Friday, August 25, 2017

On the Road: How to Create Meaningful Obstacles Via Conflict

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I'm a traveling fool this week, and today, I'm visiting K.M. Weiland over at Helping Writers Become Authors, chatting about ways to create meaningful obstacles through conflict. Come on over and say hello!

Here's a sneak peek:
Conflict is one of those terms frequently used as a catch-all for compelling storytelling, when it’s really just one aspect of what makes a strong story. We use it even though we really mean the scene needs a clearer goal, or more tension, or a better character arc, but saying “this scene needs more conflict” sums it up in a convenient—if confusing—way.

It doesn’t help that so much advice out there (mine included) describes conflict as “the obstacle preventing the protagonist from achieving the goal.” This is technically true, but also false. The obstacles in the way of the protagonist’s goal are the challenges that need to be faced, and usually, there is conflict associated with overcoming or circumventing those obstacles, but an obstacle in the way isn’t all conflict is. (read the rest here)

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