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candythepuppy · 10 months ago

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Insanely basic tips for writing engaging stories:

Since all my dead majestic monsters, my scrigily scraggles, seem to wanna know how I keep my stories interesting, I have here my ultimate writing weapon! The writing advice to topple ALL writing advice!

Yeah, that's literally it.

I will admit this is no original find of mine. In fact, this basic tip has been in the minds of humans since the conception of story-telling. Heck, the chances you have heard about the importance of conflict are higher than my chances of finding true love some day. How to best implement this, however, may not be so well known. Which is why that will be the topic for the rest of this post.

Please understand: conflict is NOT just punching and kicking. Physical fighting is merely a branch of conflict, often used as a means to resolve the extreme cases. Conflict can be as big as a galactic war or as small as the struggle in someone's mind as they debate getting out of bed. Conflict is so constant in our every day lives that we often overlook it.

0.5. Pay more attention to your own life and pinpoint when and where conflict both big and small make an appearance. You can use these for inspiration.

A conflict can be broken into three major parts. 1: the people involved (May and her little brother) 2: the problem (May's little brother is hungry, but he just ate) 3: the resolution (May either gives her brother more food or tells him to suck it up)

THE PEOPLE INVOLVED:

1. Brother/sister, mother/father, weird homeless drunk/depressed clown; it is important to establish who is involved. Who are these people, exactly? What do they want and how does it relate to the problem and other people involved?

2. Neither character has to be "good" or "bad" for this to work. In fact, it makes a story all the more interesting when the issue, as well as the people involved exist more in a gray area. Makes it even more interesting when considering who is right and/or who will win. Or, even if we are writing a typical Batman V. Joker comic, looking at both characters to see exactly why these two would be so inclined to fight is a great way to set up a scene. The Joker wants to destroy Gothem, not only because he is evil, but because he believes it is what Gothem deserves for being corrupt, V. Batman, who wants to protect Gothem, not just because he is good, but because even though he see the corruption, he likes to believe that with a little help, it can and will change for the better. What I am trying to say is that, with this in mind, not every, or ANY problem has to be so black and white. So easy to tell who is in the right and who is in the wrong. Same goes for the characters involved.

3. Make their relationships interesting, please. If this is their first time meeting, make that matter. Involve conflict the moment they meet. Doesn't have to be THE conflict, but it would be useful to tie even the small stuff into the over arcing conflict between them.

Example: two people bump into each other on a bus. Both immediately think the other is rude or something. Instant negative connotation makes for more interesting first-meets... in my humble opinion. Bonus If this is a reoccurring problem for the two. Throughout the story, they are constantly assuming the worst out of the other, which plays into the main conflict centering around them being unable to trust one another.

If the people involved have known each other for a long time, give them a long, complicated history together. Even if they have always been friends, make it obvious that they have both seen each other at their worst, and staying friends hasn't always been easy. Even something as simple and wholesome as an unofficial adopting should have some iffy matter mixed in, such as lies about what one member does for a living, what another member did in the past that might affect the people around them, or heck, even something stupid like one liking BEANS and the other absolutely hating them!

#Example: May is a highschool student put in charge of her kid brother, Johnny. Both of their parents are so busy that she is left to take care of him most of the time. This means that his needs often overshadow her own needs, wants, and personal life. This might leave her a bit resentful, angry even at her little brother for constantly being so needy. It doesn't help that Johnny is always annoying her. Johnny, on the other hand, is just your average boy. He has a hard time making friends at his daycare, and so likes to bother his sister a lot for her attention. He doesn't get along with her very much, though, because she is always grumpy and snappy at him. But at the same time he knows how much he needs her help. So, he'll often try to do things on his own and mess up, causing even bigger problems. Suffice to say, their relationship is not very healthy by the time 'the problem' comes around. (This example is a bit long, but I hope you get the point. Detailed information like this, even if you never end up writing any of it down, is key to setting up a good conflict.)

