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One of the big rules we always hear about writing is that there must be conflict! Without conflict you have no tension, no stakes, and the story doesn’t go anywhere. Some say “without conflict you have no story” at all!  Therefore we should always be on the look-out for the conflict in a scene and use it to make our stories more intense, emotional, and keep the boring-police away!

But, I have an admission. I’ve always had a problem with the idea that story revolves around conflict. I get nervous about how it limits what our stories can be about.

Don’t misread that comment. Conflict can be an important and useful storytelling tool, and there’s nothing wrong with using it. But… do we sometimes create conflict simply because we think we are supposed to? Are our lives defined by our conflicts? Is it all Man vs. Man, Man vs. Environment, Man vs. God, Good vs. Evil? Is it always about desire and obstacles and the conflicts that stand in our character’s way?

Is there not room for more?

This emphasis on conflict has always made me think of the fabulous quote in Diane Lefer’s essay, Breaking the Rules of Story Structure, where she says:

“The traditional story revolves around conflict – a requirement Ursula K. Le Guin disparages as the ‘gladatorial view of fiction.’ When we’re taught to focus our stories on a central struggle, we seem to choose by default to base all our plots on the clash of opposing forces. We limit our vision to a single aspect of existence and overlook much of the richness and complexity of our lives, just the stuff that makes a work of fiction memorable” (63).

Janet Burroway adds to this discussion noting that “seeing the world in terms of conflict and crisis, of enemies and warring factions, not only constricts the possibilities of literature… [it] also promulgates an aggressive and antagonistic view of our own lives” (Writing Fiction, 255).

These quotes have always resonated with me. I find I’m not an action-and-conflict writer. But at the same time, I didn’t have any other guidepost to lead me. So, if it’s possible for stories to revolve around something other than conflict, what would that “something else” be?

Connection.

In Writing Fiction, Burroway goes on to discuss a narrative engine built on the human need for connection, rather than the clash of opposing forces. She says:

“A narrative is also driven by a pattern of connection and disconnection between characters that is the main source of its emotional effect. Over the course of a story, and within the smaller scale of a scene, characters make and break emotional bonds of trust, love, understanding, or compassion with one another. A connection may be as obvious as a kiss or as subtle as a glimpse; a connection may be broken with an action as obvious as a slap or as subtle as an arched eyebrow” (255).

This is an idea I can get behind!

A pattern of connection and disconnection is a narrative guideline that feels rooted in truth, human desire, and hope. It’s a guideline that – if you need it to – can lead to conflict, should that be where you want your story to go. For me, the need for connection, and the movement between connecting and disconnecting, exists in a deeper space than conflict alone. Good vs. Evil sits on the surface.  Connection and disconnection is the pulse beneath the skin that motivates our characters. Can good or evil exist without it? This question excites me!  The possibility of small actions energizing a story excites me!

I believe in the little moments.

I believe in the impact of an arched eyebrows and a subtle glimpse, may they have the power to grip our readers with as much intensity as a fight to the death.

One of the big rules we always hear about writing is that there must be conflict! Without conflict you have no tension, no stakes, and the story doesn’t go anywhere. Some say “without conflict you have no story” at all!  Therefore we should always be on the look-out for the conflict in a scene and use it to make our stories more intense, emotional, and keep the boring-police away!

But, I have an admission. I’ve always had a problem with the idea that story revolves around conflict. I get nervous about how it limits what our stories can be about.

Don’t misread that comment. Conflict can be an important and useful storytelling tool, and there’s nothing wrong with using it. But… do we sometimes create conflict simply because we think we are supposed to? Are our lives defined by our conflicts? Is it all Man vs. Man, Man vs. Environment, Man vs. God, Good vs. Evil? Is it always about desire and obstacles and the conflicts that stand in our character’s way?

Is there not room for more?

This emphasis on conflict has always made me think of the fabulous quote in Diane Lefer’s essay, Breaking the Rules of Story Structure, where she says:

“The traditional story revolves around conflict – a requirement Ursula K. Le Guin disparages as the ‘gladatorial view of fiction.’ When we’re taught to focus our stories on a central struggle, we seem to choose by default to base all our plots on the clash of opposing forces. We limit our vision to a single aspect of existence and overlook much of the richness and complexity of our lives, just the stuff that makes a work of fiction memorable” (63).

Janet Burroway adds to this discussion noting that “seeing the world in terms of conflict and crisis, of enemies and warring factions, not only constricts the possibilities of literature… [it] also promulgates an aggressive and antagonistic view of our own lives” (Writing Fiction, 255).

These quotes have always resonated with me. I find I’m not an action-and-conflict writer. But at the same time, I didn’t have any other guidepost to lead me. So, if it’s possible for stories to revolve around something other than conflict, what would that “something else” be?

Connection.

In Writing Fiction, Burroway goes on to discuss a narrative engine built on the human need for connection, rather than the clash of opposing forces. She says:

“A narrative is also driven by a pattern of connection and disconnection between characters that is the main source of its emotional effect. Over the course of a story, and within the smaller scale of a scene, characters make and break emotional bonds of trust, love, understanding, or compassion with one another. A connection may be as obvious as a kiss or as subtle as a glimpse; a connection may be broken with an action as obvious as a slap or as subtle as an arched eyebrow” (255).

