|
Writers Workshop: Conflict in Fiction
|
|
|
Dancing Word Writers Workshop with Rosey Dow November 16, 2000
Hosted by: Anne McDonald Dancing Word Publisher/Editor *This chat has been edited for clarity Anne McDonald: Let's go ahead and open in prayer. Lord, thank You for safety and for Your love. Please be with each of us tonight during this workshop. Please keep Rosey online (electricity and all) and keep the shooters away from my neighborhood. Bless Rosey as she speaks, and help each of us learn new techniques that will glorify you in our writing. In Jesus' name, Amen Rosey Dow is back by popular demand. Lera: applause, applause Anne McDonald: Thank you for coming back to teach, Rosey. The floor is now yours. Rosey Dow: Thanks, Annie! I'm glad I made it, electric notwithstanding. How many were here for our last conflict chat? Just say yes or no. Gail S: I think I read the log.... * Annie raises her hand ingie: I'm new KiwiElle: this is my first time here, so I'd have to say no :-) Lera: no Rosey Dow: Okay, great. Anne McDonald: new crowd, Rosey Rosey Dow: Let's get going. When someone desperately needs something that he cannot get, he feels stress. That is conflict. The greater the motivation and more powerful the obstacle, the greater the strain. Dorothy wanted to go home to Kansas. She felt an urgency to meet the goal, but it seemed impossible-no road went there. In fiction, conflict must be strong enough to maintain tension to the story's end, however long that may be. Small conflicts are best for short stories while novel-length works need stronger conflicts that sustain stress through hundreds of pages--until the goal is met and the hero's world rights on its axis. Dorothy has to get back to Kansas. When a story sags, it's because the conflict is loosing it's umph. Most high school literature teachers categorize conflict as man vs. himself -- Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. Anyone care to comment on this conflict? How did Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde oppose himself? ingie: Good vs. evil Rosey Dow: Right. He showed the struggle each man has within himself to do good or evil. A Christmas Carol? What were the conflicts? man vs. himself Scrooge was miserable, wasn't he? He thought money would satisfy him, but it didn't. Next we have man vs. man. A Study in Scarlet with Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is vying with the villain. The Hunt for Red October . What was the man vs man conflict there? Anyone read the book? ingie: Political oppression Lera: Loyalty to country verses freedom. Rosey Dow: Yes, both right. Also, the two captains playing that cat and mouse game. Then there's man vs. a powerful force such as nature or a system. The Godfather , The Old Man and the Sea. Many tales employ all three types. In Randy Alcorn's best-seller, Deadline, Jake battles himself in his spiritual struggle; he engages in a war of the minds while tracking down the saboteur who killed his friend, and he fights to expose a corrupt medical system. All three types of conflict in one story. Actually, the more types, the more layered and complex the story. The key is to have enough without too much. In Deadline , Jake had all these while dealing with family pressures--his divorce from a woman he still loves and coping with his wounded child who is in dire trouble. The more powerful the conflicts, the more powerful the story becomes. If you haven't read Deadline I highly recommend it. It's no wonder Deadline is over 400 pages long. Now to another form of conflict: In order to have the layers that make a story compelling, its central characters must have both inner and outer conflicts. The outer conflict is the visible goal seen as man vs. man or man vs. a powerful force—Tarzan’s need to rescue Jane or the Count of Monte Cristo's battle of wits with the aristocracy. Inner conflict falls under the man vs. himself category. It's the psychological or spiritual needs of the character--the desire to feel wanted, the need to prove himself, the hunger for a fulfilling marriage. Without the below-the-surface struggle, the story becomes a two-dimensional photograph instead of a living, breathing slice of life that pulls the reader deep into its pages. The outer conflict is the coat hanger that the jacket of the story wraps around. The inner conflict is the point of growth in the character's