Contact, contrast and
CONFLICT
Writer Barbara Dynes shows us three ‘con’ tricks that will
add both depth and interest to our stories
W
hen you sit down to write, conflict is internal. Consider this bench biting her
are you guided by the beginning: nails. Ben was
three ‘cons’: Conflict, Contact obviously not
and Contrast? Include all three First draft the person
and your writing is bound to be As it was such a lovely day, Jane she’d thought
more readable, more polished… decided to take her lunchtime sand- he was. Yet
and more likely to encourage wiches to the park. The sun warmed she had been
that coveted editor’s cheque! her, making her feel deliciously going out
happy and optimistic. Managing to with him for
Conflict blank out any negative thoughts of months now!
e W all know that conflict – or at Ben, she sat contentedly on a bench Wasn’t it a bit
least a hint of it – is vital as early under a massive oak tree and began late in the day to
as possible in the story or novel, to eat… suddenly blurt out
in order to hook the reader. he’d been in and out
Conflict can be external, with Would you read on? Of course of prison and in all
another person or situation caus- not! Where’s the conflict? sorts of trouble?
ing the main character’s problem. OK, you can’t always spell
Or it can be internal – within out the problem immediately. Contact
the mind of the main character, In a novel, with more time and Now we have some
when he or she is at odds with words, you can afford to draw conflict to hook
a situation. your reader into the story more us, it makes for a
Stories that really move us are slowly. But you do still need to more intriguing
those where at least some of the slip in a clue about the trauma opening.
to come. Only then will you But think again!
grab your readers, make Mightn’t it be even Third draft
them read on. So, let’s add more interesting if we brought in Ben was obviously not the
some conflict to this boring some contact, bringing us closer person she’d thought he was. Yet
opening: to Ben? she had been going out with him for
At the moment, the reader is months!
Second draft into Jane’s viewpoint, so there is She thought back to last night in
Jane had spent a certain amount of contact with the pub. Ben had been a bit quiet,
the morning going
over and over Ben’s
shocking confession
in her mind and by
lunchtime she felt
completely drained.
She left the office,
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It’s vital to get the two main
characters together – and I’m not
just talking romantic situations!
needing to be
alone, to think
what to do next.
In the park, her. We feel we know Jane a lit- nervously playing with a beer mat.
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she sat on a tle and can empathise with her. ‘Jane, I gotta tell you this – ‘
But we are only told about Ben ‘Oh, dear, you’re not married, are
– he’s a bit remote, hovering in you?’ she had answered, giggling.
the background. There’s no real ‘A while back I was in a bit of
contact. trouble… raided a warehouse with
So why not bring him to life by some mates,’ he muttered, peering
showing the pair together? How, into his glass. ‘Went down for two
you wonder, when he’s not with years. Then I got into another scam,
her in the park? Well, why not try swindled my aunt…’
cutting the last sentence and add- Jane stared at him. She couldn’t
ing a flashback scene? believe it of her Ben. Why hadn’t he
12 Writers
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forum #99
WF99JAN12.indd 1 25/11/2009 22:45:58
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