Please welcome Jaqueline Seewald to the blog today...
How and Why Character and Conflict
Should Interact in Fiction by Jacqueline Seewald
To write the kind
of fiction readers can’t or won’t put down: Create compelling conflict.
Perfection is boring. So is a dull life. For example, the writer creates a
character whose life seems to be going along beautifully until things twist
around. Example: a successful executive is suddenly fired. A talented surgeon
is involved in an accident losing the use of a hand. Each individual must learn
to surmount obstacles. These are some ways character and conflict interact.
In my mystery
novel BLOOD FAMILY, Kim Reynold’s life is going well. But she’s troubled by not
knowing anything about her biological father. Just when she succeeds in
locating him, her father dies under suspicious circumstances. She soon finds
herself in conflict with a family she’d never known. As she investigates
further, her life is put in jeopardy.
The writer needs to set up values
and goals unique to the character/protagonist. The plot must fit the character.
Which should come first? Plot or character? Either one. They just have to work
well together. Plots have a chain of cause and effect relationships, not just
what happens, which is the story, but why things happen the way they do.
Clearly, this brings character into play. It is important to initially define
the main characters--what they want, what motivates and drives their needs.
I try to
start a book or story in medias res,
beginning in the middle of a scene of some significance. Something important
should be happening. Dialogue and action are crucial. I don’t want a static
beginning.
I suggest the writer intrigue the
reader by starting with some form of mystery. Make readers curious from the
first and then keep them guessing.
Think of the middle of the novel
as rising action (Aristotle’s words). What happens grows organically from what
occurs in the beginning. The protagonist runs into difficulties and can’t
easily solve them. Don’t slow the pace. Keep the tension building. Increase the
danger and/or the obstacles. This goes for any genre of fiction whether it is
romance, sci-fi, mystery, literary etc.
Comments welcome.
Jaqueline Seewald ©2020
Jacqueline Seewald most recent mystery novel is Blood Family. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies. Her writer’s blog can be found at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com
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6 comments:
Kevin,
Thank you for hosting me today!
Good article about crafting interesting plots. BLOOD FAMILY certainly had a fast moving plot with each character facing a conflict. Nicely done.
Bob
Thank you, Bob! Much appreciated.
It's always a pleasure to read a post about writing from an author who knows her stuff! Thanks for sharing.
You're very generous. Thank you for commenting.
Good advice for all of us! Thank you and thanks to Kevin for hosting.
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