This is an idea I can get behind!

A pattern of connection and disconnection is a narrative guideline that feels rooted in truth, human desire, and hope. It’s a guideline that – if you need it to – can lead to conflict, should that be where you want your story to go. For me, the need for connection, and the movement between connecting and disconnecting, exists in a deeper space than conflict alone. Good vs. Evil sits on the surface.  Connection and disconnection is the pulse beneath the skin that motivates our characters. Can good or evil exist without it? This question excites me!  The possibility of small actions energizing a story excites me!

I believe in the little moments.

I believe in the impact of an arched eyebrows and a subtle glimpse, may they have the power to grip our readers with as much intensity as a fight to the death.

by Deren Hansen

Sometimes I think dealing with internal conflict makes a better story. Character driven narrative rather than plot driven.

I'm also under the impression (in my genre I should clarify -- romance) there ALWAYS needs to be internal conflict for either the hero or heroine. One must always be conflicted by love.

by Deren Hansen

by Deren Hansen

It’s been a while since I fell in love at first sight, but that’s precisely what happened when I saw the front cover of Red Cat, Blue Cat by debut author/illustrator Jenni Desmond.

The cats’ gorgeously grumpy expressions, the boldness of the image as a whole, the delicate detailing of the birds in flight – it made me catch my breath, nod and smile.

And on turning the pages my sense of excitement and delight only grew. Red Cat, Blue Cat (published later this month in the UK) turns out not only to be beautiful but also witty, original, and jam-packed with joie de vivre; a gentle and humorous exploration of identity, envy and friendship.

Red Cat is fast and bouncy whilst Blue Cat is clever and creative. They share a house but the only other thing they have in common is a secret wish: to be more like the other. Try as they might, all they end up doing is fighting and getting in a big mess. Finally it dawns on them that not only is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery, but happiness also comes more easily if your comfortable with the skin you’re in. A friendship is born based on acceptance and appreciation of difference.

Desmond tells a great story, full of giggles (regular readers of my blog should be delighted to know there are more pants on heads!) as well as having a more thoughtful side. Her illustrations are clean, fresh and eyecatching. Definitely a talent I hope to see much more of in the future.

Inspired by the terraced housing on the title page of Red Cat, Blue Cat we set about creating our own street scene with cats.

We each had a bunch of plain white postcards onto which we drew house fronts. We use origami paper for the roof tiles and added telegraph poles and wires made from barbecue skewers and yarn, and chimney smoke made from toy stuffing fibre.

M added TV aerials made from paper clips and passport photo booth images of us looking out of windows.

I particularly like the bird nesting in the chimney of the house below, and the bicycle in front on the road.

Whilst making our street collage we listened to:

Other activities which would work well alongside Red Cat, Blue Cat include:

So what’s the last book you judged by its cover? Was it one you didn’t read because of the way it looked, or one you bought straight off because the front cover spoke to you?

Do you writes in layers, one or two layer per draft? Or do you write all the layers of your novel, memoir, screenplay at once?
And what are all these layers, you ask?
Emotion: evoking a range of emotions -- positive and negative -- in the reader through the characters' show of emotion.
Conflict, tension, suspense, urgency and curiosity: shaping the dramatic action to keep the reader turning the pages to learn what happens next.
Character transformation: showing a flawed character change overtime spiritually, emotionally, physically, or mentality or all of the above.
Thematic significance: bringing meaning to the story.
Relationships: revealing the complexity and intimacy of the characters in relationship to each other.
Sensory: using senses -- auditory, visual, tactile, taste, smell -- to transport the reader deeper and deeper into the story world.
1) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master (The companion workbook is coming this summer and available for pre-order now ~~ The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories)

2) Watch the Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? on YouTube. Scroll down on the left of this post for a directory of all the steps to the series. 27-step tutorial on Youtube

3) Watch the Monday Morning Plot Book Group Series on YouTube. Scroll down on the right of this post for a directory the book examples and plot elements discussed.

For additional tips and information about the Universal Story and plotting a novel, memoir or screenplay, visit:

You are thinking you need a fight scene in your novel. The most important question is “Why?” Your novel and the specific situation in a particular scene must demand some sort of physical interaction between characters. But don’t think that the physical is the end-all of the scene; instead, a fight scene is an opportunity to reveal character as the characters interact in a physical way. As with any scene, there should be a beginning, middle and end and somewhere in there, a pivot point where the story changes direction.

Let’s Fight: Basics of a Fight Scene

First, a fight scene must move the novel or story forward. The outcome of the fight must matter on a large enough scale, and yet on a small enough scale, too. That is, not so big that the story ends abruptly, but enough that something important changes. What is at stake (other than dying) and why is it important to the story?

It’s all about character. The stakes of the scene should be rooted in character, the fighters and/or the observers. It must reveal something about your character as the scene progresses. (beliefs, what is worth fighting for, fears, cowardice, courage, what the character is willing to do and what s/he won’t do, etc.). It can’t just be whacking each other over the head. It must matter to the story and to the character, both internal and external arcs.

Make it hard for the characters. Give the characters equal skills, so the fight relies on character qualities for its outcome. Be realistic here. For example, a child or teen may not be as strong as a burly man, but they may be faster. Think about how different skills can offset the opponent’s strength. You’ll ultimately have to figure out how the underdog might defeat a stronger foe; but it must be hard and must be believable.

