That Conflict Stuff

I did write last week, which felt fabulous. I love writing with a goal or an element in mind and seeing where it takes a story. Sometimes things come up that I didn't expect, but as I write, those things make perfect sense. 

I inserted that conflict I mentioned last week into one of my chapters. Being that it was the rough draft, it turned out to be a very cheesey, over-dramatic piece of crap. I loved it. The goal for the next draft of course will be to make it less crappy. I really don't think my story can handle less drama, and I adore cheese.

The problem I was having with my story was that my main characters were too passive. Things were happening to my characters, while most of them remained completely virtuous. That is something that I don't think readers would find believable. I needed to get thier hands dirty; some grey mixed in with the black and white. And while it maybe risks the readers not liking some of their choices, they'll be a little more understandable.

I had so much fun putting that bit of conflict before one character, that I brainstormed and wrote out the ways it could affect and possibly damage my other characters. While this might suggest I should look into therapy, it really breathed some life into my story. Suddenly there was a means to get from point A to point B for many of my storylines.

So this week, I'll write a few more pages and see what happens.

Also, I'm sure many of you have taken classes or read books on how to write stories, but in case you like to constantly read about it or would like some refreshers, I'd like to recommend two blogs. First is by Lynda M. Martin. This is the first in a series on writing and I love her advice, Good Writing Is... . The second is by a teacher named Aaron D. Gansky. He also provides some good information.