THE PROBLEM:

1. Please please please please PLEASE don't make it boring!

"but candy!" I hear you say in a comically high pitch voice full of grammatical mistake. "my conflict isn't boring, because it is about two kids saving the world!" News flash, that IS boring! Unless you're obsessed with the planet, no one gives a crap about the world itself! (There's a reason climate activists fail so miserably when it comes to branding their cause to the general public. The issue is just too big and vague for the average person to care about.) It's the people and things existing ON it that really matter!

Take a moment to think about the things people really care about. Something most people can't imagine living happily without. Okay? Now, take that thing away. Suddenly, you have characters going from "oh no, the planet" to "OH NO, MY DELUXE 360 HXD HERSHEY'S KISS™" in an instant. This is why I personally never make my conflicts too huge, and if I do, it's more about the characters involved and what they will lose than the issue itself. Bonus If the issue is directly related to the characters in a deeply personal way. It doesn't have to be just one problem either. The more, the merrier, I always say!

Example: someone wants, no, NEEDS to make amends with a loved one they hurt long ago, but have been putting it off for years. Now that the problem, a terminal illness said to kill them within a few months comes about, they have that push they need. In this case, both the external and internal problems in this person's life combine to create one inciting incident. Multiple problems for this character to overcome/deal with.

2. There's a reason watching a kid getting relentlessly beaten up just isn't fun, narratively speaking. Depending on the story, it can work, but I have found that for the majority of conflicts, it is essential for both parties to be at risk. For both sides to feel like both the bully and the kid getting bullied.

Both parties need to be on the verge of losing something good or gaining something bad. Even if it's as simple as one man losing his pride v. another man losing his. (btw, if it's about something like pride, make sure to back that up with information regarding why their pride is so important to them) That way, the conflict feels that much more real and engaging. Even following the superhero comic book format, you need to think about what is at stake for the villain here as well as what is at stake for the hero? How exactly would losing to the hero impact the villain negatively, so much so that it is his goal to avoid it? Be creative about it too!

3. This was originally going to be my first tip just because of how important it is, but ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ oh well.

Remember to tie these points of conflict into one main conflict/theme.

Example: though my main character in one of my books has MANY enemies -- literally more than half the cast have tried to kill her at some point -- that isn't the main conflict here. Rather, it is all on HER. Will her naturally eViL inclined powers turn her into the villain? Will the fact that her DAD is a villain lead her to becoming one too? (so creative, I know. It was designed as a spoof of a common trope turned super existential.) Will her questionable morals despite always trying to do the right thing turn her into a villain? Will her inherent selfishness turned desire to help people out of spite eventually lead to her downfall? Is her purity slowly rotting at the core thanks to her own actions and mistakes, or those of others? Has she always secretly been evil, but has always worn a shell of purity to protect herself emotionally, or has she turned into this monster without even realizing it slowly over time?.. Literally every single character, action, problem, and motive all on some degree have to do with judging the MC for her villain potential. Even her best friends are not safe from this, constantly having to ask themselves why she is hiding so much from them, what her true motives are for everything she does, and whether or not that ties into her potential for corruption in the near future. Because, at the end of the day, this is a story about morals, the price of redemption, what it even means to BE redeemed and to NEED redemption, and the terrifyingly blurred line between good and evil. Because of that, it is crucial that every problem, both big and small, somehow has to do with these major themes/conflicts.

#Example: Even though Johnny just ate, he is once again asking for May's financial support. May doesn't want to. Making Johnny more food would mean taking time out of her own precious free time with her friends. Meanwhile, Johnny is hungry, and his sister ignoring that only proves to him how little she cares. He already feels alone and like nothing but a burden as it is, so seeing that his sister cares really matters to him. But, at the same time, May needs to feel like she matters too. Like she is her own person; not just her parents nanny working an entire job for free. Both of them struggle with their individuality, self worth, and this co-reliant relationship the two have been trapped into. And there seems to be no easy way out where either party truly wins.