Final Showdown. Hero must barely survive and must run out of options as the fight progresses.
In the final showdown, the Hero must go beyond his normal abilities, face some fear or do the unthinkable or impossible to survive. This isn’t a waltz. It’s a waltz of death. Maybe the death of a hope, a fear, an alternative, a love.

How to Write a Fight Scene

List possible actions. If you are doing a sword fight, they can thrust, jab, parry, dodge and so on. Are there alternate weapons, alternate settings, alternate methods? If so, list these and then rank them in order of danger or what is at stake. You’ll start the fight with the gentlest, most benign fighting and move toward more deadly methods. Rank not just weapons, but also settings and other methods of fighting. For example, settings may be more dangerous if the fight is in a swamp (deadly footing), a rainstorm (visibility and footing), an alley (dark, close quarters), etc. Be sure to consider all variables and start with the easiest and work up to the hardest. It may mean that one fight escalates through all these stages, or it may mean that early fights in a series of conflicts are easy lea

While I am struggling with plot, the main question I am asking is “What if?”, closely followed by “What next?”

What if?

Creative plots focus on an unexpected combination of events that somehow manage to mesh together at the end when all is revealed. Plots can be about vengeance, catastrophe, love & hate, chase, grief & loss, rebellion, betrayal, persecution, self-sacrifice, survival, rivalry, a quest or an ambition. They can be complicated or enhanced by criminal action, searching, honor & dishonor, rescue, suspicion, murder, suicide, adventure, mystery, suspense, material well-being, bucking authority, making amends, deception, conspiracy, rivalry, or mistaken identity.

The general categories of plots and their complications are simple to identify. What is hard is applying these to your story. The key attitude here is “What if?” What if I wrote this as a story of rebellion? What if there’s a strong sibling rivalry and also a case of mistaken identity because they are twins?

Don’t like the answer to that “What If?” Try a different one.

What if this is a story of survival, with questions of honor and dishonor central to the main character? Throw in a chase and survival just for good measure.

Do you like this “What If” better? Why? Could you combine parts of each?
It’s brainstorming, but always within a tight boundary of what is possible when we write fiction.

What Next?

The second basic plot question is “What Next?” Plots happen in sequential order and if you can build in a cause-effect relationship, the plot is stronger. Once you start to recognize the conflict and complications for your plot, you can start to build a chronological order. At no point, do you have NO conflict; it’s just a matter of slotting in conflict in the most dramatic way possible.

The “What If?” works here, too. What if the first act has a case of mistaken identity? Would that lead to someone being wrongfully dishonored? And would that lead to a criminal action, maybe stealing money to buy back a reputation?

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By: Darcy Pattison, on 5/3/2012
Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  novel revision, characterization, conflict, details, scene cut, show don't tell, strong verbs, Add a tag

Reread your story.
Does it surprise you at any point? Does it keep YOUR interest?

Recently I reread a story that I had not read for a while, long enough for me to start to be fuzzy on details. Here are some things that struck me.

Interesting details. Stories which leave behind generalities in favor of specific, telling details are winners.

“To see Mrs. Lopez’s smile was to understand the amazing abilities of a mouth: her mouth was as wide as a whale’s and everyone knew her business–and the silver in her molars.”

Emotions. Characterization is hard, especially making emotional connections throughout. You should never have to guess at what a character is feeling, because a story should Show-Don’t-Tell-Then-Tell it. Remember, you can’t TELL until you’ve first SHOWN. But then, you can add enough to make the situation or emotions specific.

“My heart went skippety-skip. A sideways glance: Marj’s freckles looked friendly enough, even if she wasn’t smiling. But she didn’t answer the question, didn’t say she was my mother.”

Scene cuts. The story has several strong scene cuts, leaving out the “boring bits” and jumping to a new setting, new character dynamic or something that at first seems to be a total nonsequitur, but spins the story in exciting new ways. Too often a scene dribbles along with weak conflict or poor dialogue. Too often the next scene is expected–and boring.

Escalating Conflict that Never Relents. Finally, the story keeps the conflict front and center, you never get relief. Which means the reader keeps turning the pages. “Conflict on every page,” preaches agent Donald Maass. He has me converted!

What are you noticing afresh in your reading these days?

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Erin Shakespear

 

"The greatest rules of dramatic writing are conflict, conflict and conflict."

                                                   -James Frey

Conflict. Oy...we need a lot of the stuff, right? In our books anyways...in my living room, between the wee natives, not so much.

But how do we make conflict? How do we stuff enough into our stories to turn them into Must-Be-Read-Until-The-Crack-Of-Dawn page turners?

I'm glad you asked! I'll just turn to my notes from a lecture Patti Gauch gave. Yep, I know, I'm talking about her again. I tell you, she's brilliant. And then I'll sprinkle in some wisdom from other awesome people.

The Proper Care & Feeding of Conflict

#1: Start in a hole. 

 

What does you character want? Put them as far away from this as possible. Make 'em suffer! It's for their good. Give them a large dose of internal conflict. They want something so very very badly. It's the thing they want most in the world, but they are their biggest obstruction. Somehow they are standing in their way. Or maybe someone else is. Someone else is keeping them from getting this Great and Grand Thing They Need. Just make it big and make it good. 

