The Audience Will Forget Your Plot But Not Your Characters - Jack Grapes 

"Oh interesting" she said realizing he invades the privacy of all his friends 😂

It resonates with what he's saying because I remember the movie Captain America Civil War, where Tony Stark says, "Who's leaving seeds in the sink?" something like that... and he said, "I feel like I'm living with a biker gang." To paraphrase.. It was a small line of dialogue, but for me, I remember it and it always stood out. I thought it was powerful. Because it informed me that they're people. They live with each other. Their living arrangement is casual, and they get on each other's nerves. It made me feel like this is like a family. or roommates. It was powerful. It made me think of the Avengers in a different way. This is a lot like what Jack Grapes is talking about!

Remind me never to let Jack into my kitchen.

As a writer, being observative about thing around you is your greatest tool.

Characters with goals/motivation are what drives the story.

this is what fanfiction is all about!! fanfic authors and readers are those who stayed for the characters and wish to see more of them beyond what the canon showed

This channel has actually got me started writing after thinking about it for a few years. I'll be sure to mention you in my acceptance speech after my first book get turned into a billion dollar movie.

This is absolutely fantastic instruction; incredibly clear. More and more, from these "lectures" from all these Professors, I get clarity about an almost mystical process of creating and generating STORY. Thank you so for making these talks available. It's like having a personal graduate seminar.

I have said this for years. In both movies and books if I can find a way to connect to the main character, the I can't connect with the book or movie. And he's right, the rest doesn't matter as much.

I feel what he is talking about is true most of the time. I can think of a few media’s (gaming, film, books) where I remember the stories and love the stories more than the characters.

I love when my characters tell me what they want and who they are and write themselves.

I knew a person who had such a messy car that I would always think "If we get into and accident, I wonder what random object in the car would hit me first". Funny how their quirks quickly become a story in your own mind.

Does anyone remember flipping someone a quarter and saying go call somebody who gives a damn?! We can’t do that anymore.

I love his detail on how people eat their eggs sunny side up. He's so right the way a character organize their space tells you alot.

The eight deadliest words any storyteller can hear: "I don't care what happens to these people".

It's interesting listening to him talking about eating eggs. I am one of those people who cut around the yoke and eat it last in one bite. The reason I do this is actually the same reason he mixes the egg all together... because I find the yoke gross, so I don't want it spilling on my plate or touching anything else

The little things. I like that. Very true. The smallest, tiniest little thing can say so much about a person, and be remembered more than anything

Viewers remember characters the same way when a studio promotes a movie, it's the actors who interview with the media, appear on the late night talk shows, Comic-Con panels, etc. They get all the attention even though there's a whole team of creative talent working behind the camera including the screenwriter who you shouldn't ignore. The mind just thinks in terms of people, so that's what viewers gravitate to, not realizing that everything else is just as important.

I loved the skate key example. I think the skate key itself becomes a kind of character, an elemental force.

Coincidentally I just recently saw "Tenet" which is a really tightly written story with tons of action and complex concepts BUT the main character is literally credited as "protagonist" and is rather bland. In another analysis someone theorized that Nolan is such a great director, you can safely assume he does everything on purpose. Which led to the conclusion that he might have experimented with the question: Can you compensate for missing "character" with hyper polished writing and really compact storyprogression etc? turns out, not really The movie is very watchable but in the end it feels predictably...distanced, because of the lack of character in it.

I love that last comment about checking the coin return dish in a payphone.

My dad was watching some movie when I was a kid. No idea what it was about, I was probably too busy playing my Gameboy. I just remember a few people walking around in the forest. But something that had stuck with me for my whole life was a scene where one guy was complaining that his back hurt. Another guy told him an old cure is find a round rock and spit on it, so off he goes. A third person in the scene was incredulous about the trick, and the guy replies something to the effect of "looking for the rock will distract him from his back pain, then by the time he leans over to spit on it, he'll have forgotten completely." This one scene might have even planted the seeds of my interest in human psychology today. Just goes to show how effective and memorable these little scenes of characterization are.

sounds like bro just goes thru peoples shit every time he pull up somewhere 😂

Your The Best, JACK GRAPES, YOUR THE BEST!!! I'm Going To Find One Of Your Classes, Too Learn. More. of The Great Things You Know !!!

