Some writers are just too kind.
They hate to put their characters under any kind of pressure. They hate to see them losing, or struggling to survive. That's quite understandable - after all, they've become friends with these people. They're cheering for them. They want them to win through!
Now wait a moment. Wa..a..i..t.
It's your readers who are supposed to be cheering your characters on. It's your readers who want things to turn out for them. And it's your readers that you have to make suffer - because if you do, they won't be able to resist turning the page to see what happens next. They'll feel bad for your characters... heck, they may even shed a tear or two... but they will keep turning pages. They have to. They need to know how this all turns out!
Conflict is the engine of your story. It keeps the wheels turning; it keeps the characters moving. Take away conflict, and what have you got? A cheerful little afternoon tea-party, that's what. And like all afternoon tea parties... it can get a little boring. A few cream cakes and a few hours of conversation, and you've had enough. You want to go home.
At all costs, you must prevent your readers from packing up and going home. Or more accurately - to close the book that represents the cozy (but boring) tea party. Here are a few tips on building and sustaining conflict in your story.
1. Think "Drama"
In one corner of a restaurant you have a happy couple, gazing into each other's eyes. They're smiling. They're happy. In the another corner you have couple No. 2. Their body language is enough to tell anyone that there's trouble brewing. At first, they argue in low voices. Then things start to escalate. Their voices start to rise, and it ends when she throws wine in his face, sends her chair flying back, and storms out.
Which couple is attracting all the attention?
No contest! Naturally, it's the one involved in all that DRAMA. We're all drawn to conflict. We wonder about the reasons for it. We're eager to hear about the outcome. We HAVE TO KNOW MORE.
Give your readers drama, and you can be sure they'll keep coming back for more.
2. Portray Strong Emotions
If you don't allow your characters to experience emotion - and to show their emotion - then you're losing readers. One of the chief reasons that editors give for rejecting a novel is "lack of emotional punch". By making sure that you let your characters experience a full range of emotions, you are dramatically increasing your chances of acceptance.
In any one day, we all go through a whole lot of emotions. We're happy. We're sad. We're gloomy. We're ecstatic. We're jealous or envious or embarrassed.
Make a point of getting into your viewpoint character's skin. Become that character. First, imagine your character's appearance. Then climb inside. Look out through this person's eyes. See what she sees; hear what she hears; feel what she feels. And share those emotions with the reader.
If your viewpoint character is engaged in a conversation, make sure you give the reader more than talking heads by filtering everything through your character's emotions. We should 'hear' her thoughts; feel her embarrassment; experience her heart- wrenching fear. Emotions make your story live.
3. Pull the Thread Tighter
Once you have the reader tangled in drama and strong emotions, carefully pull the thread tighter. This is called 'get the heroine up the tree and then throw stones at her'. Or 'have him hanging on the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, then put a pack of wolves below him'. Just when it seems that things can't get any worse - make them worse! It's always possible.
Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"
You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.
This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing that things aren't settled yet! Gently, gently... keep stretching the tension... keep building the conflict.
Your readers just won't be able to help coming back for more.
(c) copyright Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
At first, I noticed that I could have written many... Read More
Some writers complain that writing is arduous work requiring long... Read More
A few days ago, I critiqued a chapter for a... Read More
1. PLAY A GAME LIKE SOLITAIRE....for half an hour or... Read More
Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today, traditional... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
To capitalize on ways to make extra income you can... Read More
One of the best ways to blow someone's winning streak... Read More
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a... Read More
Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even... Read More
Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More
People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More
Any article, report or book which is bought or sold... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
Take out a white piece of paper and place it... Read More
Winning writing contests can provide several advantages to writers. For... Read More
Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay... Read More
(This excerpt is taken from my new writing workshop Writing... Read More
9 out of 10 professionals and small business owners have... Read More
In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More
Every writer eventually develops her own unique style of writing.... Read More
Q. I'm staring at a blank screen with an equally... Read More
Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)Like any field,... Read More
What Makes a Great Headline?Headlines are far more important than... Read More
May I tell you about a writing technique shared by... Read More
Making Money from Freelance WritingIt's the question that every aspiring... Read More
Screenwriting is a competitive trade. To distinguish yourself as a... Read More
If you have been online for any length of time... Read More
I recently set up a website to promote a new... Read More
Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More
There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
Peter Mayle was born in England in 1939.His fascination with... Read More
If you're getting rejections from your submissions, please don't quit... Read More
10 - You will always have a job. As long... Read More
Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?The writer, who doesn't have the time... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
One Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed conference room... Read More
We all need a cheer squad.We all need people to... Read More
If you want to be a writer, you must write... Read More
Becoming an author is probably a lot easier than you... Read More
The process of developing a working title for your nonfiction... Read More
Simply put, it is the art of writing scripts for... Read More
In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
Plotting a book can seem an overwhelming task when you're... Read More
Writing |