#2: Dual Desires 

Okay this is just an awesome idea. Dual desires? I'd never thought about this before until I read Daisy Carter's blog post about conflict. What if your character wants two equally good things? Or one is good and one is not so good, but he just can't choose? Two different love interest? Yep. that would definitely add some major conflict. 

The story...must be a conflict, and specifically, a conflict between the forces of good and evil within a single person. - Maxwell Anderson

#3: Load It Up


You could give your character one conflict. But why not throw in all three? A conflict internally, something he wants desperately, a conflict between those around him, with a friend or family member and a conflict within his environment. Oooooh, that would be a whole lo

3 Comments on The Proper Care and Feeding of Conflict, last added: 3/23/2012

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Charmaine Clancy said, on 3/22/2012 1:54:00 PM

Love the dual desires - I remember the old Superman movies (Christopher Reeves style) where a bus load of children were in danger but on the other side of the world so was Louis! Lex told Superman he had to choose, he couldn't possibly save them both (silly Lex).
Wagging Tales

Danielle Paige said, on 3/22/2012 2:05:00 PM

I see a lot of characters having dual desires where one is a matter of his heart and another is the thing needed to end the adventure happily. If played right things get really juicy at the end when he has to choose or figure a way to get both.

Taffy said, on 3/23/2012 10:10:00 AM

I love in Batman when Joker says something like "we're the same, you and I." No way is Batman like Joker! Or is he?? Great internal conflict.
THANKS Erin! Great post.

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19. Conflicts of Optimism versus Pessimism

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By: Diana Hurwitz, on 6/17/2011
Blog: Game On! Creating Character Conflict (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  craft, decisions, pessimism, scene, fiction, writing, conflict, optimism, tension, characters, Add a tag

Is the glass half empty or half full? It depends on your outlook, unless your character is nit-picking and breaks out a ruler to measure fractions of millimeters to prove it one way or the other.

It is conjectured that optimism drew us forth from caves to explore the wild. We would not have evolved without it and would not continue to thrive without it. Imagining a better world inspires us to work toward one. Optimism allows us to take a seat in a car, train or plane. It encourages us to date, walk down the aisle and parent. It inspires inventions, technology and religions.

Optimism is based on hopes of a future reward whether it is tied to a relationship, a resource, or global climate change. If there is no hope, why bother? Ironically, not all religions are fueled by optimism. Some take a very pessimistic view of the world. It is only by jumping through a certain set of hoops in this world that you can achieve ascendance to a better world. It offers the carrot of eternal life in a beautiful world while existing in a terrible world.

Optimism allows Dick to project positively into the future and to examine “what happens next” before it happens. The mind is capable of considering what has happened, what is happening now and what will happen in the future. The more positive Dick feels, the more likely he is to attempt something. The more negative he feels, the less likely he is to attempt it.

Your protagonist, antagonist, friends and foes can view the overall story problem and scene obstacle from one of two positions: (1) They can believe they will be successful no matter how many attempts it takes, or (2) They can believe they will fail and will be frustrated by how many attempts are made. Overturning what they believed creates tension and new complications.

Pair an optimist and a pessimist and they will disagree and irritate each other as they work to overcome the obstacle. Optimism and pessimism can be the obstacle in a tense conversation. If Dick needs Sally to adopt his point of view, she can fight it tooth and nail out of fear of negative outcome. They can be talking about breaking into someone’s office, taking a vacation to Istanbul or trying to stop a serial killer from reaching his next target.

The level of optimism Dick has will affect his decisions when he is faced with choices. It’s easy if Dick has to choose between a perceived negative and a perceived position option. He will, of course, jump on the positive option even if it ends up being the wrong thing. If his perception is faulty, you have further complications.

It’s interesting to give Dick two negative options (both with impossible outcomes) or two positive options (both with favorable outcomes). You define his character by showing how he reaches a conclusion.

Most of the time, once Dick has decided on an option, he will feel better. He will reinforce, in his own mind, the rightness of choice A and will begin to devalue choice B.

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20. Conflict vs Tension

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By: Angela Ackerman, on 8/2/2011
Blog: The Bookshelf Muse (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  conflict, Add a tag

I've had a writing epiphany that I'm DYING to share with people who won't stare blankly at me while I talk and smile politely when I'm done. Lucky all of you.

One of my critiquers recently said something that made me think. She kept writing notes in my manuscript like Where's the tension? and This would be a good spot to add tension.

No tension? What's she talking about? The main character was just abandoned by her father. Her best friend was attacked by racist pigs. The family farm is about to go under. I mean, there is conflict ALL OVER the place, so how can she say there's no tension??

Well, after chewing on this for awhile, I came to realize that I was confusing tension with conflict. Although the terms are often used interchangeably (and they CAN be synonymous), they aren't necessarily the same.

Blake Snyder (Save The Cat) defines CONFLICT like this: a character enters a scene with a goal and standing in the way is an obstacle. That's conflict, and it's necessary to holding the reader's interest.

TENSION in literature is important because it evokes emotion in the reader. Think of it in terms of real-life tension--that tight, stretched feeling in your belly that makes you all jittery. This is what you want your reader to feel in every single scene of your story. Tension connects the reader with the character and most of the time will keep them reading to the end of the book.

