Conflict In Story Is Like Finding Gold

Conflict is the key to writing an interesting and dramatic story.

When you come across a moment where the main character faces a difficulty, that is a precious and valuable thing to have found. You need to keep digging until you get it all out.

What you shouldn’t do is find ways to make the problem go away. In real life you should, in fiction you shouldn’t.

There are three main cop-outs I encounter again and again when it comes to writers creating a wonderful opportunity for conflict and then running away from it as quickly as possible. If you do any of these, you need to stop. You’ve found gold, stop throwing it away.

1) The Hypothetical Conflict

Here a character thinks about a potentially conflict-inducing situation and decides in their head, based on previous experience, it isn’t worth the hassle.

I thought about asking Dad if I could go to Tina’s party, but what was the point? I knew what he’d say. I went up to my bedroom. Another Saturday night in.

Even if you know how things will play out, that doesn’t mean you can just skip over it.

The problem as a writer is that a typical, everyday argument can feel stale. You get bored just thinking about writing it. And that’s fair enough, but then your job is to find a way to make it an interesting scene, both for you and the reader.

2) The Conflict That Never Was

Here the set up suggests something’s about to go down, but it turns out to be a false alarm.

I was sure I heard a weird sound from the backyard. I went outside, but nobody was there.

Often the excuse for this is that it’s a build up of tension. This time it’s nothing, but next time you’ll get a bit more, and then a bit more. Which is fine, but just because the thing wasn’t the terrible monster we suspected doesn’t mean it has to be NOTHING.

Few things are as dull and uninteresting as nothing. Few things require as little imagination, either. Whether it’s part of a strategy or not, be aware that from the reader’s perspective you coming up with nothing is an indicator that they may be reading a story that goes nowhere.

3) The Close Call

This one is where the consequences of failure are writ large. Plenty of tension and danger, potentially. But it all turns out fine. Phew. Never had to resort to Plan B. Which was lucky because there wasn’t one. How convenient.

I rushed to delete computer file before Steve found out. I could hear his car in the drive. I got to the room he used as an office. I heard the sound of his key in the door. I hit delete.

“What you doing?” asked Steve.

The screen was empty.

“Who me? Just checking emails.”

Too easy. If you had come to delete files when no one was supposed to be about and found Steve already there, then you’ve got a scene. You can still come up with a way to delete the files without Steve knowing, but now you have to use your brain to figure out how to do it. Make the problem harder, not easier.

4. Rush Through It

Here's one more from Carissa Taylor: I think another related problem I've seen is simply glossing over the moment of conflict. Tension builds and builds and then when the confrontation actually happens it comes and goes so quickly that it reads more like a "close call" than an actual confrontation.  

All three four of these examples have very clear opportunities to create drama through conflict. And in each case I circumvent that opportunity.

The main difference between writing a scene with conflict and one without is that the one with conflict is a lot harder to write. And that’s how it feels to the reader, like the writer couldn’t come up with anything good, so they took the easy way out.

This is true even if the non-conflict scene is intentional. Especially if the character isn't confrontational or shy or reluctant to get involved. Find ways to put them into conflict against their will. 

No matter how valid your choice to let your character off the hook, the reader doesn’t care. They either get caught up in the story or they don’t. And scenes where conflict is narrowly avoided are weak scenes.

You need to grit your teeth and really mine the hell out the vein you've found. It can be uncomfortable sometimes, painful even, but it's the only way you're going to hit paydirt.

Do you find ways to avoid conflict? Any more avoidance tactics you've come across?

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