So, what is conflict?

Well, to put it simply, conflict is what drives the story. It is difficult to single out only one aspect of writing and say “this is what’s important” because in all honesty, ALL aspects of writing are important for making a good story. However, conflict is one of the MOST important. Conflict can be created in several different ways, but in almost all cases, conflict is made by characters, and so that is what this article is going to be centered on.

Conflict - “Why do I care?”

Part of writing a good story is creating a mystery - a question that arises in the first few pages (preferably sentences) that makes the reader think, “Hm, I want to know more about this!” Although writing trends change all the time, the current trend is to introduce your conflict (or “mystery”) as early as possible, “snagging” the reader straight from the beginning. Why? Well, these days writing is about selling books, and the best way to get a book sold is to have it catch the reader’s attention straight from the start. In today’s fast paced world, people don’t have the mind to dig through pages of prose until they finally get a taste of the plot. I’m not saying this is the most artistic way to write; but I am saying this is what most agents, publishers, and readers are looking for these days, whether they know it or not.

The best way to introduce your conflict is to drop the readers in the middle of a scene from the first page. This immediately raises all sorts of questions and mysteries for the reader to unravel, such as why they’re suddenly located in the middle of a burning building or running for their life from a rabid tiger. The possibilities are endless. I would suggest, however, not to have a scene start with a character waking up or something similar - this tends to be a very over-used beginning, and there are much more creative ways to start a story. However, there are always exceptions.

Characters - Keys to Conflict

As I said before, characters are the key ingredients of conflict. Why? Because meaningful conflict doesn’t just happen on its own - it happens through the actions and feelings of characters in your story. This is another reason why, while writing a story, you should have a good feeling of who your characters are and how they will act. A lot of the time, most conflict does not happen externally, but rather internally, on all different kinds of emotional levels inside a character. The more conflict in the story, especially internal or side conflict (such as we find in complex characters), the more a story is psychologically engaging to the reader. Perhaps the overall conflict in the story is about the rise and fall of a country or kingdom - externally, the conflict is obviously coming from whatever problems the kingdom is facing. However, the interesting aspects of that conflict (along with the ones your readers will relate to the most) are going to be on a personal character level. For instance - the traitor who must sell out king and country in a wild bid to save his family’s life. The soldier who must hunt down the traitor, but who also happens to be his best friend. The King, who must decide between thousands of lives or giving up his own country to the enemy. These are the conflicts that intrigue the reader; not just the overall plot, but the individual struggles of characters. The characters are what we most identify with. They’re what we care about, and for good reason - they’re what create the story in the first place.

Planning - Yes, You Need It!

This is why it’s important to plan out your characters. If you’re stuck with writer’s block or don’t know how to further carry out your story, then turn to your character’s and their backgrounds. Chances are, their backgrounds are still pretty sketchy. For instance, what about the traitor that betrays a kingdom? What drove him to it? Where was he born, how did he grow up, how’d he meet his wife, how old are his kids, was he a good father…? All of these questions add to the conflict of the plot. What about the King? Did he always want to be King? Was he educated, did he receive formal training, when did he inherit the throne? All of these questions should be answered in your story, whether directly or indirectly, and all of them lead to greater conflict and awareness of the plot. It is a good idea to have a character chart before you start writing too far into your story. The chart isn’t a “rule of thumb” that you must follow, but rather a vague list of traits and personality characteristics that make up each character, and help you further decide what conflicts might arise between them. Feel free to make exceptions and change characters around - we can’t control them all the time, after all - but be away of what you’re writing. If a story is to hold together, and do it well, then the characters must be consistent and drive the plot.

 A Final Thought

So next time when you’re plotting a story or you have a bubble of inspiration, take an hour to write out your characters and think about how they add to the conflict, and the opportunities of inner conflict along the way.  In the end, it will work to make your writing stronger, more succinct, and more intellectually engaging to the reader.

 Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is a fantasy story aimed at young adult readers. In the story, Kendra and her younger brother Seth are two middle-grade children forced to spend a few weeks at their grandparents’ house while their parents go on vacation. Their grandparents’ place is located in the middle of a deep forest, surrounded by a beautiful garden and ripe with nature. It’s only after taking a sip of magical milk that Seth begins seeing all the forest creatures for what they really are - butterflies become fairies, fish become sea nymphs, and all sorts of other fantastical things take place. Now they are exposed to the wonders of Fablehaven, one of the last magical creature reserves - but along with the wonders come the dangers, and of them is an evil witch who longs for freedom in order to exact revenge upon the Fablehaven caretakers.

