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Apr 28

Do I Really Need Conflict–

Do I Really Need Conflict –

In Every Scene or Chapter?

Yes!  It’s either ”The Village of Happy People” (Dullsville) or conflict.

The Village of Happy People might be a great place to live, but you wouldn’t want to write, much less read or watch a story about it.  Everybody gets along; no one has any personality problems; all ambition is good ambition – it’s held in check and never slips into greed or avarice much less lust or homicide.  In short, nothing interesting ever happens there.

The evening news there consists of stories like, “George Joyful was almost killed today.   Mr. Joyful stepped off the curb in front of the 1st Gleeful National Bank and into the path of a car driven by Suzan Blissful.  Fortunately Ms. Blissful swerved and Mr. Joyful stepped back.  The result was no accident and no one was harmed.”

When there’s conflict it draws our attention.  That’s why you’ll stop as you are walking down the sidewalk to watch two neighbors slug it out in the yard across the street.  It’s why we watch boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, Jerry Springer, and the world series of poker – conflict.

 

Conflict can be either intrinsic, growing naturally out of the scene, the characters, the circumstances of the story or even the location, or you can create it just to suit the scene.   Intrinsic is always better than artificially created.

Remember the purposes of conflict are to (1) keep or increase pressure on the main character, (2) reveal your characters, (3) advance the plot, (4) add subtext to the story or to (5) simply to make the scene more interesting.  All are valid reasons to keep your reader/viewer involved in the story.

So where do you find conflict?  Intrinsically it should grow out of your character or the circumstances – physical or emotional – of your tale.  As long as your characters are not perfect (and they should never be because no one can identify with anyone who is ideal in every aspect), you can find conflict in your character’s flaws or in his/her agenda.  Someone with a chip on his shoulder is always itching for trouble and he’ll easily find it.  A person who suffers from any of the following will also easily dip his/her toe into the quicksand of conflict:

1.     Hunger or thirst

2.     Stress

3.     Fatigue

4.     Lust

5.     Drunk or high

6.     Illness

7.     Being flush w/ cash

8.     Over confidence

9.     Self righteousness

10.     Self doubt or self loathing

11.     Absent mindedness

12.     Careless

13.     Jealous

14.     Anger

 

If a scene is required for your story, conflict will make it worth more interesting and entertaining.  A scene whose only purpose is to give the hero or the audience information, takes on an edge if the particulars of it are only achieved under duress.

Here are a couple of quick movie scenes to illustrate.

 

EXAMPLE # 1:

 

INT. BAR – DAY

 

DAVID rushes in looking around.

 

DAVID

Did a blonde wearing a green coat just

come through here?

 

 

 

 

BARTENDER

(Refilling the peanut bowls

and pointing at the backdoor)

Yes.  She didn’t even slow down.

 

David races to the backdoor and EXITS.

 

 

 

The dialogue in Example # 1 does absolutely nothing for the story.  The scene could be done visually with no dialogue.  But since there’s still no conflict here, no obstacle in the chase, is it really needed?

 

EXAMPLE # 2:

 

 

INT. BAR – DAY

 

DAVID rushes in looking around.

 

DAVID

Did a blonde wearing a green coat just

come through here?

 

BARTENDER

(Refilling the peanut bowls)

The sign says “bar” not “411.”

 

David spies the back door closing.

 

DAVID

(To himself racing to

the backdoor)

This is going to be one of those days,

isn’t it?

 

DAVID EXITS out the backdoor.

 

Okay there’s some conflict here, but all it does is to add a little (very little) humor and gives us an insight into David’s smartass attitude.

 

 

EXAMPLE # 3:

 

INT. BAR – DAY

 

DAVID rushes in looking around.

 

DAVID

Did a blonde wearing a green coat just

come through here?

 

BARTENDER

(Refilling the peanut bowls)

I pay cops to leave me the hell alone –

not to be their bitch.

 

David spies the back door closing.

 

DAVID

(racing to the

backdoor)

Your monthly rate just went up,

asshole!

 

DAVID EXITS out the backdoor.

 

 

In Example # 3 we learn that there are crooked cops and that David is one of them.

 

So, # 3 accomplishes more for the story than 1 or 2 and it’s more interesting.

Even if this were a prose scene, the result would be exactly the same.

Multiply the conflict principal by each scene of your story and you can see how it suddenly becomes catchy to the audience – which is your goal.

Never make it easy on your characters.  Throw obstacles in their way – make them work for what they get.  Put them in conflict so they can’t hide and they have to reveal themselves – who they really are, not who they would like people to think they are.  As long as there’s no conflict your characters can keep pretending to be things they’re not and we can’t get to know them and what makes them tick.

The bottom line, do you need conflict – in every scene?  Only the scenes and chapter you want to keep or increase pressure on the main character, reveal your characters, advance the plot, add subtext to your story or simply to make the scene or chapter more interesting.  So, yes.  No conflict equals dull scenes and chapters.

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