How are the two related? Conflict should create tension. But it doesn't, not all the time. I think of the movies my brother-in-law likes to watch, where things are always exploding and I couldn't care less. Lots of conflict. No tension. Thank God for Teralyn, whose honest comments opened my eyes to this whole idea so I can a) fix my current novel and b) not write another book with this problem.

So how, you might ask, do we write a book that's chock full of tension? Three things:

1. Conflict in every scene. Yes, every single scene. It can be big and noisy (a fistfight) or it can be quiet (a person who wants two opposing things), but make sure it's there. Too many stretches without conflict and the story starts to drag. Your reader loses interest. Examine every scene to make sure there is a clear conflict. If there isn't any, either add some or just throw the scene out, because it's not moving your story forward anyway.

2. Primal stakes. In order for conflict to create tension in your reader, the reader has to care about your character. For that to happen, the reader has to relate to your character's struggle. To paraphrase Blake Snyder again, a plot that hinges on primal drives like survival, hunger, sex, protection of a loved one, fear of death, revenge, love, etc. will connect with readers at a basic level because everyone gets those things. One of the problems in my story was that I was trying to push saving the family farm as the character's goal when I should have been pushing survival. In my head, the two were synonymous, but I focused on one and not the other, and the reader didn't make the connection. Make the stakes ones every reader will relate to, and you'll have the tension you need to keep them interested.

3. Clear emotional resp

36 Comments on Conflict vs Tension, last added: 8/3/2011

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Susan Flett Swiderski said, on 8/2/2011 3:13:00 AM

Great post. Thanks for turning the light bulb on in my head, too.

genelempp said, on 8/2/2011 3:55:00 AM

Love your epiphanies, Becca! Great advice and something I had puzzling with as well. Thanks, to you and your wonderful crit reader :)

Andrea Mack said, on 8/2/2011 4:16:00 AM

Thanks, Becca. This is a different perspective on tension and conflict that made me think about it in a new way.

Debbie said, on 8/2/2011 5:01:00 AM

Great advice.

In an old critique group, one member submitted page after page of conflict and tension that still didn't go anywhere. There was never that "turn" that could take him to the end.

So much to think about when writing, but when you get it right . . . :-D

Ava Jae said, on 8/2/2011 5:32:00 AM

Fantastic advice! I never really examined the difference between conflict and tension so this is a really great exercise. You made some good points--thank you!

Videkov said, on 8/2/2011 6:02:00 AM

Great post. This is something I work to include in my writing, and I rarely get it right in my first draft. It ends up being something I layer in during edits. I seem to be able to get the conflict there, but the tension takes more work. As I work on the scene, I layer in the emotion and texture, and that helps increase the tension.

You post helped me see why I'm so frustrated with the current scene I'm editing... I have tons of conflict and fighting since its the climax, but the tension just isn't here because I haven't layered in the emotional response yet.

Todd R. Moody said, on 8/2/2011 6:21:00 AM

Fantastic Post! I am getting ready to start my rewrites and this is something I need to focus on, thanks for the incite!

Michele Shaw said, on 8/2/2011 6:43:00 AM

Wow! The most helpful post I've read in quite some time. Now you really have me thinking....
Thank you!

Robyn Lucas said, on 8/2/2011 7:00:00 AM

So needed this today! Dream agent told me this very thing. Thanks for breaking it down.

Colin Smith said, on 8/2/2011 7:02:00 AM

Great post, Becca. I'm going to be thinking about my novel all day while I'm at work: where's the conflict/tension in that scene...? What about that scene...? And what about...? :)

Anjola said, on 8/2/2011 7:54:00 AM

Thanks so much for this insightful post. Now I understand why some of my scenes are flat. I am ready to do a review and rewrite.

Stacy said, on 8/2/2011 8:12:00 AM

Love this. Great explanation of the difference between the two. I will be checking over my MS to make sure the scenes have both. And now I've got to read Save the Cat. No more putting it off.

M.C. said, on 8/2/2011 8:31:00 AM

I enjoyed reading this post and how you distinguished between tension and conflict. I also liked the point about primal stakes.

Stephanie said, on 8/2/2011 8:36:00 AM

I've been struggling with this, too. Plenty of conflict, but couldn't figure out the secret formula for tension. Thanks!

Barbara Watson said, on 8/2/2011 8:36:00 AM

Thank you, thank you. This is great stuff. Sometimes it's so hard to see what's so close - and our own writing is so close.

Shannon O'Donnell said, on 8/2/2011 8:54:00 AM

Brilliant post, Becca! I'm bookmarking this one for later. :-)

Heather said, on 8/2/2011 9:09:00 AM

I've had this problem myself. I knew how the character felt so it was tense for me, but I wasn't getting it on the page. That's why that last one, Clear Emotional Response, struck such a chord with me. Excellent post!

thebrokenplaces said, on 8/2/2011 9:55:00 AM

Wonderful! I'm working on the third draft of a novel, and I'm looking at the first scene. I have re-written this darn scene a hundred times. And it's not that it's bad, but I know that it's not accomplishing what it needs to.

Why? Lightbulb--thank you!--I needed to ask myself why the reader should care about this scene besides that it was a mildly funny prank. And this made me realize that there is actually the potential for a huge amount of tension because the main character actually needs something very primal (a sense of safety) from the other character but doesn't know how to get it.

