New Voices Good Stories discussion

Here's a question: I consider plot, characters and dialogue my key elements when crafting a novel. Not necessarily in that order. Naturally they should be interconnected and each one should influence the other two. However, if you as a writer had to choose one of the three as the most important ingredient, the one that if strong enough could carry the whole book, which one would it be? And why?

The plot. You can have strong characters but a terrible storyline! It's like watching a movie with great actors but the storyline sucks!

Hi Selena-

Good point. I have seen more than a few movies like that. But I think I've also seen a few movies with very strong storylines, but the actors, usually because of poor directing, make the movie intolerable to watch. And how about those movies, and books, where the dialogue is so stilted, so far off the storyline, you're not sure what the movie is supposed to be about or where the characters are supposed to fit in?

You can see why I asked the question: I don't know the answer. And I suspect there is no "right" answer as each of the ingredients are indispensable. Perhaps equally so. Perhaps not. But it's always educational for me to hear other writers' thoughts regarding our craft.

That's funny and yes you're right. It can go either way!