Prompt #86

I'm so conflicted

Good morning.

Photo by jean wimmerlin on Unsplash

Okay, my people.

I’m tossing the 400 word limit rule! I keep reading pieces that go a bit longer and sometimes I chastise the writer and then I feel bad…. From here until the end of this thing (December), you can post more than 400 words if you must, and I won’t say anything. But please be aware that I may not be able to read what you’ve posted (or comment on your writing). My brain can only take in so much!

Thanks, everyone. You are the best, most supportive crew EVER. Keep writing!

From the archives (edited):

Today, we’re talking about conflict—the very heart of fiction, the revved-up engine that moves a story forward.

Here’s a handful of synonyms for the word “conflict” pulled down from the Google machine:

strife, war, division, schism, dispute, altercation, clash, fight, scuffle, brawl, duel, quarrel, hostilities, rivalries, to battle, to engage, to jar, a showdown, a dogfight, a confrontation, combat, ruckus, dustup, squabble, disagreement, collision

While reading through those words, your mind may fill with visions of massive battles, bombs exploding, and bodies in the streets. That’s what happens to me, anyway.

But not all conflict looks like that. Some conflicts can be quite small.

Case in point:

Let’s say Mark really wants a cup of coffee, but Marilynn has just now used up the last of the beans. You could write an entire story on that seemingly innocuous bit of conflict right there. How could she have used up all of the coffee?? Doesn’t she KNOW that Mark needs a cup, too? Doesn’t she love him?? He must have his coffee! There are no dead bodies (yet) in this story. No one’s been challenged to a duel (yet). But Mark’s quest for a cup of coffee having been thwarted by selfish Marilynn—there’s a story in there. It’s both a problem in the physical world (no coffee) and it’s a problem inside of Mark (his relationship with Marilynn). Internal and external conflict!

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When I first began to write fiction,

…the word “conflict” was a real problem for me. It felt so big and intense. I felt like I needed war. Eventually, I realized there were other ways for me to enter a story without holding that word in front of me. I began to think of stories in a number of ways:

1. Instead of “conflict,” I’d sometimes think of a character having to “struggle” with something. The word “struggle” seems less intense than “conflict”—to me, anyway.

2. Instead of “conflict” or “struggle,” I’d sometimes think of a character as having a “problem.” The “problem” had to be external, but it would only be a problem because of the specific internal make-up of the character. (See Mark: above.)

3. Sometimes, I’d just tell myself: “In this story, something has gone wrong.”

4. Or I’d tell myself to remember to use the idea of “One day….” In other words, everything was fine in the life of my character until “ONE DAY…. something happened and then things went south.” Dealing with things going south—that was the story.

5. I’d think about this: “Something happened to someone in a particular situation.”

6. I’d tell myself: “Someone did something wrong, incorrect, or bad and then trouble ensued.”

7. I’d think: “Trouble.”

8. I’d think: “Make something go haywire.”

9. I’d think: “Just start writing. Eventually, something’s got to happen. Relax and go from there, letting the story unfold as you write it.”

All of these ideas helped me move away from the word “conflict” that I felt so conflicted about. Maybe you don’t have trouble with that word like I did (and still do). But if you do, then I hope my thoughts here on re-jiggering that term are helpful.

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I’ve got three short stories to share with you today, all of them examples of conflicts between partners—husbands and wives.

The first story, “You’re Making it Sound Like Something it’s Not,” is by Ross McMeekin, published online at Tin House. From the first sentence, we sense conflict. And then, the second sentence helps to set the tone: “The swivel chair hisses as he stands.” That word—hisses—was carefully chosen. With the third sentence (“Don’t be like this.”) we are off to the races.

The next story, “The Closet,” was written by Pamela Painter, and it appears online at the Flash Fiction Review. This beautiful little story has a much subtler conflict.

Lastly, take a look at “The Off-Season,” from Jami Attenberg, which appeared in Smokelong Quarterly in 2007. I’m not going to make any comments on this one. Just read it!

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TODAY’S PROMPT

1. Write a story that shows a conflict or some kind of trouble/problem between two people in a relationship—married partners or domestic partners or long-term partners—whatever term you like to use.

2. If you don’t want to write about married or domestic partners, go ahead and choose two people in another kind of close relationship (brother and sister, two friends, grandmother and grandson, etc.).

3. If you don’t want to make your conflict between two people, then choose two other entities in conflict with one another. There are no rules around here! Write what you want to write!

As always, 400 words max to post in the Comments. And if you go over, well, so be it!

See you next week!