Facing Conflict For Writers

Have you really given thought to conflict? It’s the life blood of your story creation.

I mean think about it. When people have something exciting/terrifying/ dangerous happen to them and they survive to return home to their regular lives what do they talk about? Their regular lives of the out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened? The fact of the matter is, people generally relive those scary/exciting times even when it’s something they might like to put behind them (like a factory explosion, or wartime experiences of a soldier or the collapse of the towers on 9/11).  Why are we like this? A psychologist might be able to tell you but I can’t.  The obsession people have with thrills is something that’s been around forever.  Consider the Romans, the Spartans…us!

But conflict isn’t just one person batting another over the head. There’s all kinds of conflict. And even if you’re the mellow sort who avoids conflict in your life, you can’t avoid it altogether because sometimes it’s brought to you. Additionally it would be silly to try to avoid conflict in your storytelling because you’d end up with no story.

So, let’s talk about the types of conflict. Convincing conflict for your characters.

There can be broad conflict with society.  This happens frequently in science fiction or fantasy but it can be in the everyday world as well. It’s a situation where the protagonist doesn’t fit in. A ‘hero’ or ‘heroine’ your readers can identify with is like a fish out of water. Ender in Ender’s Game ends up in conflict with not only the aliens he’s out to defeat, but with the militaristic society he lives in. There are many others. Study them.  Perhaps a character is mentally or physically different and doesn’t fit in Perhaps the character is out to change the society he or she lives in. Think about it.

There’s the good old fashioned conflict with an enemy. That enemy might be the next door neighbor or it could be Godzilla.  Could be the evil forces in the Harry Potter Series or the master of the ring in Lord of The Rings. Could be Godzilla.  Stakes in this kind of conflict are very high creating a very tense story. It’s a little more straight-forward than some as usually it’s pretty plain what has to be done, i.e. eliminate Godzilla. And, the good thing about this kind of conflict is your hero can be as bad ass as you like, fighting, killing, destructing and there’s no associated guilt so no extra stuff you as the writer has to work through in order for your hero to remain heroic and not wallowing in a pool of self-doubt and guilt.

Then there’s the conflict with a friend or loved one.  Or the age old conflict between parent and child.  Friends and relatives don’t  always (read hardly ever) want the same things. And the results can range wildly from hurt feelings to murder. And, think Civil War, this conflict and result in heartbreak if brother fights brother or cousin kills cousin in a dispute. You can create all sorts of twists and turns when you delve into relationships and truly wring out a gripping story.

And, it’s not unusual for someone to have conflict with him or her self. The hero may not be certain as to what is the correct path. Should he kill Godzilla or is the monster an amazing gift which should be captured and studied? Or a character might be clinically mentally ill, suffering from any range of illness causing complications. Or she might be possessed if you’re going paranormal. Or the character may feel torn about a decision needed to choose between one thing and another; love or a career,  an addiction or the path to sobriety.        

And, don’t forget even though conflict can be as direct as hero vs. Godzilla, it can also be much more complicated just as life is. What happens to Godzilla when you involve a scientist? Or a politician who’s against whatever plan there is to kill the beast because it’ll affect his home turf? Or what if a kid loves the giant beast and is continually in the way, trying to prevent others from hurting it? It’s the ol’ what if scenario again. Play with it. Work with it. Just make sure the conflict you create is convincing and consistent with the characters you’ve created. How you’ve created your characters will be a major influence in this area. You don’t want the reader saying, “he wouldn’t do that!.”

And remember all conflicts don’t have to be major, but your reader has to be kept guessing, as to who’s going to win and how it’ll all turn out.

Go for it and come drop a few comments below on conflict problems you’ve experienced.

Begin At The Beginning Of Writing And Know Where You’re Going

Ah, the beginning, the blank page, the quiet keyboard, the notebook tossed aside. Every writer knows about the beginning. The idea. The rush. 

But what about the rest? 

The trick is, whether you’re writing a screen script or a novel or something else, you have to begin, but there’s also the need to have planned to finish and that means you kind of have to know where you’re going. 

I know, I know you have this great idea and you have to get going on it. Yes, you do. Have to get going on it I mean, but give yourself some time to sort things through first. 

Fan the flames of that great idea – lay your groundwork. Know where you’re heading. 

There are things to help you do this, things you need to know. 

For example. The background of that great idea. That means research. Might be a little. Might be a lot. You’ll have to determine that. But it does apply to every story, not just thrillers, historical novels or SciFi. To bring your story to life in your head as well as on the blank page details are important. The research necessity for SciFi or historical setting is obvious. Not so obvious is the need to add detail and color to a family saga set on the streets of your home town. Detail enriches a story. 

For example, in your home town, are the streets paved with asphalt or are there still some brick streets? Is it prone to flooding every time it rains? Is there a river or a creek nearby? Are there malls or neighborhood shops? More detail? Stop by the local cemetery and read some of the old and listing headstones. Check out what birds are common to your area. How old is the oldest house and what neighborhood is it in? Who’s the local builder, or do they come in from out of town?  Think about the trees and the flowers – or lack thereof. Look around like you’ve never seen the place and pick out the details. Even if you don’t use it all, your knowing breathes live into your story.

Think about the great novels you’ve read, the movies that stick in your mind. It’s the small touches, the intimate knowledge of place that brings it all to live. 

Your characters are also of paramount importance. Know them. Know what makes them tick, what quirks they have, how they’d react in awkward, dangerous, or humorous situations. There’s more to developing character than grabbing a baby book and looking up names (or creating one online with one of the fab new name generators). Make your characters so real to yourself and your audience that they take on a life of their own and stubbornly refuse to do something you want them to do when it gets crossways of who they are. And don’t do that just for your main characters – spread the love around to supporting characters as well. 

Conflict – yep, there has to be a conflict or there isn’t a story. It’s the engine that drives it all. Focus in on your conflict, know what it is. Perhaps write it out and be specific. Know what yours is.

And embrace a theme. Understand for yourself what theme your story covers. Is it love conquers all? Maybe good versus evil? Now that’s not to say you’re locked in like cement overshoes, but if you don’t know where you’ve begun, you won’t be able to control where you’re going. Your theme might begin as one thing and then shift to another. That’s okay. More than one theme is okay to as the story evolves. But know that theme is to begin with or you’re going to find yourself way off track. 

So begin at the beginning. Give yourself time to learn about the world you’re creating ~then gift the world with your genius. 

Have a favorite way of accomplishing this? Let other readers and writers know - post a comment below.