This is exactly why Tenet fell flat for me. Couldn't care about any one character presented

When I was a kid, I would take a hard shell taco and dump the contents onto the paper wrap, then scoop it up with broken bits of shell (and eat) until it was completely gone. I can remember doing that when I was 6, and a friend's mom was completely shocked, almost appalled, but I cleaned it up by eating it so quickly that she dropped her concern altogether. I ate the second taco the same way.

He's correct about this and if we all think about it we know it. Very few people can ever remember the plots in a Seinfeld episode (which, arguably didn't even exist) but they can still envision the petty walk of George, Seinfeld's straight face, Elaine swatting at him, Kramer swishing in. Few can remember the plot to Star Wars (77) but everyone remembers boyish Luke, swashbuckling smartass Han Solo, feisty Leia and weirdly they remember a 'robot cyborg' Darth Vader. What was the plot? (film nerds probably do, actually the massive broad public could never recall the plot in any detail).

I always find it fun when I let my characters lose on a situation just to see where they take the story. I can certainly relate to the advice of watching people for developing characters.

Its a great conversation, very structured, like most hollywood films that care about the content and not so much about the how is presented.. Characters can be developed by how the film is shot and edited without necessarily dialogue, like a character from a book, which is their base.

Some of the best advice for writers I have ever seen. Been people watching at cafes and bus stops and malls and on trains, etc for years.

Love the women who post these questions, it’s soo soothing to hear her…!!!!

I like what Hemingway said about creating a novel. "It's like an iceberg. Nine tenths if it is underwater." You don't see it but you feel it. All those little details the writer should know about a character aren't necessarily going to be used in the prose but the perspicacious reader will feel those tiny details in his soul. People try to imitate Hemingway but it's not authentic because they don't do the editing it takes to get it perfect, he said as he stroked the top of the cat's head gently palming her face.

It depends on what drives the narrative. If it is character-driven, then we should remember the characters more. If it is story-driven, we remember the conflict more. An example of the latter is the film Volcano. For the life of me, I don't remember the characters, but I remember most of the major events which are the various stages of the volcano about to erupt. Another example is Scott Sigler's story Earthcore. We should still, however, try to make interesting characters that fit into the setting and aesthetics of the story. We don't have to know every single thing about these characters, but they should make sense for the world in which they live. Let a soldier be disciplined. Let a rogue be a rogue. Let a princess fit with the political circumstances of their family. Their actions should fit what we know about their background.

What are the best ways to develop a character?

Wow, it all makes sense. Every inspiring writer should listen to this.

I am a film writer and I can assure you what Jack said is absolutely correct!

"Honey, can we not invite your weird uncle over to the house anymore? He talked to me for 30 minutes about egg yolks, then I found him later rummaging through our medicine cabinet."

they dont make them like Jack Grapes anymore...you sir are the real deal....!!!

Characters are like people, believe it or not.

This is fascinating. Feel like I could talk all day long about writing with Mr. Grapes.

Wow! This just reminded me of how I used to check the coin drop in every pay phone I passed when I was a kid. I found coins all the time. One time I found a wallet with $100 inside in the phone booth. My mom contacted the owner and we returned it. He gave me $10 as a reward. I haven’t thought about that in years. Thanks for mentioning it. I might use it now sometime.

Thank God I came across this video. I remember writing my 1st book out on a whim about 4 years ago. And yes, given that it was my first book, it had so many issues. But it had one thing that made it stand out -- characters. This year, I started writing another book out on a whim again and watching this video made me realize how important character is. I already thought of an outline after a week or 2. But the more chapters I wrote, the more I realize how the main character (a female this time around)would slowly deviate from the original outline no matter how much I try to introduce some events in a logical and plausible manner in order to make her stick with the original outline. I'm not gonna lie, it can be frustrating, but it's also fun at the same time, seeing how the character develops.

