Conflict - Life blood for Stories

When I finally understood how important this concept we my stories took on a new life of their own. I used to worry that too much conflict was not a good thing. That everyday people never (unless they were really unfortunate) have to cope with the amount of conflict that there necessarily is in fiction. But then I realised and interesting fact, fiction is NOT everyday life. It is made up and for the most part everyday life for many of us is pretty boring. Not something a reader wants to invest many hours in – especially if you are a busy kind person with plenty of other stuff that needs doing. It’s why life stories are so boring – unless you’re famous or have done something outstanding with your life. Sorry, that doesn’t include the day you got involved with a row at your local supermarket!

Anyway, back to conflict. One look at the soaps and how they are written is enough to confirm we are not talking real life really. We all know that but it doesn’t stop us watching and enjoying seeing other people tussle with the agonising mess they make. It’s how they cope and overcome their problems that fascinate us. So it is with conflict in novels. You have to make trouble, fling it at them and then make it worse! Finally you throw the kitchen sink at them and almost see them go down and succumb… And then… Then we see them come to terms, rise up and overcome the conflict and obstacles we have created. Ah…. Not so boring, eh?

We have to connect with our characters and see them as real people but the conflict they face does not have to be normal conflict. In fact if we raise the stakes the conflict should escalate to unbearable heights and we are on the edge of our seats wondering how on earth they are going to cope with it!

And that states my case for more and more conflict to give your stories the life they deserve!

Do you put lots of conflict in your stories? Do you sometimes worry that you are over the top?