Chicken or the Egg

As a fiction writer, a concept or premise will come to me by way of something I’ve seen or read and then go about the business of concocting characters to bring the story to life. But, just yesterday, it occurred to me that I have several interesting characters rambling around in my head that have no story home. They’re just interesting people I’ve known, or know of, that would make excellent characters if only I had a story for them.


That got me wondering about other fiction writers. And, it amounts to the classic conundrum: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do other fiction writers build stories around strong characters or create characters to be plugged into a story after conceptualizing a plot line? Or, is there a mix?

As mentioned, I have characters in mind but I’ve never built a story around a single character.

I need to pause and say, though, I’ve yet to write a sequel. That, to me, is a different situation. The story must be built around the character(s). I’m confining this to the genesis of a brand new project.

Somehow, I have the feeling that this might be a polarizing subject if opened up for debate. Who cares? I think I’ll ask anyhow.

Which came first, the character or the story?





Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010

"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/Spring 2010