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The day I chose plot over character and lost my whole writing group
Last month I brought a story to my critique circle where I leaned hard into a twist ending and barely developed the main character, thinking the shock value would carry it. Three people said they couldn't care what happened because they didn't know who they were reading about, and one woman actually asked if I'd forgotten to write the second draft. Have you ever picked one writing element over another and had it backfire in a public way?
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shane_wilson2d ago
Honestly, I get where your group is coming from, but I think they're being a little harsh. A twist can be the whole point of a story if it's done right, and sometimes you gotta sacrifice a bit of character to keep the pacing snappy. I've been on the flip side where I wrote these super deep, introspective characters and everyone told me the plot was boring as hell, so there's no winning. Tbh, a reader who's hooked by a good surprise will go back and care about the character later, but if the reveal falls flat, you got nothing. Your group might just be more into slow burns, and that's on them, not on your story.
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