Again. Brilliant!

JEM said, on 8/2/2011 10:06:00 AM

Definitely not old news, great post! I think the difference between a good critiquer and a regular reader is a post just like this - being able to identify specifics in each scene that should be there. We can all feel as readers that something is missing, but applying these three rules to each scene to identify tension (and conflict) are actual rules we can follow instead of gut feelings. Love it!

Laura Pauling said, on 8/2/2011 10:55:00 AM

AWesome! I see conflict as for the overall scene, chapter, or book. I see tension as sentence to sentence, page to page showing the character's response to the conflict! Off to retwee!

Kelly said, on 8/2/2011 11:20:00 AM

Thanks! Great things to think about while writing!!!

Martha Ramirez said, on 8/2/2011 11:27:00 AM

Awesome post! Thank you. Will be sharing this.

Jaleh D said, on 8/2/2011 11:29:00 AM

I had someone tell me there wasn't enough tension in my beginning to one story. It bugged me because the first major conflict isn't supposed to happen right there. But you're right; tension is very different from conflict. I need to get more tension into my quiet beginning so that the conflict has bigger impact and provides even more tension.

Starlight said, on 8/2/2011 11:31:00 AM

Thanks for bringing this up! Nope, you're not the only one who feels this may be a roadblock in their writing.

Sarah Pearson said, on 8/2/2011 11:39:00 AM

This is definitely one to bookmark. Thank you for breaking it down so neatly.

liseystardust said, on 8/2/2011 11:43:00 AM

Great article! I agree very much that this is a distinction. In my mind, conflict is more plot-related, while tension is more scene-related and visceral. You can't have tension without conflict, but you CAN have conflict without tension. Tension exists down at the sentence level, and it's communicated through the images and descriptions we pick and way we time scenes.

Carrie Butler said, on 8/2/2011 11:43:00 AM

Thanks for sharing, Becca! These are some great things to keep in mind. :)

Stina Lindenblatt said, on 8/2/2011 12:40:00 PM

Awesome post, Becca. I also figured these things out while reading STC. Like you, I thought conflict = tension.

jonathanfigaro said, on 8/2/2011 1:22:00 PM

Conflicts add to the story. Makes things pop. People want to see drama, see the fist fist fly and hear the screams of pain and panic. Drama and Tension is a great combination for a great story.

Tracey Wood said, on 8/2/2011 5:14:00 PM

"Things are always exploding and I couldn't care less," LOL! And so agree.

Botanist said, on 8/2/2011 7:12:00 PM

Fundamental distinction brilliantly explained! Great post.

Jeff King said, on 8/2/2011 7:52:00 PM

Nice... it always helps to see it broken down.

Diane Fordham said, on 8/2/2011 10:55:00 PM

Top post Becca, thank you. I definately will be putting more thought into the tension the conflict causes as I write. You explained it so well!

Angie Cothran said, on 8/3/2011 12:16:00 AM

Fantastic! Need I say more?

Carol Riggs said, on 8/3/2011 4:00:00 PM

Really good stuff, and GREAT to point out the diff. I've had the same comment on my novels too. Conflict but not tension. Thanks for making this more clear! Now, off to our writing documents to ratchet up the tension...

Lisa Gail Green said, on 8/3/2011 8:56:00 PM

This is so AWESOME! Thank you. What a great delineation between conflict and tension. Something that I never consciously bothered to define. DUR. I love this post!

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21. Last Minute Novel Revisions

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By: Darcy Pattison, on 9/21/2011
Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  novel revision, characters, conflict, connections, how to write, plot, tension, verbs, voice, Add a tag

Random Acts of Publicity DISCOUNT:
$10 OFF The Book Trailer Manual. Use discount code: RAP2011 http://booktrailermanual.com/manual

I am working on a novel revision for an editor and I expect to turn it in by Monday. But today, as I was reading through one last time to polish everything up–oh, my gosh!–there’s still so much work to do.

Last Minute Revisions

At this point, it’s not major structural changes or big plot changes. Instead, I am looking to tighten every scene and make as many connections as possible. And I am polishing language and voice.

Here are some thing that I’m working on:

Connections. I noticed that K gave A something. Now, K is a minor character, and while I like K, the connection here was weak. Instead, I wondered how the story would work if C gave A that same thing. Much nicer! It brought back in a sub-plot/theme with C that I thought would never work into this part of the story.

Conflict and Tension. Yes, the mainstay of fiction is conflict and tension and you’d think I would have that right by now. Instead, I realized that I was relying on the external conflict and ignoring the internal conflict. What I needed was conflict to be within my main character, while at the same time, she is facing external problems. I had to go back paragraph by paragraph and make sure that the internal conflict was present, was related to the external problem and that it grew over the course of the story.

Pacing. I separated one long chapter into two chapters, making sure the ending of the first chapter was a cliff-hanger and the beginning of the next chapter had a good hook.

Verbs. Yes, verbs. As we all know by now, strong verbs make for good story language and a strong voice. And I was doing pretty well. But I noticed in this chapter that I was slacking off some. For example, I replaced “They stared” with “They gaped”, and later with “They gawked.” Subtle differences, yes, but important.

Characterization. I am confident that A is a strong character. But what about B, C, D, E, F, G? As I read through, I am looking for places to characterize them better.

