"Making A Minefield" with Ellen Hartman

We can talk about anything you're interested in, but I thought I would post one of my issues with conflict.

I hate conflict. In my real life I'm a peace making, middle child, introverted conflict avoider. This, unfortunately, has the tendency to spill over into my writing.

In my upcoming Superromance (working title: The Boyfriend's Back), Hailey had a baby in high school and her boyfriend, JT, was not the father. She begged JT to take responsibility, and he did even though he felt betrayed that she'd cheated on him. In my original synopsis, the real father was dead.

My editor pointed out that I'd killed off a huge source of conflict. She was exactly right. Having the bad guy dead made things nicer for everyone except the readers.

So for me, fear of conflict is a big obstacle when I'm plotting. I have to remind myself that readers like it when the characters' struggles are deep and overwhelming. It makes the emotional payoff at the end sweeter.

One of the ways I can tell when I'm approaching a good level of conflict is that the story becomes harder for me to write. Engaging the difficult emotions necessary for a meaty conflict is stressful for me as a writer. This can sometimes look and feel like "writer's block," but it's just me, wanting things to be nice.

What are some other problems you have with getting enough conflict into your stories?

Ellen

Hi, Ellen. I thought I would come and keep you company while I wait for the doctor's office to open so I can make an appointment for both dds.

I always worry if I have enough of the right kind of conflict. Can we talk about examples of internal and external conflict?

Thanks,

LindaC

Hi,

Here's an example of external and internal conflict from one of my favorite Nora Roberts books, Sea Swept. It's the first in the Chesapeake Bay trilogy about the Quinn brothers.

Cameron Quinn is a risk taker. He races fast boats and cars. He dates supermodels. He lives a life full of adrenaline and daring. In the opening scenes of Sea Swept, he's called home to his adopted father's deathbed. Very soon, he's asked to move back to his sleepy hometown to provide a stable home for his father's newest foster child, a boy who reminds Cam uncomfortably of himself.

• External goal: Take care of the kid.
• External motivation: No one else is available to do it.
• External conflict: Cam stinks at being a homemaker.

• Internal goal: Do not become attached to the child.
• Internal motivation: If he's not attached to the child, it won't matter if he leaves or lets the kid down the way he always does.
• Internal conflict: He sees himself in the child and knows he's the one the kid needs if he's going to make it.

If anyone has any other examples, we're all ears. Or if there's a book or movie you'd like to dissect together, we can do that.

Ellen

 

Hi FF,

Good to know someone's out there. Feeling conflicted about anything?

Ellen 

but I'm on the west coast, so I'm not too badly behind, lol.

Oh, I love writing conflict. I love tangling things up and making them as difficult as possible. (I'm one of those middle child peacemakers myself, actually, but I think I'm good at including conflict because my family is a drama MACHINE!) My problems come, as a writer, in the "fixing" of the problems.

Had a bad childhood? Check.

Still in love with your ex? Check.

Your father threatens to disown you if you don't stop seeing him? Check.

Ex-has bad guys after him and he needs a million dollars or they're going to kill him? Check.

Heroine afraid to lose everything including the love of her father, but can't turn away ex when he needs her most? Check.

Er... solution? Sorry, that's in the Burmuda Triangle.

Ellen, do you think it's a good idea to have an exit built in before you start laying down the mines?

Hugs,
Dee

Another concept from the interview I linked and a key one for writers is to "raise the stakes." A flat conflict isn't going to sell a book.

My upcoming Super, has a modified "secret baby" plot. Hailey got pregnant in high school; her boyfriend, JT, left town; and the book opens when he returns 15 years later. To freshen the "secret baby" storyline, I decided that JT is not the dad of the baby but only he and Hailey know that for sure.

In the original proposal, the backstory looked like this:

1. Hailey and JT are dating.
2. She cheats on him and gets pregnant.
3. He agrees to lie about being the father.
4. He fights with his family and leaves town.
5. JT returns 15 years later but is reluctant to get involved with Hailey because he doesn't trust her.