 Soon Kendra and Seth find that they’re the only ones who can save both their grandparents and Fablehaven from certain doom.

 My Impressions

Fablehaven is, sadly to say, a fairly boring read. There is only one exciting part in the whole book, which takes place some time in the middle, but other than that it is a headache to get through. The writing is simple enough for young children to understand, but it also lacks flair and a proper Voice, and the characters are so flat they could be made of cardboard. This is definitely a book that I’d imagine would make a much better movie - but then again, I hope it doesn’t receive that honor, since there are many more deserving titles. There isn’t anything unique or interesting about the plot, since we’ve all heard of the “magical creature reserve” before, and certainly nothing about the characters make it special. I am trying to come up with something positive to say about the book, but I just can’t. Oh yeah, it has a pretty cover - still not worth the $12 I spent on it.

 Do yourself a favor and don’t read it, or buy it for your 10-year-old nephew. Other than that - snore.

• Action: 5/10
• Suspense: 3/10
• Romance: 0/10
• Uniqueness: 4/10

Overall rating: 3/10

Dragon Sword and Wind Child, by Noriko Ogiwara, is a fantastical tale straight from the heart of Japan. The original version and subsequent sequels were all written in Japanese, though this is the first book of the trilogy that has been translated into English (it stands well on its own.) In the story, Saya is a young girl adopted by an old village couple. On the night of the spring festival where she is supposed to choose a husband, Saya instead encounters the beautiful and mysterious Prince Tsukishiro, who is the immortal son of the God of Light. Prince Tsukishiro recognizes Saya as the Water Maiden, the daughter of the Goddess of Darkness who is eternally killed and reborn into different bodies. Since Tsukishiro is immortal, he recognizes her spirit, and takes Saya to his palace where she meets Tsukishiro’s fierce and passionate sister, makes several new friends, and discovers the truth that killed all of the previous Water Maidens. Now it rests on Saya’s shoulders to either succumb to the same temptation that killed her previous incarnations, or to wage war against the forces of Light and return the Goddess of Darkness to Her rightful place over the world.

My Impressions
To be honest, I bought Dragon Sword and Wind Child because of the beautiful art on the cover; however, I was a bit less impressed by the actual story. I found the characters to be fairly flat and one-dimensional, and over time, Saya’s constant complaining and cowardice made me annoyed to the point where I could no longer sympathize with her problems. There was nothing truly outstanding about the basic plot line, it really is a typical “good vs. bad” scenerio, though Ogiwara does change things slightly by adding in characters whose loyalties are uncertain. Being a translated novel, there are several places where the story gets a little vague and somewhat redundant, and there are many sayings and analogies that I’m not familiar with and were somewhat confusing.

However, the real gem in this novel is the contrast between the children of the God of Light, who are immortal, and then the Water Maiden, daughter of the Goddess of Darkness, who is trapped in an eternal cycle of death and rebirth. The immortal children watch as the Water Maiden is reborn again and again into different forms, each one as lovely as the last, yet as tragically fated. I haven’t read a book that really deals with the philosophy of eternal life vs. eternal reincarnation, and it brings in a compelling dimension to the story that otherwise might have fallen flat.

To sum it up, Dragon Sword and Wind Child was a somewhat blase, average novel, but with insightful looks at Japanese philosophy and mythology, and a nice little romance story to boot. Read it if you like Japanese stuff - otherwise, you can live without it.

• Action: 6/10
• Suspense: 6/10
• Romance: 8/10
• Uniqueness: 6/10

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Probably the scariest thing any writer can face is the idea of rejection and ridicule.

To illustrate my point, today my attention was drawn to an acquaintance of mine, Samain from deviantart.com. She is selling a novel on her website that I was always envious of, I thought she was living the dream I had only imagined - but then I found her book on Amazon.com, and was shocked by some of the negative and downright nasty comments it had received. Words like “juvenile”, “amateur”, “cliche”, and “one-dimensional” were littered all over the page.

