Friday, November 4, 2011

Short Pieces on Short Stories -- Conflict

How I run to avoid conflict.  My characters exchange pleasantries – possibly they have life changing announcements to make – but do they yell and swear?  No.  They vomit quietly into bushes or fall out of bed.

Of course conflict doesn’t have to be between characters, as in real life, but usually they aren’t supposed to be reasonable, rational and thoughtful.

How do you show a character struggling with conflict? You can say ‘Joe was tortured by his wife’s infidelity’.  We all know that telling this is never as convincing as showing his torture.

I don’t like the shout-y form of communication popular in films and television.  But I haven’t yet figured out how to convey that earthquake in the lift of an eyebrow.


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5 comments:

Rallentanda said...

I'll give you eyebrow lessons for free.
If I say you are crazy please accept it as one of the highest compliments I can give you.

"You're crazy Isabel !"

Dave King said...

I see the difficulty. I think I might try getting the character to do something (quietly, maybe, but significantly) out of character.

jabblog said...

I hear Roger Moore may be available for tutoring . . .

susan t. landry said...

check out any films based on harold pinter's writing.

thanks, isabel. i always enjoy your provocative postings...

Friko said...

Are you writing? Have I missed an announcement?
Or am I just dense?

Good idea to put bits of writing experiences on, we can all learn from each other. I agree, don't tell me how or what a character is, show me.