Pretty blah stakes. Luckily I have a smart and ruthless editor who wouldn't let that slip by. I raised the stakes this way:

1. Hailey and JT are dating.
2. She cheats on him and gets pregnant.
3. He agrees to lie about being the father.
4. His family tells him to pick: her or them.
5. He picks her and so his parents kick him out and refuse to hand over the college fund he's saved by working for his dad since he was 10.
6. He goes to Hailey and asks her to marry him. She refuses.
7. He leaves town alone having been rejected by both his family and his girl. He internalizes that Hailey was willing to use him for the lie but unwilling to take a chance on letting him provide for her or the child.
8. JT returns 15 years later but is sure neither his family nor Hailey will want anything to do with him.

It's hard to write these conflict things out as bullet points or lists because the emotional impacts are much more complex than what can be conveyed in a blog post. This is an idea of what "raising the stakes" might look like.

Anyone have a conflict that feels flat? We could do some ruthless brainstorming to raise the stakes...

Ellen

Hi Dee,

Thanks for joining the conversation!

I'm a plotter so yes, I do think it's important to have the exit built in before you start. But that's kind of a writing comfort zone issue. I think pantsers can spin conflict just as well.

The key, I think, is that the conflicts have to mean something and they have to hang together.

In the article I wrote, I mentioned my poor hero, Mason, from His Secret Past. His life is a shambles in that book:

• His business is being run out of town.
• His kid is making bad decisions and won't take his advice.
• His best friends are marrying each other, leaving him on his own.

Those are all conflicts that can have lots of different roots and different impacts. When I was planning the book, though, I knew Mason's core issue was a fear of abandonment or not being loved. So I tied each of those conflict bullets to that issue for him.

• His business is being run out of town. Mason sees this as a personal rejection of him and his friends and family.
• His kid is making bad decisions and won't take his advice. Mason sees this as a personal rejection of him as a dad.
• His best friends are marrying each other, leaving him on his own. Mason sees a future of being on the outside looking in.

It's key to know the character's core issue for me to make the conflict hang together and mean something.

Ellen

No, Ellen, the only conflict I have is in real life.  How do I get two 7000 word translations finished before the end of the week when I leave on vacation?  If you have a solution to that one, I'd love to hear it. LOL

Hi Ellen and everyone;

I'm a major conflict avoider in my real life, too. Fortunately (I guess) I'm rarely allowed to avoid it as I'm in HR and have three teenage daughters. I've got no problem mediating conflict between other people, but if it's aimed at me, holy smokes.

I definitely tend to protect my characters, but I think writing conflict is a learned skill. My husband pointed out to me that in my first veterinary mystery, the worst thing that happened to my MC was her dog got sick. The second book in the series, however, is rather bloodier with trouble all over the place. But my initial reaction to an idea for conflict is usually "oh no, I couldn't handle that." Which is usually my clue that it's a good idea!

Roxanne

Well, FF, I wish I could help but the only language I know anything about other than American English is Latin. Here's my big memorized party piece:

Semper ubi sub ubi.

Translation: Always where under where.

(This is really a joke I should tell, not write. The where vs. wear thing makes me look ungrammatical in print. )

Hee. If you'd like my professional assistance with your work, please do let me know.

Ellen

I think I have too much going on and may not be able to get myself out of it. 

Can you introduce one piece of conflict and have it resolved early?  Of course there is more to come, just not related to this piece of conflict.

 

Hi Marcie--we had a little mind meld thing there. I was posting on a similar idea while you were posting your question.

I definitely think you can resolve a conflict or a portion of a conflict before the book ends. You can do it the way I just mentioned, where you let the character reach their goal and then you put the knife in and twist it more.

Or you can do it to create that bittersweet feeling of "Really? That's how it's going to end?" when it seems that the conflict is resolved but we haven't quite reached a happy ending yet.

I'm pretty sure The Outsiders used that technique. Did you ever read that or see the movie? In the second to last chapter, lots of the conflicts are tied up and the characters seem like they're ready to settle back into their lives. It's tidy but not emotionally satisfying in any way. You're left feeling sad and unfulfilled.