life. Both inner and outer conflicts must aim toward a definite goal. The character may be unaware of the goal, but it still exists, powerful and relentless. The work of the writer is to SHOW the conflict so well that there's not need to TELL the reader what it is. Ebenezer Scrooge had no inkling that he needed a dramatic change in his life. However, the need was there, and thanks to his good friend, Marley, Scrooge attained it in the end. Any questions about inner and outer conflict? ingie: Should all fiction have both? Rosey Dow: Yes. One will be stronger than the other in most stories, but both should be there. We want to see our main character struggle within as well as without. Anne McDonald: How do you determine which struggle is most important to the story? Rosey Dow: That depends on your theme. What are you trying to accomplish with this story? Also the genre. Conflict is not simply trouble. In the African Queen , Bogart and Hepburn faced many problems--German soldiers, rapids, the swamp. Alone, these difficulties simply created frustration and sweat for those hearty souls. However, mix in a powerful motivation--getting to the lake to sink a German ship--and conflict blooms. Both the goal and the obstacle must be present. To make the conflict stew still more intriguing, stir in characters with opposing goals. In a romance, these may be the hero and heroine who will eventually fall in love-with possibly a villain thrown in for good measure. Other genres will have heroes and villains, sometimes more than one of each. As I said before, all dynamic characters have both inner and outer conflicts. Dynamic characters are those that change during the course of the story. These conflicts interweave and oppose one another to form a delightful, intriguing net which supports the story. A believable character will often choose the wrong means to reach his goal. Like a contestant at a game show, he has three or four doors to choose from, each time hoping to snatch his prize. He'll continue choosing wrong doors until the eleventh hour when he finally opens the one he desperately needs. His mistakes keep the stress level building and the story moving forward. The reader sits up late, turning page after page, hoping against hope that the hero will pick door number four. When he finally does, bingo, he grabs the key and resolves his spiritual crisis as well as the outer struggle. He faces life with new vigor, with hope for a better tomorrow, and the reader closes the final cover, satisfied. Now let's identify the conflicts in some well-known stories. The Pelican Brief outer conflict? SusieW: Keeping Julia Roberts alive and solve the crime. Rosey Dow:Yes, Susie. SusieW: (I can't remember the heroine's name) Rosey Dow: Darby Shaw SusieW: Yes, Darby wants to get out of the country and Denzel wants to get the information. Rosey Dow: She's trying to identify the man behind the murders of two Supreme Court justices. Right. Man (woman) against man or system. Inner conflict? SusieW: There you have me stumped. Rosey Dow: The need to deal with grief over losing Calahan. She really loved him and she saw him killed. Also, she needs a new life. SusieW: And she's afraid. Rosey Dow: Terrified. So is the reader or viewer <G> Okay, let's try Sleepless In Seattle . For you, Annie LOL Anne McDonald: yippiee Rosey Dow: Outer conflict? What external problems do they have? LynS: Tom Hanks’ friends trying to set him up on bad dates! ingie: Distance SusieW: distance, and a son who wants a mom Rosey Dow: Right, Lyn! Boy's desire to get Annie and his Dad together. How can he manage it? That's an external problem, logistics. How about Annie's desire to pursue the relationship without her boyfriend finding out? Remember the closet and the radio? LOL Inner conflict(s)? ingie: I loved it. SusieW: Annie wants the love her parents had. Rosey Dow: Right. Sam? ingie: Does true love really exist? SusieW: Sam wants to love again. Or, thinks he doesn't want to, but really does. Rosey Dow: Sam needs a wife, his son, Jonah, needs a mother, Annie needs security. ingie: He's afraid. He clings to the memory of his wife. Anne McDonald: He thinks there is no other special love out there for him. Rosey Dow: Right. He's given up. Okay, here's another. The Fugitive. Outer conflict? LynS: Find his wife's killer and clear his name. SusieW: Has to prove his innocence while in