You telling me this guy is just rummaging through strangers medicine cabinets

I outline my story and plot, chapter by chapter, act by act, scene by scene (depending on what I'm doing), and then when I'm writing, I let the characters come alive and soon show me where they are going, what they're story and this journey is really about. And it's never a plot problem, or a story problem, that slows my writing, or that causes me to throw away a story. It's universally, and consistently, a character problem. A character is authentic, they aren't as confident as I portrayed them in the beginning. They fail more than the plot and outline initially suggests. They aren't growing and the story isn't difficult enough for them. My characters teaches me everything that the story is. But they can only come to life in a world and in front of events that I first crafted. But I'm finding Jack Grapes amazing.

If not for my characters.. 4 x years in...I'd give it all up tomorrow. Thanks. ❤ Agreed 👍

I think in some instances, the opposite can also hold true. If the characters are more a vehicle to take the reader/watcher/listener through the journey, the plot is what will be remembered and the characters not as much. What made me think of this specifically is the anime/manga "Made in Abyss". The setting and plot are the most interesting aspects of the story, and the main characters are fairly straight forward, which leaves the setting and plot to make more of an impact than the characters themselves.

I have always scanned people's bookshelves when visiting them for the first time! Now, I'm going to start poking around in their fridges and medicine cabinets. ;)

The Goat Mr Grapes Appreciate it, On My Soul

Great interview about noticing the small stuff to create more interesting characters.

Yes, this is so helpful! Of course, all these videos are all gems!

"Voice creates character, character creates plot" - the guy in this video

This was amazing. Learned a lot in 15 mins. Thank you

this guy is so rich with experience.

Mans said he goes through their cabinets like that was ok😂

This is very true. Usually, the story is mostly a one and done thing, so it’s important that you have great characters so that there’s an opportunity to carry them onto the sequel story you have, kinda like what the MCU is doing and/or especially a TV show you’re making. The plot is there to make you like or hate the characters more, depending on the role. It’s a way to follow the characters and make them stick with you more.

This is the best channel on the planet 🔥

My take away was never invite Jack Grapes to your house. He will go through your fridge, judge you based on it, and possibly tell a lot of people about it.

This reminds me of a scene from the Justice League cartoon. Batman is fighting an evil version of himself from a reality where the superheroes decided to rule the world. During the fight, Evil Batman makes the argument that in their world, no 8-year old is going to loose their parents because of some punk with a gun. The writers intended Batman to have a good comeback, but they could not think of anything that was in character, so they had Batman surrender.

I am now dying to hear this guy tell me a story

EXCELLENT information! Thank you!

Before clicking the video (which I haven't watched yet) I read the title and thought of all the stories to mainstream, my own, and webtoons and saw how much I would forget the plot but remember the characters and their idiosyncrasies

Definitely something I needed to watch. I've been meaning to write something again, but haven't because I don't know what the plot is. I think going about it this way and just delving into the character's life and see where that takes me is the way to go. And while I'm all for small character details in how they enrich the character and story, I do think it's important not too add too much. T÷ last thing you want is to get attached to these small details and let them dictate the story whenever you decide to go another directions which might contradict almost superfluous detail. In any case. Great video!

Holy crap, love this so much. Give me a character to love and I'll go on any journey with them. LOST is a good example of that. I like the little character bits that are created or come about naturally over the course of a story or series. Some characters really love coffee in space. Makes me want to write something now... I like to people watch as well, but as an artist, I'm looking at the body posture and facial expressions to help create a bit of personality when I'm drawing figures in a story. It all helps flesh out the character.