But then in the last chapter, the characters have a few emotional dust ups that really break them down and then the real, emotionally satisfying ending happens.

Does this make sense?

Ellen

Your answers to my questions made sense.

I saw "The Outsiders" forever ago and vaguely remember it, but I understand what you were trying to say.

So, looks like I've got some questions to ask about my story.   Maybe I need to write it all out on one page instead of bits of notes everywhere and also get it out of my head.

One more question - can you think too hard or too much about it to where you lose the whole reason you wanted to write the darn thing in the first place?

Hi,

I thought I'd pop in early and post some thoughts before I head to work.

Keeping the conflict high is the best way to keep our readers interested. What are some of the ways we can tell if we need to go back in and raise the stakes or add conflict?

1. My critique partner (or I) uses any of these words about a scene: boring, flat, slow, filler, low energy, too long, etc. These can all be indicators that we need more conflict. 
2. Characters are repeating themselves--either doing the same things or worse, saying the same things. This might mean that the conflict isn't robust or multi-faceted enough to sustain for the whole book.
3. Nothing changes. Characters encounter situations and react in the exact same way over and over. This is slightly different than #3--we need to deepen the conflict as the story progresses--it has to hurt more and in new ways as we head into the black moment.
4. The scene or motivation or dialogue is unrealistic or doesn't make sense. This might mean that we're forcing the conflict when it should flow organically and make sense both factually and psychologically for the characters.

Anybody have any other ideas of how we can identify problems that are rooted in conflict issues? Anyone have a scene or a situation you'd like help brainstorming about?

Ellen

Ellen,  Great conversation and great points!  I worked with a college professor right after I started playing with the idea of writing.  His explanation of conflict?  "Johnny got his butt stuck in a bear trap and spends the rest of the book trying to get out."  One of the first questions I ask myself when I start a book is, "What's the bear trap?"  LOL Holly

Hi Holly--nice to see you this morning! (Holly's a morning person, I'm trying to fake some energy to make her feel at home...)

A bear trap is a great metaphor. I know this because reading your quote made me very uncomfortable. I immediately thought, "Oh, but I don't want to put anyone in a bear trap. That's just mean..."

It's a good metaphor also for how much conflict I need to start with when I'm plotting. Your teacher didn't say a mouse trap, he said a bear trap. There's a huge difference in pain potential there, huh?

Cheers,

Ellen

Ellen,

LOL  Yes, there is a big difference!

 I'm loving the discussion, btw!

 Holly

This is excellent stuff, Ellen. 

 

I loved the bedroom scene where she gets caught testing out his bed. This made her so very human. I think that's one way we really connect our readers with our characters. Who hasn't been tempted to do something like this? And how we deal with embarrassment can be very reveiling.

 

I'm a hybrid--part panster, part plotter. I start with a detailed synopsis, but when I get into the story, the characters sometimes take over and lead me astray. So, when I get to a spot where I'm wondering what happens next, I make myself choose the road that looks the most difficult. I know this will give the most emotional payoff in the long run.

 

Yesterday, I was coming to the end of a chapter and a part of my mind was already looking ahead. So...what if her ex finds them after they've made love and are in that fragile twilight of wondering "How was it for you?"/ "Are we ever going to see each other again?". Since both hero and heroine have a vested interest (external and internal) in the ex...yep, ups the stakes.

I'm off to write the scene.

 

Thanks, Ellen!!!

 

Deb

 

Ellen--woman, you amaze me! This is an amazing discussion and I'm enjoying every post! You're making me reconsider my own scenes, in a good way. (I can't post about my work though, due to conflicts) But you're definitely helping me. :)

I'll have to see if there's a way we can etch these lessons in gold!

Holly--why am I NOT surprised the bear trap was yours, lol. So glad to see you here! Now I'm going to mentally envision my chars with rusty teeth on their butts. :)

Dee 

(I do love writing the naughty subject lines...)

Deb--hi! Thanks for dropping in. I loved what you said about difficult scenes making our characters human. I think that's spot on.

