Writing Tip of the Week: A Conversation About Conflict – Part One
While most of us prefer to go about our lives with as little conflict as possible, conflict is a key story element in fiction that gives a narrative life, energy, and momentum. Over the next two posts, we’ll explore why conflict is essential and discuss ways to use it in your writing.
Let’s get started!
Conflict Equals Drama
If the characters in a story get along, are always nice to each other, and never disagree, things will get really boring quickly. While it’s acceptable and necessary in the real world to have days where we go about our lives without any problems or issues, fictional narratives must conflict between characters to create drama for the audience.
The main character needs information from another character to get closer to their goal. The other character refuses to give the main character the information or wants something in return. This generates conflict between the two characters, giving the scene dramatic impact.
Will the main character get the information? How will they get the information? What happens if they don’t get the information or the wrong information? These conflicts set the stage for the audience to become invested in the situation and root for the main character.
On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Detective Stabler interrogates a suspect who’s placed one of his victims alive in a refrigerator buried somewhere in the city. Stabler needs to know where the woman is to save her life, but the suspect wants to speak in riddles, which creates conflict and drama in the scene. Will Stabler break the suspect, get the needed information, and save the woman in time?
Conflict Drives the Story Forward
Your main character has a goal. If the goal is easy, no real story or drama exists. To keep the audience engaged and help the story build momentum, the main character has to come up against opposing forces that create conflict for the hero.
These conflicts lead the main character to find creative and more innovative methods to reach their stated goal, which can lead to new conflicts during their journey. Even during setbacks, the hero remains active in their pursuit as the opposing forces increase, and the story continues to move forward.
In any James Bond movie, Bond is given his assignment but quickly meets a barrage of conflicts, double crosses, and other opposing forces that prevent him from easily reaching his intended target. As the action mounts and the conflict rises, the story moves forward as Bond gets closer to his final goal and completes the mission.
Next Time…
We’re just getting started! More conflict-based posts are on the way, all throughout the month of May!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s get started!
Conflict Equals Drama
If the characters in a story get along, are always nice to each other, and never disagree, things will get really boring quickly. While it’s acceptable and necessary in the real world to have days where we go about our lives without any problems or issues, fictional narratives must conflict between characters to create drama for the audience.
The main character needs information from another character to get closer to their goal. The other character refuses to give the main character the information or wants something in return. This generates conflict between the two characters, giving the scene dramatic impact.
Will the main character get the information? How will they get the information? What happens if they don’t get the information or the wrong information? These conflicts set the stage for the audience to become invested in the situation and root for the main character.
On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Detective Stabler interrogates a suspect who’s placed one of his victims alive in a refrigerator buried somewhere in the city. Stabler needs to know where the woman is to save her life, but the suspect wants to speak in riddles, which creates conflict and drama in the scene. Will Stabler break the suspect, get the needed information, and save the woman in time?
Conflict Drives the Story Forward
Your main character has a goal. If the goal is easy, no real story or drama exists. To keep the audience engaged and help the story build momentum, the main character has to come up against opposing forces that create conflict for the hero.
These conflicts lead the main character to find creative and more innovative methods to reach their stated goal, which can lead to new conflicts during their journey. Even during setbacks, the hero remains active in their pursuit as the opposing forces increase, and the story continues to move forward.
In any James Bond movie, Bond is given his assignment but quickly meets a barrage of conflicts, double crosses, and other opposing forces that prevent him from easily reaching his intended target. As the action mounts and the conflict rises, the story moves forward as Bond gets closer to his final goal and completes the mission.
Next Time…
We’re just getting started! More conflict-based posts are on the way, all throughout the month of May!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
No comments have been added yet.