jail. SuzanneEller: death of wife KiwiElle: fleeing from the lawmen SusieW: Has to escape those tracking him Anne McDonald: run from the bounty hunters Rosey Dow: Right!Once he escapes, he has to find his wife's killer before he's captured. ingie: Find the one armed man SusieW: Figure out the crime without help Rosey Dow: We have a time limit here, like a jack-in-the-box ready to pop out at any moment. Great suspense builder! Inner conflict? SusieW: Also, figuring out the crime... Anne McDonald: Wants to do what is right, but can't let the system charge him for his wife's death. SuzanneEller: not being able to grieve the loss of his wife since his whole energy is directed toward finding the truth. KiwiElle: need for justice Rosey Dow: As you can see, this one is mostly external conflict. But there is an inner conflict. Great, Suzanne! He has no closure. His rage over the injustice of his wife's death. If only he had been home, she may have lived. At least that's what he thought. SusieW: So, guilt!! ingie: Also outrage at the pharmacy co. Rosey Dow: yes, that's part of it. Survivor guilt, too. Okay, here comes the fun part. Here's a scenario. I'm going to give you a situation and you can tell me the conflicts. A wealthy man, in high position, desperately needs a liver transplant and is still on the bottom of the waiting list. He puts key people on the job and finds the perfect match, a lifer in federal penn. He arranges an "accident" for the man. When the prisoner, Kyle, is taken into the prison infirmary, he sees a note and figures out what's going on. He escapes. Now he's running for his life. The Feds are after him and so are the rich man's henchmen. Outer conflict(s)? LynS: Kyle - to live SusieW: Escape the bad guys with his liver and his life Rosey Dow: Right, Lyn. That's the base line. This conflict leads to others. What are they? SuzanneEller: Rich man - to snuff out the guy before he tells someone what he knows Rosey Dow: Right. What about the Feds? SusieW: Keep the rich guy from trying again? Let them in on the Rich guy's scheme? SuzanneEller: Feds have to determine who the bad guy is. . . SusieW: Keep from returning to jail? Rosey Dow: Good, Susie! He escapes the prison and doesn't want to go back. ingie: Kyle will still need to pay for his crimes, only alive. But he's pursued by two formidable foes. The FBI and the rich man. LynS: But who would believe Kyle? He's a convict... Rosey Dow: Right! He has to solve this himself. He cannot go to the authorities. This heightens if he's really innocent or his crime isn't heinous-industrial espionage or something. SuzanneEller: If he saw the evidence there is a chance others know about this as well. They are also afraid of being found out. SusieW: And once he figures it out, he needs a friend. Rosey: Yes. He definitely needs help. He has no money, no clothes, nothing. Inner conflicts? Anne McDonald: His life for the rich man's life, or the rich man dies. KiwiElle: terrified for his life SusieW: I suppose, he would wonder if his life is truly worth saving. SuzanneEller: afraid of being revealed as a schemer - rich man Rosey Dow: If he kills the rich man, the chase is over. SusieW: Esp. if he had guilt over his crime Rosey Dow: But could he do that? SusieW: Not if he's the hero Rosey Dow: right. How about--He realizes what a mess he's made of his life and wants a new start. SusieW: So, he needs to expose the rich guy and escape into the night--or be cleared of his crimes Rosey Dow: yes. How about a new identity? Could be permanent or temporary. LynS: And learning to trust again... after being in prison for so long. SuzanneEller: There certainly is an underlying theme here that parallels overt crime and hidden crime -- intriguing plot. Anne McDonald: He would no longer be able to have any contact with family if he takes on a new identity. Rosey Dow: Maybe he doesn't have one. Maybe he was never close to them. Maybe he can't resist contacting someone and they find him that way. SusieW: All good stories need a little love...he has to prove himself worthy of that love, so to speak. Rosey Dow: How about if he manages to make a deal with the Feds--immunity for the goods on the rich man. I call it a touch of romance. <G> SusieW: right! Anne McDonald: But can he trust the fed? Will they use him and then throw him back in the jail. Rosey Dow: There are a lot of avenues we could follow