I think, perhaps, that is a writer’s worst nightmare - to put their book out on the market and then have it receive such harsh comments. But you know, I think that’s one of the challenges of being a writer, or an artist of any kind - to take the unkind words, the thoughtless criticism, the uncaring comments and turn them into something useful. Something that we can use later on down the line, either to improve ourselves, or to fuel the fire for a “revenge book” that will compensate for what we have suffered through. In the end, EVERY writer experiences rejections, ridicule, and those people who just “don’t like it” for whatever reason, and it’s important that we don’t take it to heart. A few harsh words can completely destroy a creative soul, and yet many people say them so thoughtlessly. We must build up a tough shell to protect ourselves.

So if you want to be a writer, don’t be afraid to post your work out in the open, to submit it to contests and charge headlong through rejections of all kinds. Because we’re all going to get rejected - we’re all going to have that one harsh comment that breaks our heart, the one foul word that makes us think “maybe they’re right, maybe I can’t do it, maybe it’s no good” - but don’t listen. Be brave, be bold, and make your career. As a writer, there is nothing else we can do.

Hello everyone!

L. Diane Wolfe is an independent author and publisher of her own series of novels, The Circle of Friends. For those of you with a taste of YA or Adult Fiction, this series of stories is uplifting and inspirational, and is in your best interest to take a look at.

Please view her website: Circle of Friends

Her blog also includes important information about self publishing, writing, and tips about the book market: Blog

Enjoy!

Nightwatch, by Sergei Lukyanenko, is the latest paranormal thriller straight from the depths of Russia. It presents us with a hidden world of vampires, witches, and shape-shifters, all existing alongside humankind, dipping in and out of a “parallel world” called the Twilight. The paranormal beings of the book receive their powers from the Twilight, and via an everlasting struggle between Light and Dark, seek control over the fate of mankind. Here we meet our protagonist, Anton, a “Nightwatch agent”, a wizard of average powers in charge of keeping tabs on the “Dark Ones”, much like a common day FBI agent. When Anton sees a woman with a magical vortex over her had, symbolizing a curse so powerful it could destroy all of Moscow, he finds himself trapped amidst a whirlwind of events that inevitably intertwine with his destiny, the future of the Nightwatch, and the fate of all Russia.

My Impressions:

Nightwatch was a fun, fast-paced read into a paranormal world much different than what we usually hear about in today’s urban fantasy stories. It is the first of a trilogy, all of which have been released in the US, but stands well on its own as a singular novel. To be honest, I saw the movie first, which does its best to portray the books - the movie was good enough that it got me to buy the novel. From an American reader’s standpoint, however, at times I found the translation of the novel confusing and important details about the Twilight, the powers of the supernatural beings, and the workings of magic were extremely vague. As in all translated novels, there were metaphors and sayings that weren’t familiar to me and at times didn’t make much sense (though these times were rare and only slight road bumps in what turned out to be a fun, exhilarating ride!).

The good part about the book is that although it sounds like the average “Light vs Dark”, black and white set-up, it actually is not. Lukyanenko does a great job of twisting the reader’s minds, questioning the motives of both the Nightwatch and the Daywatch, and blurs the line between good and evil. In much of the book, things did not end up the way I thought they would - the good guys and the bad guys were not always clear, and it definitely kept me on my toes, unable to guess what would happen next.

On a side note, the book is a wonderful, indirect foray into Russian culture and lifestyle, and gave me many insights into their values, beliefs, and social structure. For those out there who are interested in other cultures, this will definitely be a beneficial read!

To sum it up, Nightwatch was confusing at times, but action-packed, mysterious, thrilling, and overall a great read. I recommend it to anyone who is tired of the old fantasy regime and wants to take a taste of a different world!

• Action: 8/10
• Suspense: 10/10
• Romance: 5/10
• Uniqueness: 8/10

Overall rating: 8/10

Hi and welcome to my new blog! I will be updating this regularly with bits about my life, stuff about my books, all sorts of things. It’s so cool to have a blog hosted on my own site!

This is a sample of what a block quote looks like, I guess.

• And I can list things too!
• All sorts of things!
• Yay!

This is a link!

Alright, I’m done, check back later for more stuff!