The essence of story is conflict. — Donald Maass
April 1st is April Fool's Day, but there is no fooling around when it comes to a story's conflict.
Take the two ducklings above—two potential characters—but is there a story to be had? Technically, not yet because nothing substantial is happening between them or to them.
Conflict is the missing ingredient in a character sketch and in a vignette (a slice of life). After all, a story is about an interesting protagonist (the central character) in an interesting setting, who is confronting or about to confront an interesting problem. That problem is the conflict.
There are three basic kinds of story conflict: mind-wrenching (psychological), heart-wrenching (emotional) or physically wrenching (physical danger). Conflicts range from the simple (like going on a job interview) to the complicated (like a gunfight at the OK Corral).
Take a moment now to look at the idea you're working on. What's the central conflict or the ultimate goal? Be honest. If what you've written is a character sketch or a vignette, consider what kind of conflict would turn the work into a story.
As to how much conflict should a writer put on the page or in a chapter, or in a book? At a Donald Maass workshop I attended a few years ago, Maass said there was no such a thing as too much conflict. I heartily agree.
Conflict is a problem to be solved.
Conflict is the essence of a story.
Conflict makes or breaks a tale.
Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Writing!
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