THE RESOLUTION:

This isn't as simple as the end to a story. Oh, nononononoNO! This process is perhaps the most complicated of them all, because not only are you having to acknowledge the complexities of the situation, the characters within it, and the many ways this can go very...VERY wrong, it is also where you have to make the hard decision and decide who wins. And if you're a writer like me who likes to tackle insanely complex, multi-faceted problems that simply don't have one easy answer, this process may be even harder.

1. Recall and set in stone why the conflict started in the first place. Every problem has a source, even if that source is insanely complicated. Try your best to simplify that beginning point into one thread of action. Something tangible, which the characters can interact with and solve later. (Interaction includes dialogue.)

2. Bring the characters' arcs around to make them reflect on this origin of their problems. Depending on the character, they may either decide to fix the problem from there, or ignore it and march on stubbornly. The ladder are usually the villainous lost causes too fixated on their goals to care about a real fix once one is finally found. You could honestly do a million different things in this stage. Such as having characters helping other characters; convincing them of the truth, fighting over said truth, and possibly even dying for said truth. But, what really matters is that the characters realize there IS a solution to this problem, and they have the power to fix it.

3. And finally, resolve the issue.

Depending on the problem, this is where either the Death Star blows up, the teenagers agree to poison themselves so they won't have to kill each other, or the boy finally builds up the courage to ask his crush out.

What is important is that, by the end, we KNOW the main issue has been resolved. Yes, it might just be one battle won at the beginning of a long war yet to come. Yes, there might still be years of living out an honorable life before being forgiven. And yes, there's a chance they could break up in the future... But, what matters is this little victory. THIS small moment, this miniscule blip in time when the issue we as readers/viewers have been led to care so much about finally sees an end. When we can all sigh in relief.

In the grand scheme of things, that conflict was nothing and it meant nothing. Not compared to the billions of years before us and the billions after us. Like any problem you may face in your teens that was super important back then, but now is just a fading memory, it was just one small step in the long walk of life. Of existence.

You want to know why conflict has existed in stories as long as it has? Because even the first humans faced problems...just like us. And the humans a thousand years from now will continue to face the exact same problems every single day.

What's so great about conflict is what we can learn from it. It's like a language all on its own. A universal language at that. And through the power of story-telling, we can hope to share some of that wisdom with those who will come after us. We can share some of ourselves with those who stand with us today. Because we're walking through life together. And we can all use a little story every now and then to encourage us; to help us know what to do in that next step.

That is why conflict matters.

And why it always will.

#Example: Though May and Johnny start off arguing, yelling, and screaming at each other, through this they finally open up. They finally word the way they feel, why that is so, and what their desires truly are. Truth is they love each other. They want to live happily together, but also realize and accept that pretending to have the perfect bond is pointless. Pretending that they have control over their lives is pointless as well. What they can control, however, is how they treat each other. May can be less rude, and Johnny can be less annoying. They finally decide to do with what they can, using what they have control over to make their lives together just a little bit better than how they were before.

And, yes. Johnny gets that snack. And May, though a tad late, gets to hang out with her friends too.

Because, though conflict is what holds the story together, what matters just as much is how it is resolved. Just like with May and Johnny, every single story out there is just as much held together by the love between the characters as it is the hate between them. Perhaps even more. Because love is the reason they were willing to fight such a conflict in the first place.

I CANNOT EXAGGERATE THIS ENOUGH, THOUGH. IF YOUR MC IS NOT IN A CONSTANT STATE OF PERIL, THE AUDIENCE WILL DROP IT. I REPEAT. THE AUDIENCE WILL DROP IT.

That being said, it is also a delicate balancing act. Give your MC time to breathe, but while that is happening, simultaneously build up the next big threat. Once you get good enough at doing that, you can start to juggle multiple sources of conflict at once. All dipping and weaving in and out of the story like a beautiful dance, each character bringing their own complex relationship + problems with the MC every time they interact, all slowly building and building until these smaller conflicts merge into one BIG problem the MC now has to face.

#writing characters #writing blog #writing #writing advice #writing tips #how to write #candythepuppy #conflict #writing conflict #writing stories #stories #dramas #how to write conflict

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