Causing Conflict

As writer’s we hear pretty much from day one that our stories must have strong conflict. The better the conflict the more engaging the story will be, and so on.

I read a thought provoking post a few days ago in a newsletter I received from Holly Lisle about pissing people off. Many of you are probably familiar with her, if not, you are missing out.

It was about conflict, and it really made me stop and think about my writing. I didn't quote it here because I'm guessing she wouldn't appreciate me spouting something she sent in a newsletter. That being said, we all still need conflict. Don't we?

Having great conflict in your story is one thing, but what about creating conflict with your story. Are you willing to go that far?

We all have things we believe in or don’t. Sometimes passionately. Usually there are as many people who believe the same things you do, as there are people who believe just the opposite and swear you’re the fool.

This is a new avenue for me, because I've always very carefully avoided expressing my opinions about certain issues. And I still believe people aren't that interested in what I think personally. BUT. That being said, if you felt passionately about something, and you let a little of that show through in your story, wouldn't it rock? Or would you rather not alienate anyone and take the safer route.

This is one of those times where I'm not sure there's a right or wrong answer. Would you dare to let this show through in your stories? Are you afraid of the conflict, or do you invite it?

Excuse Me, Do I Know You?

Or maybe the title should be, How Well Do You Know Your Characters?

As it turns out, not nearly as well as I thought. I’ve had the plot for my current WIP for a long time. In fact, years. Unfortunately, this led me to make a major mistake in getting to know my characters. And I didn’t even realize what the issue was, until I read someone else’s book.

This book is not new, it’s a couple years old. It’s essentially, an ‘insider’s guide’ to a popular series that’s been out for several years. It contains deleted scenes from the books, author interviews with the characters, in reverse, the characters interview the author. A novella, profiles of the characters, and questions to the characters posed by readers. And this barely scratches the surface. And no, the title doesn’t matter for the purpose of this post.

As I read, the sales and marketing person inside me stood up and cheered. Brilliant, simply brilliant. Once I finished the book, I marveled at how well this woman knew her characters. It was like they were real people to her. They came to her house, she went to theirs. Now don’t get me wrong, my characters are real to me too. But not like this. I confess that we’ve never shared a glass of wine.

And this led me to realize my own mistake. I’d overlooked something critical in my story. Because I’d carried this story around so long, I didn’t take the time to really know my characters. I thought I did. I’d spent years with them. But familiarity led me to brush right by a really important detail.

The problem I’ve been having is that I just didn’t buy into my heroine. I had no faith in her abilities to handle the problems I wanted to throw at her. So I went back to all the ‘how to build your characters’ information that I’ve gathered over the years, re-read it, and then thought about it in the terms of actually knowing this woman as a person. Not a character, but a real, live, breathing, need to earn a salary to make a living person.

That’s when it hit me. I wouldn’t hire her. She was missing a major experience component for the job she applied for. She would have been a pushover. In fact, she was. There was no conflict in the woman. Julia Cameron didn’t want to hire her, she felt pressured to do so, at my behest. Well, damn. If I didn’t believe she could handle the job, how could my readers believe it?

I tried to justify keeping her. To myself, to Julia, and to the rest of the team. A total, no-go. I couldn’t believe this one tiny detail had stalled my story. But it did. So, unwillingly, and after several rounds of painful editing, I let her go. She’s gone.

Reluctantly, I started the interview process again. It wasn’t long before a suitable candidate appeared. I passed her on to Julia, and she agreed. This woman rocks. If the team gives her a hard time, she’ll hand them their ass on a platter. As for Damon, this guy is literally in for the ride of his life.

My point to all this aimless rambling is that hopefully you can learn from my newbie mistake. If your plot hits all the proper high and low spots, your pacing is tight, and your story still isn’t working, take another look at your characters. In fact, invite them to dinner. You might be surprised at what you find out after a couple of glasses of wine.