Steps to developing a character: 1. The voice: How do they talk, see the world, attitude to the world. Collect details using a checklist based on interesting things from other media. These little things make the character compelling. 2. ??? 3. Profit

"Your character will lead you to your story and your plot" is absolutely brilliant. I know he said every writer knows this, but it seems to me not all of them do since my favorite shows keep losing that idea once they make it to around season 5-10. Just finished Peaky Blinders and when the show noticeably declines is when the main character Tommy Shelby suddenly forgoes his rock-hard unnerving demeanor and starts crying over dead horses and begging people to respect him. Everything we KNOW about the character indicates this is impossible. Tommy Shelby is an extremely hard man who never buckled in literally the most horrifying, testing experiences known to man. But a dead horse makes him cry. (Yes there were new writers that season)

In the early 1990s, to maybe the 2000s---I gotta check, we actually had pay phones still here in New Mexico. I was a young kid still checking that stupid little coin return slot for money. Even if I wasn't using the phone. Vending machines too. It was easier to care about a measly $0.25 cents, back in the day.

I was told that plot is what happened, story is your character(s)' reaction to those events.

Loved this guy.

i prefer plot over character a story can have fantastic characters but if they are in a boring plot i wont care about them, if I wanted to be enthralled with a character id talk to an actual person. Plot and world building should come first.

Everyone won't remember seeing you naked but they'll remember the clothes you had on. 💀

The man is a genius.

This guy is a fascinating interview.

But character is not enough. It's what they want, and the choices they make. And the obstacles they face and their level of engagement and commitment to getting what they want. The character gradually unfolds as he goes through that path. And that is a plot. Thats what i understand in storywriting. :)

This is really interesting because the "it's all about the details" is what I learnt after years of studying classical music on piano. When you play a piece you have to follow certain rules that mostly depend on the author and the time period the piece was written in. For example while playing Bach, you should not play loud parts too much loud nor the silent parts too silent (mostly because the piano did not exist at that time and people were playing on instruments that had a much tighter "spectrum of loudness").. If you don't follow these major rules you are infact making a mistake (like if you were doing a grammar mistake, it is a BIG mistake). Of course these rules/guidelines change a lot from piece to piece: if you are instead playing a Chopin, in some parts you can do some small slow downs in tempo (or you can do other things that give romantic vibes). So the point is: the rules are the baseline and knowing them is very much needed, but it's not enough; infact the soul of the performance lies in the details and it is in the details that you can appreciate everyone's take.

This is so right. When it comes to character versus plot, even those who haven't watched a certain movie, remembers the character! Like James Bond.

Somebody send this video to Nolan.

That's true. I can't remember all the plots, but I always remember the characters when they're well written

2:23 voice creates character, character creates plot, and you construct the telling of the story from the plot

i am absolutely liking jack's views

good characters write the plot for you good plot doesn't exist without the characters

Shout out to the interviwer. too. Very good questions and great listener.

Great teacher ❤❤

Once Upon a Time in the West is an extreme example of this. Literally no one will be able to tell you what the plot is - but man, the characters and atmosphere are fascinating!

Happy! nailed this

The interview has such a nice voice

Cool. I learned about characters, story, plot and different ways to eat a sunny side up egg.

This video is spitting out facts. Listing off the main issues I have with most tv shows, movies, anime’s etc.

So that's that weirdo looking at me in diners

When he says he could do a whole lecture about the difference between plot and story, I did a double take at his definitions. I’ve heard it said elsewhere that Plot is what happens (the events). Story is WHY the plot MATTERS to the characters / how it transforms the characters. In other words plot is external events and conflict and story is internal conflict. This rings truer for me than his definitions which sound almost just logistical in nature? Plot: You can show a woman go out to her mailbox and get her mail and return to her house. You can show the woman do that three days in a row. That’s events. That’s part of a sequence right? The Story: the third day we see her come in with her mail and toss it unopened on her coffee table. She heads straight for her kitchen table, grabs and opens the journal she keeps there and begins to write in it for several minutes. She’s agitated but gets calmer the more she writes. Then she telephones her therapist and reports in to him describing her feelings and thoughts while she was outside the house. We see several books on her bookshelves about living with Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). Therefore, the plot (when she goes to the mailbox) matters because it is therapy, an act of sheer will in the face of her fear and it’s as far as she can go out of her house before the panic level phobia sets in. A couple of months earlier, she could only go as far as her porch so the mailbox represents progress. That’s her Story. It’s her specific internal conflict and how she’s dealing with it - shown via the plot. Her Story makes her different from that of her neighbors who she often watches stand outside and leisurely water their flowers or talk to each other across the hedges…things she can’t do. It doesn’t feel right to me that the definition of story is just about the linear nature of the scenes? This HAS to be some screenwriter specific definition of those two elements of storytelling. If so, that should be stated and clarified because people come to this channel knowing it’s about screenwriting but also believing that Story is Story and that there’s a lot to learn from these videos regardless of which medium someone is using - film vs novel. It also surprised me that he said people could care less about the plot etc. Really? To what degree could people care less? Twice? Three times as much/less? The proper usage of the expression is people COULDN’T care less…as in they are already at their maximum level of indifference. He’s got some interesting things to say in many of his interviews; but he comes across to me as unnecessarily condescending to the interviewer on several occasions. I don’t like that. No disrespect intended to anyone. He knows a lot more than I do for sure; but I had to say something about those two aspects of this interview. Is there a clarification about his definitions of plot and story?

