Okay, so you’ve effectively set the scene, and are ready to really dive into the conflict. But what actually is conflict in a scene? And how do you write it effectively?
Conflict should comprise about ninety-five percent of the scene in novel development. Yikes, you say! That much? Yep.
We all know the five main themes of conflict: Man against himself. Man against man. Man against environment. Man against nature. Man against machine. But conflict has very little to do with guns firing. It is rather what blows apart within a character. However, this conflict has to be external. Something has to give. Something or someone has to get. Something has to be happening in your story. The protagonist is in conflict with an antagonist while enroute to a goal. The character must resolve his conflict—within, without—for the story to have meaning.
Ask yourself a few questions before you write the scene: How did the conflict come about? What were its roots? How is each person within it involved? How is the reader involved? Because of course, your reader must be involved or she’ll put down the book and not pick it back up.
Of vital importance to the conflict of the whole story, and for each scene:
- Establish the Story Question to begin the first scene of the book. This is your main point of the story, and contains the seeds of all conflict. Each and every scene has to have a piece of this main Story Question.
- Craft the incident to begin your story—the one that contains your Story Question—very carefully. This event (read, conflict) upsets your main character’s world, whether it be his wife leaving him because of his drinking, or aliens coming to attack the Earth. It causes him to want to restore balance. Most importantly, it creates a bond with the reader by arousing her curiosity as to whether the protagonist can achieve his goal (this is not the first time your reader should question your protagonist!).
Ask yourself: What is the worst thing that can happen to my hero? This should reveal to you his deepest desire and his greatest fear (his Achilles’ Heel, which will come to fruition later), both of which play into his story goal. In turn, this will help you construct a beginning incident of conflict that then carries the story through to the end–and provides the tension for readers to keep turning the pages.
- This question brings a significant change in the character’s reality—it challenges his status quo, and knocks him out of his comfort zone. No matter what he does from here, life isn’t going to stay the same. Nor, is he.
- It also accomplishes a huge goal—to give the reader something to worry about. That’s what keeps him reading. NOTE: the reader will lose interest with everything but the Story Question, so make sure every scene has a piece of that—something that relates to it, something the character has to manage in order to get to the Holy Grail at the end of the book.
Each conflict, plot point, scene leads to a disaster of some sort (we’ll talk about this in Part 4 of this series), and keeps the central conflict at the core for our hero.
Tough work being the hero! And tough being the author as well! How do you keep conflict going in your book development?
As an award-winning author and editor, since 1993, 50 + of my authors’ books have sold to Traditional publishers. Many have won awards, been made into films, been featured in Publishers Weekly, and become bestsellers. I also love English Labradors, red wine, and write literary fiction and co-authored nonfiction,
Susan, I love this article. You’ve said this so well: “What is the worst thing that can happen to my hero?” Express his deepest desires and greatest fears then craft each chapter making the reader worry, and pull for him till it’s finished.
Wonderful advice and thank you for sharing it!
Randy Mitchell
Thanks, Randy! You do this so well in your work!
Susan
You’re absolutely right, Susan; conflict is not only vital to the story, it IS the story, with the resolution forming the point of the story. I’m currently engaged in writing book 3 of a fantasy trilogy with 83 named characters and 3 main story threads that interweave. Of course, this gives me great scope for the introduction of all types of conflict, but it also means I have to keep track of everyone, so I know where all the characters are at any one time. That’s achieved by the use of character sketches that are hyperlinked into a spreadsheet which details where characters are and gives a chapter location.
It’s the overcoming of conflict, or failure to do so, that makes a story progress and keeps readers turning the pages. Without it, you have a passage of prose that just might pass muster as a piece of literary description, but you sure haven’t got a story!
You are so right, Stuart! And I am so impressed with your organization of your trilogy–that’s a lot of work! But great use of technology to help you along. Love that!
All Best,
Susan
Very interesting and valuable points of education concerning setting and conflict, and conflict vs. action. The importance of staying within the character’s abilities and personality is well noted and always easily forgotten when becoming caught up in writing a story. I particularly enjoyed the reminder, What is the hero’s Achilles’ heal?
Your teaching style through writing is very complete and easy to understand. Concise and TTP. Thanks, S.M.!
Thank you, HJ! And we often need those reminders, no?
Happy Writing!
Susan
Conflict in itself isn’t all that difficult to produce. To me, it’s the minor conflicts that keep the story moving that are hard to work into the story. If I write about how the injury of a Thoroughbred halts his ability to race, to me that is not difficult to portray. But to make the effects of this injury branch out beyond the horse’s “job” to race, like concentric circles that form when a stone is dropped into a pond, for me, is difficult. I feel almost as if I must force sub-conflicts into the story, and that takes away the reality I want in the story. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts on conflict in a story.
That really is the tough part, Patricia–weaving in enough minor plot points to keep the story moving, but also making those be realistic. That speaks to texture and depth in a story as well. All difficult aspects of this!