Topic #4: Conflict

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Even the shortest of stories have a conflict. Just ask Little Red Riding Hood. Or the Little Old Lady Who Lived In The Shoe. Or the Little Mermaid.

Every story must have an interesting conflict. Nobody's ever written a good story with a normal person, living a normal, boring life, and does nothing but sit down and breathe. Imagine reading a full novel like that.

It's not easy to do is it?

That's because there's no such thing! Every single story has some sort of conflict to be resolved. Otherwise, what are you doing with your life?!?

Conflict is why a story is a story. If nothing comes of a story; if nothing is presented, resolved or changed -- then there's no real purpose of a story.

Conflicts don't have to be huge, like slaying a bunch of giant evil mutants that look like inside out humans. They can vary in size, depending on the length of your storyline. Of course the conflict can remain relatively the same for a whole series of books! Just look at the Series of Unfortunate
Events by Lemony Snicket.

Let's go back to the normal, boring person and give him a conflict. He's sitting and breathing at the moment. His life has been pretty normal and boring for the most part. He's nothing on his mind. But wait! He's coughing! Choking on his own air that he had been breathing for oh so long. He can't seem to stop coughing. Now his throat is sore. And look! A nearby person has stopped to give him some water. Now his throat is soothed and he has stoped coughing. He's back to sitting and breathing again.

Now that was much more interesting than it originally was, wasn't it? At least it is compared to the original idea...

And better yet, you can even stretch the idea; that coughing fit was the most exciting thing he's done in a long time. Suddenly he yearns for that excitement again. He stands, no -- jumps to his feet and takes off down the street to find more of the excitement he craves.

Now there's a fairly interesting story! And it came from a very boring and uninteresting idea pf a man sitting and breathing.

Writing is incredible, isn't it?

Anyways, that's all I have for this topic. Any specific questions? Or maybe have an idea of a topic for me to do? Comment and/or PM me about it!

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Stay positive and keep writing!

-Jasmine

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