Anne Lamott Quotes

But keep characters in propinquity long enough and a story will always develop a plot.

I just always look for stuff that has a character-driven thing.

When I'm writing a script, I don't worry about plot as much as I do about people. I get to know the main characters - what they need, what they want, what they should do. That's what gets the story going. You can't just have action, you've got to find out what the characters want. And then they must grow, they must go somewhere.

Characters make their own plot. The dimensions of the characters determine the action of the novel.

I think everybody goes through changes, and the same should be said for fictional characters, especially ones that you follow on television.

There's nothing interesting about seeing our characters for an hour and a half do some flashy flying in the sky and beating up on some buildings. It's boring, and people don't want that anymore. They want character, and they want story.

The characters are the plot. What they do and say and the things that happen to them are, in a sense, what the plot is. You can't take character and plot apart from each other, really.

I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.

Consider: for all the gobbledegook [film studio] executives spout about backstory, all that we, the audience, want to know is what happens next. That's the only thing that's going on. . . . Character is nothing other than action, and character-driven means The plot stinks, and you'd better hope the star is popular enough to open the movie in spite of it.

I think the more depth you build into the characters, and the more you see where they came from, the more fun you can have. Setting up different characters in different relationships is always helpful as you move forward.

The rule for finding plots for character-centered novels, which is to ask: 'So what's the worst possible thing I can do to *this* guy?' And then do it.

Whether you're writing a horror show or a James Bond film, I think what bubbles beneath is interesting characterization. The colors that emerge through storytelling is what a dramatist does. There's always got to be something bubbling underneath that will erupt at some point.

The loveliest roles, for me, have a growth arc - a beginning, a middle, and an end - and I'm always grateful when I can find one of those emotional journeys.

Action is only really compelling when it reveals character - character revealed through action, and not action for its own sake.

It's much easier for me to think in terms of character movement and emotion and story rather than, 'What are some wacky hijinks we can throw together?'

Drama comes from characters changing. If characters stay the same and nothing changes, there's really nothing to look at.

The deeper you go with the character, the more you see the layers start to peel away. It's more challenging to me, but it's also just interesting. Those are the things I like to watch. I like to watch the evolutions of something.

I am simply not interested, at this point, in creating narrative scenes between characters.

I think love is a great catalyst for many characters to further the story or their own growth.

I think if you want to make a good sports movie, you've got to cut down on the sports. You have to make it about people. You can't try to impress people with your knowledge and the X and O's and all the details and the technicalities.

I always begin with a character or characters, and then try to think up as much action for them as possible.

I'm a character-driven director, and I tend to fall in love with the characters in my movies and TV shows.

Every paragraph should accomplish two goals: advance the story, and develop your characters as complex human beings.

Narrative and characters have always interested me. I never tried to alienate an audience. Of course, gradually, I wanted a bigger and bigger space to draw people in, so it's very organic [growth].

I'm probably more character-driven than plot-driven. It's rare for me to attach myself to an idea for a story.