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Confliction Over Conflict Confliction–it’s a word, I promise. It’s the noun form of "conflict" that encompasses the action or condition thereof. Not just a battle, like "conflict" itself as a noun, but the state of being engaged in one. It’s a state I become intimately familiar with whenever we talk about the conflict of a story. Conflict is a crucial storytelling element. Any fifth grader can tell you that–they learn how to chart conflicts and resolutions, right along with climaxes and conclusions. I think the really tricky thing for an author, though, is to create a conflict that isn’t absolutely maddening. It’s easier (in my opinion, which might not count for much) for a fast-paced action story, in which the driving conflict is external. I mean, when you’re running from a guy with a gun, the conflict is easy to pinpoint. Sure, sometimes the plot still slips into "kick ’em when he’s down, when you think it should be over, and then kick ’em again. And again. And again." But for the most part, external conflicts are straight-forward, satisfying in their resolve, and even expected. Internal conflicts are a whole ’nother matter. They are absolutely, without a doubt, one hundred percent necessary, especially in a story that’s character-driven. But I’m guessing I’m not the only reader around who occasionally growls at a book and shouts out something along the lines of, "These characters are just being stupid!" I mean, I know there has to be conflict. I just don’t think it has to be a result of the idiocy of one or more of the main characters. Common examples: Heroine sees Hero talking to Beautiful Woman. Heroine immediately concludes that, in spite of the attention Hero has been showering on her, he must be in love with Beautiful Woman. Rather than ever discussing this like a reasonable adult, Heroine cuts Hero off completely. Um, yeah. Sure. Next: Heroine spills heart to Hero about Need To Be Loved. Many pages later, rather than confessing his emotion, Hero proposes and cites as reasons Duty, Necessity, and Compatibility. Hello? It just seems like a lot of times conflict is too contrived. We, as writers, know it must be there, know we have to toss some obstacles in the way of Happily Ever After in order to make the story a story instead of a sentence. And I’m willing to grant that in reality, just as in many a novel, people really irk me with their (there’s no nice way of saying this) stupidity. I know, I know: women really do overreact out of jealousy. Men really do forget to take into account women’s emotions. And when those men and women are ones I know, I’ll gladly tell them they’re being silly. Since I can’t do that with fictional characters, I’ll just have to settle for ranting here. The question comes down to this: what is at the heart of our conflicts in life? Do we fall into formulaic patterns that can predict what we grow angry about, how we lash out, and what responses we have to others? To a certain extent, yes. That’s why psychology can exist. But I think when we dig deeper into ourselves, we’ll see that the things that drive us aren’t as simple as a single conflict, and it takes a truly talented writer to capture that complexity. Unfortunately, there are a few authors I simply won’t read anymore. One springs to mind because I really felt every conflict was not only contrived, but irrational; another because the conflicts at the end struck me as totally unnecessary–it should have ended happily by all accounts, but didn’t. Why? I guess because they had another book planned in the series. This forces me to come to the conclusion that literary conflict is wonderful when it is natural, realistic, and complex. But conflict for the sake of conflict? I’ll fight that one off to my last breath. Wanna give me your take? Questions, comments, silly statements? Email me at BtL@ChristianReviewofBooks.com View Other Columns: Celebrating the Tradition |
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