to me should be like a woven leather belt. Strong character storylines tangeled together. Hints poke out for the reader to see. If you could only unravel it you would understand. Readers should be able to unravel the story as they read, but not necessarilly entirely, and leave the naked threads. Enough to understand the important part. Actually, a great plot should be a belt made of many woven belts, because the reader should not just unravel the story, but also the characters. The reader should come to understand them throughout the story.

For me, a great character won't make the story. They can make the storyline, but they cannot float and drift and bounce like so many bubbles. I like to read work with a sense of purpose. A great character should consume a storyline and run away with it. I love it when my characters run with a story, I love it when the result is nothing like the original conception. But it still needs the story part.