Writers in the Storm

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

“Not enough conflict” is a phrase I’d wager most writers have heard at some point in their journeys. It’s a complicated term that encompasses more than just a single event in a book, yet we often use it as if a novel has one conflict. We also use it to mean things that aren’t actually conflict, but are closely tied to conflict, which makes this even more confusing for newbies and pros alike.

This contextual ambiguity has led to many writers banging their heads against many keyboards and swearing at many screens after a critique. “I haveconflict!” they cry. Yet…dothey? And more importantly—is it the right conflict?

To save any more writers from bruised foreheads, let’s look at some reasons why conflict can be a hard concept to grasp, and what we can do to make it easier on ourselves.

People Often Mean Tension When They Say Conflict

I think this is one of the main reasons writers struggle with conflict. A lack of tension can feel like a lack of conflict in a scene, because there’s nothing to make readers worry or even care. So, you might get feedback such as, “This scene lacked conflict,” when it really just lacked tension. 

Conflict and tension are so intertwined they’re often confused. Scenes lacking one frequently lack the other, because without a choice to make or a problem to overcome, there is no tension. But a lack of tensionis connected more to nothing in the scene that makes readers worry or anticipate about what will happen next than it is to a problem to overcome. 

Conflict Means Different Things to Different Writers

As a hard-core plotter, when I think about conflict, I think about the things that make it tougher for the protagonist to resolve the plot problem. But a romance writer likely thinks about the personality quirks and hang ups keeping the two lovebirds apart. A literary writer often sees the internal struggle the protagonist needs to overcome to be happy.

And we’re all right—as it pertains to our chosen genre and writing style. 

But each of us might critique a manuscript and say, “this lacks conflict,” because what we’re looking for is different from what the author is aiming for. There’s not of lot of internal conflict in a Lee Child thriller, and not a lot of fast-paced plotting in a Diane Setterfield literary novel. Yet both write satisfying novels for their readers.    

We tend to think about conflict in the way we or our genre uses it. Different genres have different conflict needs. 

Conflict Means Different Things in the Same Book

This is what can really make a writer rip their hair out. Conflict is a catch-all for multiple “problems” in the story. It can mean:

The core conflict:The main problem in the book and what the protagonist needs to resolve by the climax of the novel.

The scene conflicts:The problems in an individual scene that must be resolved for the plot to move forward.

The external conflicts:The problems a character faces that must be overcome or resolved in order to move forward. 

The internal conflict—character arc edition:The inner struggle the protagonist is going through that results in them being a better and happier person in the end.

The internal conflicts—scene edition: The struggle to make the right choices in a scene when presented with a problem.

The obstacle conflicts:Things in the way that aren’t actually conflicts, but problems to deal with in pursuit of a goal.

Most of these will occur in every scene, and they will differ from scene to scene. Only the core conflict and the main internal character arc conflict will be a singular issue. The rest of the conflicts are because those two main conflicts are mucking up everything else.

All of these situations fall under “conflict,” and have specific functions in a novel. Which is why…

Not All Conflicts Are Created Equal When It Comes to Plotting

Anyone who has had a strong character arc and internal conflict story they just couldn’t write has run into this issue. Internal conflicts are not plot. Only external conflicts can create plot, because only external conflicts give the characters something to do. Action = plot. 

But internal conflicts help make those external conflicts mean more, because they force the characters to make hard choices about what to do. If the outcome in every scene is obvious, there is no conflict. Internal conflict can also create the necessary tension when the scene’s problem is merely on obstacle in the plot. 

There Are No Rules to What Makes a Good Conflict

Conflict is dependent on so many other factors that it’s nigh impossible to state “This is what you should do” to create a good conflict. This is why one romance novel about choosing between two lovers grips readers, and another makes them yawn. It’s not about the choice, but the characters and what their lives are like and how they’re struggling with something in those lives that gets readers to care.

How You Can Ease Your Conflict Frustrations

Luckily, it’s easy to solve a conflict-confusing dilemma—simply educate yourself about the different types and uses of conflict. You’ll then know which types are appropriate for which scenes. That way, when someone isn’t clear on what they mean, you’ll have some context to work with to help you figure it out.

Also understand the types of conflicts your genre uses, as well as the genres your critique partners write in. This will help you identify any conflict bias in your feedback. You can also ask the critiquer to clarify what they mean so you have a better sense of what (if anything) needs to change.

Conflict is about keeping the protagonist from what they want (and need), and forcing them to work for their goals and making readers care if they achieve those goals or not. It’s making them choose the right path to take, and making that choice difficult. 

But it’s also about creating situations that test a character and gives them something to do to make the plot (and story) happen. It’s giving them agency to be the masters of their story, and force them to earn whatever reward you dangle at the end of the book.

