I'm a little late at the party, having completely forgotten about answering the questions. Alas, I will start answering with the latest question:
When it comes to fiction, are you more of a “plot person” or a “character person”? If you had to choose, which concept would win out when it comes to picking and loving a book: plot or character?
I'm a very picky reader. The first thing I notice in a book is the plot. I usually read the blurbs after ogling at the covers to figure out if the story feels interesting to me. If I decide that I might like the book, the two concepts are at the same level when it comes to their importance. I love a well-developed plot. It doesn't have to be suspense or mystery or anything. It just has to be there and it has to be good. Or it can be less than good, but without plot-holes, without those moments when you frown and realize there seem to be chunks of story missing. At the same time though, the characters need to be well developed too.
Picture the best book you've ever read, in terms of plot. Now take out the characters you know and put some new, poorly developed characters in the story. It seems lacking to me. I need to like the characters to be fully able to enjoy the plot. I can do without one or the other, but for me a good book is the one that has both.
And this works in reverse too. I have to like the plot to enjoy the characters. You may have the best characters in the world, if you don't have a plot that does justice to those characters, the story lacks something.
What about you? What would you choose between plot and characters?