One of the ways readers fall in love with our characters is through a connection with their vulnerabilities. If we let our characters do things and say things to increase the conflict, they are often revealing themselves in very vulnerable ways. Then our readers fall in love with our books and soon we're on the NYT list and...right. Well. Little fantasy sideline there, sorry.

The idea of vulnerability is closely tied to conflict. If our characters constantly make the smart, safe, right, logical choice, if they cover themselves and refuse to break down or ask for things, we won't have a lot of conflict and our readers won't connect with the writing.

Some of the conflict avoidance that I experience as a writer comes from wanting my characters to be safe and smart. I have to remind myself they're fictional and they need to take chances. They even have to look ridiculous at times. (This is very hard for me to write.)

But remember that when you let your characters be vulnerable, you're letting your readers love them and connect with them. That's a gift--something I strive for and wish I could accomplish every time.

Ellen

Okay, since I know Tasha is working and won't be back anytime soon, let's brainstorm about internal conflict without her.

Sometimes if a character seems well-adjusted, it's because they are. In that case, you need to get back to the drawing board and find someone wounded, broken, aching, etc. But sometimes, those seemingly well-adjusted characters are actually just very good at hiding their pain. In which case their pain must be HUGE and YUMMY and oh, yes, those are very nice characters for the conflict writer.

So, let's take Tasha's supposedly well-adjusted guy. How can we find out where he's hiding his internal conflict? We need to probe him. (In a good way. Hee.)

Questions to Uncover a Character's Hidden Internal Conflict
(The author asks the character these questions; we're not asking Tasha to answer them. )

1. When was the last time you had a date? Why did you pick that person? When was your last long-term relationship? Who ended it and why? Focus on their romantic issues first because that's the juicy conflict for romantic fiction.
2. What's your relationship like with your family? Close? How close? Does your mom call you to chat? To fix the sink? To complain about your brother? Only when she needs money? How old were you when you left home and what made you go? Ever considered moving back? Why or why not? Family is a great source of internal conflict. Let's face it, families can screw up even the most well-adjusted among us.
3. What about work--what's your job and why did you pick it? How would you feel if you found out you were going to be fired? Angry? Panicked? Ready for revenge? Relieved? Work can sometimes be a source of angst and the choice of career is often revealing for a character.
4. What do you do when you're faced with a conflict? Fight? Smooth it over? Disengage? Take charge? The way a character deals with conflict is full of possibility for the writer. If your character has vulnerabilities, they'll often reveal themselves in this area.
   

If those exploratory questions don't turn up any internal conflict, you can also try these.

• What's the worst thing that ever happened to you and why?
• What's your number one fear?
• What's the one thing you're deathly afraid of losing? (This might include pride, temper, control, those types of emotional things.)
• What is the one thing you want more than anything and why don't you have it right now?

Ellen

Hi, Ellen! How fun is this?

I just wanted to pop in with a comment about conflict and the slush pile, if that's okay...? Lack of conflict is such a common structural challenge. One of our editorial assistants used to say that ninety percent of the unsolicited manuscripts she saw (and she saw a LOT) had an external suspense plot...and that provided the only conflict in the book. "There's nothing keeping the hero and heroine apart except a volcano or an evil scientist," she told me. (Hm. Why are scientists always so evil? I digress.) So in our experience, most writers "get" external conflict.

For a romance, we need to see what obstacle--specific to this hero and this heroine--is keeping them apart.

The most exciting read is the one where readers can't figure out what's going to happen next. But in a romance, readers know the couple is going to live happily ever after. So an author's challenge is to make us as readers wonder how on earth this pair will ever get together.

On behalf of the editors here, thanks for helping nail down conflict!

Victoria

WOW, Ellen, I've been struggling for days with the realization that my hero is just too normal and well-adjusted. He's the perfect guy for the heroine, but I was afraid he'd be boring for the reader. Your description above of how normal can be conflicted just opened all sorts of new doors for me. 

 

Thanks from another peace loving/conflict wary writer.

 

MaryC