When is a Novel Revision Finished?

Um, never. I think I could endlessly revise a novel and my friends will attest to that. But at some point, I’ve done all I can do without more feedback. With this final pass through, I’ll be at that point. It will be time to send the novel out into the world for someone to read and evaluate. Does that mean I am finished with revisions on this particular novel? Doubtful. Bu until some fresh eyes catch weak areas, I can’t see anything else to do. Soon, very soon, it will be on its way.

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22. Conflict in the workplace

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By: Linda Aksomitis, on 11/21/2011
Blog: Explore the Internet with Linda Aksomitis (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  "social intelligence", HR, conflict, Add a tag

Every workplace has some conflict. How we handle that conflict predicts whether or not the workplace thrives or withers. When things go bad, workers suffer stress and employers have lower productivity. Everybody loses. However, workplace conflict can stimulate new ideas and growth, thus improving productivity and creating a healthy work environment.

Let's watch these videos for some tips on handling workplace stress.

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Video #1 - Conflict Resolution

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Video #2 - 10 Signs You Work for a Bully Boss

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Video #3 - How to Handle Your Bully Boss

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Video #4 - Conflict Development Personality Development Skills

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Video #5 - Conflict Communication Solutions

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Video #6 - Daniel Goleman and Social Intelligence

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Video #7 - Are You Socially Intelligent? presented by Daniel Goleman

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Video #8 - Interview with Daniel Goleman - Emotional Intelligences (video is 56 minutes long)

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This material was gathered by Linda Aksomitis

Instructor for Introduction to Internet Writing Markets

and Credenda Virtual College

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23. How to Write a Story with Suzanne Lieurance

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By: Karen Cioffi, on 2/10/2012
Blog: Karen Cioffi Writing for Children and More (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  write a story, writing tips, Suzanne Lieurance, writing, conflict, Add a tag

Today I have a guest post by a successful writing and a great writing coach, Suzanne Lieuracne. She talks about it takes to 'write a story.'

How to Write a Story
By Suzanne Lieurance

Do you long to write stories but just can't seem to get started?

That's probably because you don't understand the elements needed for any good story. Learn these elements and the writing process will be much easier.

Every good story needs:

1. An interesting main character with a problem to solve. Your main character needs to want something and want it so much he is willing to overcome all sorts of obstacles to get it. This character is your protagonist; the person readers will root for as he faces conflicts and complications.

2. An interesting setting. A good story needs to be set in a definite time and place and readers need to feel they are right there in this time and place with your characters. Use a variety of vivid sensory details to transport your readers to the time and place you've chosen as the setting for your story. But weave these details into the action as much as possible.

3. Conflict. Something or someone who gets in the way of the main character in his quest to get what he wants. The main character who creates this conflict is your antagonist. Keep in mind that this person shouldn't be ALL bad. He should be flawed, of course, but if he's all bad he won't seem like a real person, he'll be more like a carciature.

4. A series of complications. Things should keep getting worse and worse for the main character in his quest to get what he wants. These complications will create the dramatic tension and rising action for your story so readers will want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

5. A culminating event that creates change. Something dramatic needs to occur that will change everything for your main chararacter. This event is the climax of your story or the solution. Your main character will either finally get what he is after or he will understand why it is not possible to get what he wants and he will have to make some sort of peace with that. Either way, your main character will no longer be the same person he was at the beginning of the story. He will have changed or grown somehow as a result of the conflicts and complications he faced. This change (or changes) will lead to a natural resolution as the ending for your tale.

Now, before you get started writing your own story, take some time to examine a few simple stories more closely for each of these elements. Fairy tales are good stories to use for this purpose.

Suzanne Lieurance is an award-winning author and a writing coach. Her club, The Working Writers Club, helps writers go from writing for a hobby or part time to writing as a career. Whether you are writing books or freelance writing, she has the know-how and skills to help you move forward. Check it out at: http://workingwritersclub.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Related Articles:

Writing Goals, Detours, and Opportunity Cost

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submission?

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Rachna Chhabria said, on 2/10/2012 8:31:00 AM

Hi Karen, thanks for this amazing post by Suzanne. I loved all the points.

Karen Cioffi said, on 2/10/2012 10:43:00 AM

Rachna,

Glad you found it interesting!

anthony stemke said, on 2/10/2012 1:18:00 PM

A very interesting post by Miss Lieurance, succinct and to the point.
Thank You.

Karen Cioffi said, on 2/11/2012 8:24:00 AM

Hi, Tony,

Thanks for stopping by and glad you found the post interesting!

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24. Caroline Starr Rose: 2K12

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By: Darcy Pattison, on 2/13/2012
Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  authors, caroline, conflict, deus ex machina, ending, external, how to, internal, novel, protagonist, revise, rose, starr, write, Add a tag

Debut Novelist Prunes her Rosebush

Introduced first in 2007, debut children’s authors have formed a cooperative effort to market their books. I featured Revision Stories from the Classes of 2k8, 2k9, 2k11 and this year, the feature returns for the Class of 2k12.

• Class of 2008
• Class of 2009
• MORE 2k11

Guest post by Caroline Starr Rose, author of MAY B., MG, January 2012

Caroline Starr Rose, author of May B.