What you put in the protagonist’s way is more than just “what’s in the way” between the protagonist and the end goal. Make it a challenge, make them earn it, and make the payoff worth all that work to get there.

If you’d like more examples and a deeper discussion of how to create conflict in your novel, I suggest my book Understanding Conflict (And How It Really Works). I go into a lot more detail about the types of conflict and how to use them.

Have you struggled with conflict? Do you have any questions about it? Any other tips for those still struggling with it?

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfallfrom Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy seriesfor adults under the name, J.T. Hardy. When she's not writing fiction, she runs the popular writing site Fiction University, and has written multiple books on writing, including Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It), Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, and the Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft series. 

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Colleen M. Story

Should you spend the money to go to that writing conference?

Pay for a professional edit on your book? 

Invest in new computer equipment for your writing office? 

Risk cutting back on work hours so you can write more?

Making a decision can be frightening. What if you make the wrong one and it sets you back? 

If you’re struggling with a decision you need to make about your writing career, it’s probably because you’ve been using only one brain.

That’s right. You have more than one. And it’s time you recruit the other two into your decision-making process. It will make it a lot easier. 

The Three-Brain Decision-Making System

Neuroscience has discovered something fascinating over the past several years: we have complex and functional neural networks—or “brains”—in the heart and gut as well as in the head. 

We used to think the brain ran the whole show, telling everything else in the body what to do, but recent research has found that’s not always true. In fact, many times the communication starts in the heart or the gut, and then travels to the brain.

The heart, for instance, has its own intrinsic nervous system and neurons (messengers) just like the brain, and it can take in information, process it, and communicate it to the brain (rather than the other way around). 

Studies have found that, in some ways, the heart seems to have its own logic—not always just following orders, but going its own direction, acting independently, and sending messages to the brain that the brain then obeys. In a way, it’s like a second brain. 

The gut also contains neural tissue and neurons—more than are found in the spinal cord or peripheral nervous system. Also called the “second brain” because of its size and complexity, the gut has been found in studies to be involved not only in digestion and overall health, but also in emotions, mood, and decisions.

Scientists from Florida State University reported in 2017 that gut-to-brain signals have a powerful influence on us. The “gut feelings” we get are real messages from this complex system that can stop us from making mistakes.

All of this research has led to a new field of leadership development called “multiple brain integration techniques (mBIT).” In a nutshell, research from Henwood and Soosalu found that incorporating all three “brains” when making decisions resulted in a wiser decision-making process that provided increased benefits to everyone involved. 

People being people, however, we have our strengths and weakness. We all tend to favor one of our brains over the other two. 

Which is Your Strongest Brain?

Below are abbreviated descriptions of each of the three brains. Review them all, and see if you can figure out which is your strongest one:

1. The Head

You’re mostly interested in gathering the facts, weighing the pros and cons, and figuring things out logically. You try not to let your emotions interfere too much, as you believe they can just get in the way of deciding what’s right or what’s best. You may make spreadsheets or charts to help you compare the potential outcomes of each decision you’re considering. 

2. The Heart

Your feelings and emotions rule, and you put a high priority on your values and your connections with others. You focus on what’s important to you in life and experience an emotional link to your dreams and aspirations. When making decisions, you always take into account those things you care about, what your desires are, and how the decision will affect your important relationships.

3. The Gut

You are an intuitive person who finds it easy to tune in to energy, vibes, and unseen messages from the world around you. You get a “feeling” of what your decision should be, but you may have a hard time explaining your choice to others. Your decision power can be cryptic and secretive, or you may feel like you hear a “little voice” telling you which way to go. 

Once you figure out your strongest brain, what’s important is that you don’t go against it when making decisions. Here’s how it works. 

How to Use All Three Brains When Making a Writing Decision

Think about a risk you’re considering taking in your writing career. Maybe you’re contemplating self-publishing, switching to another genre, or starting a new podcast. 

Put that risk into the form of a question—something like: 

• Should I self publish my next book?
• Is it a good idea for me to switch genres?
• Should I start a new podcast?

I’m going to use the “should I self publish” question as an example. Put the question in front of you, and start by focusing on the logical answer (your head). Take your emotions out of it. Pretend you’re Mr. Spock from Star Trek, and write down your answer. 

For the example, the brain might say,Self-publishing will take a significant investment, and you’re short on finances right now. You have a readership established, so it’s possible you could sell a significant number of copies, but you need to find the money, so it’s best to wait.

Then consider your emotions and your relationships (the heart). What do you desire? What do you feel like you want to do? What decision would have the best (if any) affect on your relationships? Write down your answer. 

You’ve long wanted to self-publish. The idea of having control over the entire process excites you. It sounds fun! Your family would be proud. You should do it.