Wow.. So interesting and informative. Thank you

Love this. Very interesting

The title is so true. I have a good memory so I remember most of the plots but boy... Nathan Bateman (Ex Machina), Llewelyn Moss (No Country for Old Men), Robert Capa/Mace (Sunshine, hell basically the entire crew), and many more.

We remember movies with strong flawed characters longer 1. Taxi drives ( Travis Bickles) 2. No country for old man ( Anton Chigurh) 3. The master ( Freddie Quell) 4. Psycho( Norman bates) 5. Silence of the lambs (Hannabel Lecter ) 6. The shining ( Jack Torrence) 7. Big Lebowski ( dude ) 8. There will be blood ( Daniel Plainview)

It’s so true. I can’t explain the plot of every MCU movie, but I can describe in DETAIL the quirks of every single character, who they’re related to, who they’re dating, etc.

So, around 6:20 he's talking about character quirks and idiosyncrasies. This isn't hard to create. In fact, any writer will inherently imagine thier character a specific way and try to stay true to that on the page. At about 0:50 he talks about plot. Plot is the outside world, the external conflict that's weaved together with the internal conflict (what he calls emotional cores). 1:25 Story is the internal conflict. That is one half of the overall storyline. The backbone to that story is shaped by the events around it, the plot. Yes, you can write the plot in a way which characters (the story) are causing it. That's called being proactive. They are forming the story and plot, and it's character-driven. But if want to steer the plot into certain directions, then characters have to make certain choices for that to happen. This would create a happy medium, except where plot-driven take the story, is that the external events harm the characters who do nothing to deal with it, they just do the action the plot requires without even having that internal conflict, how'd they change their decisions about the plot, that determine why the plot must happen a specific way. There's no right or wrong answer, only that it feels right. 3:02 The way he reacted here tells you everything you need to know. He knows he just said it out loud all wrong. Plot can be shaped any which way, only that the characters you create responding to those changes act naturally to the way they do and develop to the end the way they do. Deep voice > Character > Plot. But actually it's a feedback system. It really looks like this. Deep voice > < Character > < Plot. In other words, the deep voice creates character, character creates plot, plot creates a character change, and the deep voice changes with it. This is called character development. Down to a science (although, it's not a science). It's just the way we human beings respond to change or not. We're hardwired that way.

This is the best explanation I’ve heard about writing ong

This is the same thing J. Michael Straczinski talked about - the real character lives in you as a person. And the story unfolds through character reactions and interactions. You need to lead them into something and after that you just write down what's happening, because the good characters create the story by themselves.

I love this interview: it's exactly what I think. My character has told me her story. In the sense that, once a character is define, she will behave in a certain way, make certain choices and you just need to follow her :D.

That's why I hate action movies, they usually have zero characterization.

Voice creates character, character creates plot. I think you could add world in there too. He mentions it. The world can be just as powerful or helpful and characters can just pop out if you think of the world. Like a fantasy world (Middle Earth, very memorable) - knights, wizards, elves. Zombie world - scientists, military, cops, families. Mafia world - mobsters, Dons, cops, bartenders, detectives. It can be very inspiring just thinking of a world to start with.