My first-round edits arrived with a four-page letter attached. In it my editor praised my writing (“This story is like a prize rosebush that needs just a bit of pruning!”) and pointed to some “thorns” that needed work. (From Darcy: Ha! Notice Caroline’s last name.)

1. More external conflict to go with all the internal business
   MAY B. takes place on the 1870s Kansas frontier. Throughout much of the story, my protagonist fights to survive a blizzard. Nice external conflict, right? But much of the story is internal. There’s little dialogue, for one thing; May spends most of the story alone. She wrestles with memories of her inadequacy in school, and in her abandonment goes through stages of confusion, anger, fear and despair. But without some other tangible challenge, the story was lacking. My editor gave me a few ideas, and I latched onto one: a wolf that could terrify, challenge, and ultimately mirror my protagonist’s struggles.
2. Whiny protagonist — don’t let your audience lose compassion!
   I find it hard to stick with a book with a whiny character. To learn that May sometimes slipped into overkill was exactly what I didn’t want and exactly what the story didn’t need. As MAY B. is divided into three sections, my editor suggested I let May get her complaints out in the first two parts, but the third needed to be about growth, resolve, and moving forward. This advice provided a good way for me to watch my character’s progression and to temper her outbursts. Once May’s taken charge of her situation, there could be moments of doubt, but she couldn’t fall back into old behaviors. She had to push ahead.
3. Ending = Deus Ex Machina
   For those of you unfamiliar with this term, here’s the definition:

• (in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot.
• any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot.

My original ending was contrived. It just didn’t work. In order to change this, I had to weave bits into the beginning of the story to make the ending more plausible, and I had to be okay with leaving the outcome/redemption of one character, Mr. Oblinger, open ended. This was hard, as I really believed in his motives (even if they didn’t play out as he anticipated), but in keeping with an ending that wasn’t “artificial or improbable”, there was no room for this.

Tying the Revision Process Together

Throughout the revision

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25. Murderous books, and stories told on skin

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By: Zoe, on 3/20/2012
Blog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Adventure, Award-Winning-Books Reading Challenge 2012, Conflict, Crosscultural friendship, Death, Different perspectives, Francois Place, French authors/ illustrators, Giants, Jungles, Learning about the world, Science, Storytelling, Travel, Add a tag

The Last Giants By Francois Place (original title: Les derniers géants), winner in the picture book category of the 1993 Prix Sorcières, is a fictional account of a 19th-century naturalist whose discovery of a race of giants ultimately leads to their destruction, despite his personal sensitivity and respect for them.

In 1849 Archibald Leopold Ruthmore purchases a very unusual piece of scrimshaw; it appears to be a giant’s tooth intricately carved with all sorts of images, including a map showing a land of giants.

The hopeful explorer sails to Calcutta, before travelling on to Burma, where Ruthmore and his group of porters tackle water rapids and dense jungle. An attack by a head hunting tribe leaves Ruthmore’s entourage decimated. Those who survive desert their leader, but Ruthmore refuses to give up his dream, and continues on alone to eventually discover a mysterious valley inhabited by nine giants and giantesses.

They were covered from head to foot – including their tongues and teeth – with a dizzying maze of extremely complex lines, curves, twinings, spirals and speckles. Given time, one could discern recognizable images within this fantastic labyrinth: trees, plants, animals, flowers, rivers, oceans – a veritable symphony of the Earth that echoed the music of the nightly invocations.

Ruthmore lives with the giants for almost a year, taking meticulous scientific notes. He is generously welcomed into their society and responds with warmth and an open mind. Eventually, however, Ruthmore returns to “civilization” and publishes his findings. Having raised enough money to mount a return expedition, Ruthmore sets out once more to find his friends. But this time his journey ends in tragedy not triumph.

Deep within me, I could see how my stupid determination to reveal the secret of their existence had brought about this terrible calamity. My books had killed them more surely than a regiment of artillerymen. Nine Giants who dreamed of the stars, and a little man blinded by his lust for glory: that was our entire history.

A thought provoking book about the power of knowledge, the ethics of science, about what it means to be human, and mankind’s role in the greedy desecration of the earth, this is the first book I’ve read this year that I’ve wanted to buy multiple copies of just to give away to people (the last book I felt like this about was Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls).

The story is beautifully and evocatively written. Indeed, when I first read it, I was so convinced by the text that I had to double check that this was a fictional work, not a republished 19th century account from a real explorer. Perhaps the fact that Warner Bros have optioned the film rights to this book tells you something about how thrilling the story is. The fact that that The Last Giants is also one of 3 Comments on Murderous books, and stories told on skin, last added: 3/20/2012

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Elli said, on 3/20/2012 5:37:00 PM

Sounds interesting from an anthropological point of view. If you can, google some images of Burmese/Thai tattoos – they’re amazing (in a rather scary way, especially if you see how they’re traditionally executed).
Elli recently posted..Get a Move On

choxbox said, on 3/20/2012 7:51:00 PM

Wow Zoe. A powerful story indeed – how did M and J react to the not-happy end?
Off to see where I can check a copy out here in India. So miss the libraries of London

choxbox said, on 3/20/2012 7:55:00 PM

Also is the language – ‘a veritable symphony of the Earth that echoed the music of the nightly invocations’ – Amazon says it for ages 4 and up – isn’t the imagery a tad too complex for that age group?
Curious to know what you think!

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