Finally, take a deep breath, center yourself, and tune into the energy around you (the gut). Allow your sixth sense to take over, and do your best to envision your future. If you had to make a quick, gut decision right now, what would it be? Write down your answer. 

This is the right decision for your future. You should go for it. Otherwise, you may lose your motivation and excitement for writing.

Now examine all three of your answers. Do they agree? If so, you’re good to go. Move forward with your decision!

If one or more disagree, however, as is the case in the above example, you’ve got some more thinking to do. 

No matter what, never go against your strongest brain—that won’t make you happy. So if you’re strongest brain is the head, you need to do some more brainstorming and come up with another option.

If your strongest brain and one other agree, however, you can probably still go ahead with your decision. It’s worthwhile, however, to take some time to see if there’s a way to make the third brain happy, too. You might put in some extra hours at work, for example, or cut back for a few months to save some money to fund the project.

Consider Taking a Risk and Move Forward

The next time you’re facing a tough decision in your writing career, try this system. You may find that having three brains to consult rather than just one makes the process a lot easier. Having all three, or at least two out of the three, agreeing that you should move forward can also give you the courage you need to take a risk when necessary. 

Take the three-brain quiz to discover your dominant brain and what it means for you as a writer in Colleen’s new book, Writer Get Noticed!Get your free chapter here.

Source

Henwood, S., & Soosalu, G. (2014, October). The Three Brains of Leadership: Harnessing the Wisdom within. Paper presented at ILA 16th Global Leadership Summit, San Diego, CA. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274699861_The_three_brains_of_Leadership_Harnasing_the_Wisdom_within

Colleen M. Storyinspires writers to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment in their work. Her first non-fiction book, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, was named Book by Book Publicity’s Best Writing/Publishing Book in 2018, and her novel, Loreena’s Gift, was a Foreword Reviews' INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, among others. 

Her latest release, Writer Get Noticed!, is a strengths-based guide to help writers break the spell of invisibility and discover unique author platforms that will draw readers their way. With over 20 years in the creative industry, Colleen is the founder of Writing and Wellness (writingandwellness.com) and Writer CEO (writerceo.com). Please see her author website (colleenmstory.com) or follow her on Twitter (@colleen_m_story).

Writers in the Storm is having a "Writing Event" on Monday, April 15.

Write Up A Storm is a one-day sprint-writing bash on Facebook, designed to motivate and sustain your writing throughout the day. Even if that day job impinges on your time, you can participate before work, during lunch and after hours. We'll be here. Writing. Piling up word count. Supporting each other.

We'll be writing all day and keeping track of word count totals from our fabulous readers. You can post your word count in a comment that day, and we'll add it to the tally. You can post every hour if you want to and encourage others--or challenge them. Hmm, is this a WITS Throwdown in the making? We're hoping that everyone's combined word count will add up to a novella. Actually, Fae is hoping for a full-length book!

Here's a short list of simple things you can do to prepare for Write Up A Storm:

1. If you're a plotter, work on that outline for your new idea. You don't have to finish the outline, but have enough to get you through three (or six) chapters.
2. If you're a pantser, work your process so you've got the beginning of your story solidly ready to put words on the page.
3. Know your characters–their motivation, their character arcs, what they want more than anything else in the world.
4. Know what keeps your characters from getting what they want, whether it's another person, lack of something, like education, or money, or something from their past.
5. Read to fill your writer well. Read like a reader and enjoy yourself.
6. Mark the date on your calendar. Set an alarm on your phone.
7. Commit to a definite number of minutes–even if it's only ten–of solid writing time.
8. Complete any research necessary to write the section you plan to work on.
9. Contact other writer friends to participate for support. They will thank you on Tuesday, April 16, when they look at what they've accomplished.
10. Finish routine chores like the laundry and grocery shopping during the week-end.
11. Pre-cook meals and snacks for the day.
12. Read to fill your writer well. Read like a reader and enjoy yourself.

Sign up link for the event.

Are you willing to commit to writing on Monday, April 15? Are you willing to share your word count? How about sharing a tip now to help all of us get ready?

About Fae

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak.  Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes  that she can live anywhere but the present.  As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

Punished, oh-no, that’s published as a co-author of a math textbook, she yearns to hear personal stories about finding love from those who read her books, rather than the horrors of algebra lessons gone wrong.  She is grateful for good friends who remind her to do the practical things in life like grocery shop, show up at the airport for a flight and pay bills.

A “hard” scientist who avoided writing classes like the plague, she now enjoys sharing her brain with characters who demand that their stories be told.  Amazing, gifted critique partners keep her on the straight and narrow. Feedback from readers keeps her fingers on the keyboard.

When she’s not hanging out at Writers in the Storm, you can visit Fae at http://faerowen.com  or www.facebook.com/fae.rowen.