here. SusieW: Maybe the heroine is a fed Rosey Dow: He'd have to have some leverage. Devious, Susie! SusieW: Which opens new doors for conflict. Rosey Dow: I love those switchbacks! SusieW: hee hee! *g* Rosey Dow: That's the name of the game. Anne McDonald: good thinking, Susie Rosey Dow: Here's another scenario. A young female computer guru (Laura) has her father convicted of treason for selling computer secrets to several enemy countries. The CIA agent (Jonathan) who nailed her dad used her to get close to him by pretending to be in love with her. When the defense computers in the US and all major powers fail because of a virus inflicted by the girl's dad, every major power is hot after the solution to the virus. Dad dies and only the girl knows the key, making her a target for EVERYONE. The only one who can help her is that handsome CIA agent who used her before. What are the conflicts? LynS: Laura wants to live, expose the plot. Rosey Dow: which plot? SusieW: Inner--distrust and betryal for the CIA guy (if she knows) SuzanneEller: External -- protecting herself Inner - being angry at dad for leaving her in such a mess. SusieW: Outer--to not reveal the virus and stay alive. Rosey Dow: Great, Suzanne! She's very bitter against her father. SuzanneEller: Love/hate Rosey Dow: She's bitter against Jonathan. Right. More external conflicts? Not only does every major power want the key, but they want to prevent the rest from getting it. What will happen to Laura if she tells? SuzanneEller: So Laura is important to them. SusieW: Well, the defense computers for the US have to start working again....but after they get it, she is toast. LynS: It depends who she tells to. Rosey Dow: Right, Suzie. Toast. What could be a solution? LynS: Tell everybody! Rosey Dow: Right, Lyn! How? SuzanneEller: Or she might become a very important part of future attacks against other countries. KiwiElle: Let each of them think they are the only ones who are getting the info. Rosey Dow: Sort of like a brain in a prison cell to be used as needed? Interesting. SusieW: She needs a new identity... Rosey Dow: Right. A must. SuzanneEller: Or ironic -- she thinks they want to kill her, but they are actually after her to make her a part of the team?? Rosey Dow: That's an idea, Suzanne. SusieW: Like Maybe she joins the CIA--Suzanne? Rosey Dow: Depends on if she's the CIA type. Anne McDonald: They won't take her if her father is suspect, though, Rosey Dow: Right, Annie. She's tainted. SusieW: She needs to have a failsafe--something that will keep her alive no matter what, like a virus on top of a virus. Rosey Dow: This is the set up for a story my collaborative partner and I just sold to Promise Press. Hooray! SuzanneEller: But that could be inner conflict as well - she's not her dad. Good story, Rosey. Rosey Dow: Right. Her dad was dirty but she's innocent and upright. SusieW: So--we'll have to buy the book to figure out what she does! Rosey Dow: My lips are sealed. LOL Thanks, Suzanne. KiwiElle: yes, very good story. LynS: I was going to ask where faith comes int. <G> SusieW: Where do I order? SuzanneEller: What is the title? Rosey Dow: The title is Betrayed and it will be out next fall. SuzanneEller: Cool. Rosey Dow: Long wait. Anne McDonald: hehehe SusieW: Too LONG! Rosey Dow:This is a slow business. SusieW: Good for you, Rosey Rosey Dow: Anyone have another scene to discuss, maybe something you're working on? aannie: Are you publishing with iUniverse? Rosey: No, Barbour Publishing has all my work but one. SusieW: What's your take on revealing the villian inner conflicts---? How much time should we spend on him/her? Rosey: If it's handled right, it can add a lot to the story. aannie: How about Pelican Brief . I just figured out how to use this thing. Rosey Dow: I wouldn't spend a lot of time on the villain, maybe one third of the text at the most. I did a short blurb of the villain's thoughts in Reaping The Whirlwind without revealing his identity, Just a paragraph now and then. SusieW: OK, that helps. I don't want him to be identified, however. LynS: How many POV will be in this story, more than 2? How do you decide? Rosey Dow: In Betrayed ? LynS: yes. Is this a longer novel? Rosey Dow: It's 93,000 words, about 400 pages.We use several viewpoints. The two main characters, her dad, a couple of spies on the chase the CIA Director. aannie: Omnipresent? Rosey Dow: No, single POV in separate scenes SusieW: How techinical did you get with the computer stuff? Meaning--Tom Clancy depth? Rosey Dow: Not too. We didn't go into detail. We told the key to the code but not how it fit into the virus. SusieW: So, it is enough to generally explain, as long as it is clear? Rosey Dow: Yes. SusieW: Thank you Rosey Dow: The parts we did talk about had to be accurate, though. We couldn't just make it all up. SusieW: Right. How did you handle the "motive" --meaning how the villain reveal himself? Usually we have a confessional at the end, and I want to do something different. Rosey Dow: In Reaping , I spoke in riddles. Using the villain at first person he told why he did things in vague, poetic terms. I had him make a little speech each time he killed someone new, to sort of explain himself. I put those paragraphs in italics. SusieW: Oh, that's great! Rosey Dow: It was a challenge, but fun, too. You can look at the prologue, his first speech, on my website: www.roseydow.com aannie: Do you have an agent? Rosey Dow: yes. aannie: A good one? Rosey Dow: She hasn't sold anything for me, but she has helped negotiate contracts. SusieW: Do you find that essential? Rosey Dow: Pretty good. She's taking clients. If you want her address please email me privately: roseydow@roseydow.com I didn't at first, Susie. But now that the contracts are getting more involved, she has been very helpful. aannie: If she hasn't sold anything for you how did you get with Barbour Press? Rosey Dow: I hit the slush pile and waited...waited...waited. aannie: That is a tough way to go. Rosey Dow: We sold Betrayed because my partner attended a writers conference. aannie: Aha. Rosey Dow: The slush pile isn't the greatest way. I'd recommend conferences. Talking to an editor face to face makes an impact. aannie: I have found getting an agent to work for you is harder than writing. Rosey Dow: You are right. I had four books in print before I got an agent. aannie: I bet talking to an Editor is the way to go. Rosey Dow: Any other questions about conflict tonight? SusieW: Is there an imbalance we should try to avoid--which is better to focus on inner or outer? Rosey Dow: It depends on the genre. Suspense often majors on the outer conflict, romance, the inner. However a good mix of the two is very effective. SusieW: Ok, that makes sense. Thank you Rosey Dow: The more we care about the character's inner struggle, the more we sympathize with him and cheer him on. Key in on conflicts that mean a lot to you personally. Write what you have experienced and you'll come across much more real. Your story will have life. None of us have been chased by the CIA but we have known fear. We have felt angry and bitter when wronged. Capitalize on that, bring it out, express it. And your story will sing. SuzanneEller: Thank you, Rosey. This is a great workshop. Rosey Dow: Thanks for coming, Suzanne! aannie: I agree. Good information. SuzanneEller: I loved it. SusieW: Yes, I learned a lot!! Thank you! KiwiElle: Yes, great workshop, I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. Rosey Dow: I love doing this myself. Anne McDonald: When can we have you come back Rosey? Rosey Dow: Next month? SusieW: Yeah! KiwiElle: sounds great :-) aannie: Good. Anne McDonald: hhhmmm. HOw about Nov. 17th? Rosey Dow: Fine. I'll write it down. <G> Anne McDonald: I will be gone that night, but Marcia will host that night. Rosey Dow: Fine. I'll get a subject to you in a while. Anyone like to
suggest one? What would you like to do? Anne McDonald: Writing emotions? SusieW: Creating suspenseful openings. KiwiElle: Writing emotions sounds good. SusieW: ditto Rosey Dow: I think I'll take the emotion one, Annie. Anne McDonald: Sounds good to me! Rosey Dow: Sounds like a fun chat. Anne McDonald: Let's go ahead and close in prayer....Kiwi, would you pray? KiwiElle: Sure :-) Lord, thank You for an awesome time of fellowship here today, where we have learned more about using the creative gifts you have given us. So that by our words we are able to reach out to a hurting and needful world who need to know more of You. We thank You for this workshop and for keeping our connections constant today. Bless Annie and Rosey as host and guest…and everyone else here as they go their way tonight. In Jesus' name, Amen Dancing Word Chats Is A Production Of Dancing Word Writers Network |
Rosey Dow
|
