Creative Writing Series for Home Schoolers

Hi again! Wow! Time is whizzing by isn't it? Let's begin-

Today we take a closer look at Conflict within a story. This is a critical element; one that cannot be overlooked or left out! Without Conflict, there is no plot, and without plot-well-there really is no story.

As we learned in Lesson Three: Plotting the Situation, the plot is a series of events that take the reader by the hand and walk him through the story from beginning to end. The Conflict is the 'tie that binds' so-to-speak. It creates the necessary tension within a story's beginning that captures the reader's attention and keeps him reading.

There are two types of Conflict: Internal and External, and four kinds: Man versus Man, Man versus Circumstance, Man versus Society, and Man versus him/herself. These can be defined or explained as: Character versus another character, Character versus a situation he or she is in, Character versus his or her environment, and Character versus his or her inner self.

Now comes the tricky part-connecting the dots of your Plot, Characters and Conflict so your reader is grabbed by the lapels and thrust into the story, not wanting to cease reading until the very end when he's faced with no more written words upon the page. This involves a buildup at the beginning, or crescendo, which leads right into the midst of the Conflict and then carries through to the ending, or resolution.

This climaxing Conflict can be achieved in many ways. Here are just a few:

(1) The story line can be one of progression; having the Protagonist run into one situation 'gone bad' after another, spiraling him farther and farther into the 'trouble' ahead.

(2) There can be surprise, where complex situations are developed that blend into the Plot making the reader's ability to predict the outcome nearly impossible. This would fall in line with a short story written by Kate Chopin entitled The Story of an Hour.

(3) Provide insight. Draw the reader in using revelations of human nature.

(4) Add some mystery! Tease the reader with little tidbits of information, but never give away full or too-telling details. Dangle that carrot in front of him and entice him farther and farther in.

When the reader finally arrives at the resolution point, you again have several options for turning the heat down on your created Conflict. Things can be left open to the reader to interpret and create their own ending-but be prepared, as many readers prefer not to be left hanging in such a way. You can provide a clear resolution all nicely spelled out for the reader-whether it's good or bad. The ending can be a monologue, where the main Character tells the reader his comments, similar to the endings from The Walton's years ago on television. The options are endless and the choices are entirely up to you-the author.

Task:

Part I

Read The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin from the link provided below. What did you think of the turn of events? Was the ending how you anticipated it would be? Were you able to pull any symbols or elements from the story, which prepared you for the conflict? Keep these questions in mind for yourself as you consider writing a short piece where you will create the Conflict and resolve it in Part II below.

Part II
Now that you've read the material from Part I and considered all the information covered in this session, it's time to create. Compose a story creating a conflict and resolving it. I realize this will be more difficult to do in a short piece, but try it in 1000 to 2000 words.

The Story of an Hour, By Kate Chopin

Previous Lessons in the series are:

Introduction: Elements of Writing

Lesson Two: Theme

Lesson Three: Plotting the Situation

Lesson Four: Forests and Trees

Lesson Five: A Matter of Character