Plot-Driven vs. Character-Driven: Why “Character-Driven”?

In the how-to-write-a-novel literature, and perhaps in creative writing programs, the distinction is made between novels that are plot-driven and character-driven.

I always assumed this meant that plot-driven novels emphasize what incident happens next, as in a page-turning thriller, while character-driven novels emphasize the characters’ feelings, conflicts, and relationships. The former is goal-oriented, the latter is growth-oriented.

Furthermore, I always assumed this distinction meant that the plot-driven novel was written by first figuring out the plot. Once this was accomplished, characters could be made to order, according to what the plot required. In contrast, the character-driven novel was written by first creating a character—whose feelings, conflicts, and relationships were to evolve—and the events of the plot would be secondary to that. (We know from Mark Twain and other novelists quoted in previous posts that most novelists don't "create" their characters.)

But why the term “character-driven?” Why not “character-oriented,” “character-centered,” “character-motivated,” “character-conflict,” or “character-growth”? Why “driven”?

Because, as discussed in the last two posts, the character is in the driver’s seat. (Which makes the narrator a “back-seat driver.”)