Drawing from the Well
I had all the best intentions last night when I posted my blog to get some writing done.
I didn’t even finish one scene.
Apparently I was far more tired than I thought because I fell asleep AT THE KEYBOARD! This is so rare for me. Here’s hoping I can muscle up and get something done this evening.
Filling the Well
Elegy: Page 67 of 89
The Devouring Gray: 53%
The Devouring Gray just keeps getting better. I’m sucked in and can’t wait to see how everything plays out. Christine Lynn Herman has done a wonderful job here.
Polishing the Well
My honey is home sick trying to get better. Other than that, it’s another work day.
Well Chat
Driving Your Plot
Conflict drives your plot. Period. People in an uncomfortable situation of some sort that have to find their way through is story. That uncomfortable situation is the conflict. If you have scenes without conflict, without a character wanting something they don’t have and trying to find a way to get it, there is no story.
Conflict gets in the way of a character seeking their goal. It leads to a disaster of sorts that deters them further from their goal (the degree of which varies by disaster). Are you catching the structure here? Goal, Conflict, and Disaster form the Scene half of every scene (the second half being the Sequel).
Conflict is the glue between the goal and the disaster. I’ve talked about goals before, those being the thing that a character wants, even if it’s just a glass of water. I’ve talked about disasters where something inevitably goes askew driving the character toward a choice. The part in between them, though, is the conflict. The character wants something but something else stands in their way. That’s the conflict.
Conflict is evidenced both on the micro and macro levels. Take Fellowship of the Ring as an example. Toward the beginning of the book, Frodo wants to take the ring to Rivendell but it is a long way away. That is the macro conflict. At the same time, he’s hungry and wants to stop to eat second breakfast ON THE WAY to Rivendell. That’s the micro conflict. BOTH are part of driving toward Rivendell, they’re just different.
Conflict is evident even in your own life. When you’re in school, you want to graduate. To graduate, you have to get through this grade. To matriculate to the next grade level, you must at least pass this quarter. To pass this quarter, you have to do well on this test. To do well on this test, you have to study. On and on and on into increasing levels of complexity. The same is true of the series down to the book to the section to the chapter to the page to the paragraph (sometimes).
Conflict is vital. It is the lifeblood of your story. So what’s the conflict your headfriends are trying to solve today? Mine…are on a boat.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG