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maxing out on drama
Is anyone else fed up of reading about how every scene has to have tension, drama, conflict, obstacles? Is it just me that wants my protagonist to have some scenes where she at least THINKS things are going well? I mean, I’m writing for Middle Grade and I want kids to think about getting balance in life not freak them out by presenting them with obstacle after obstacle, disaster after disaster, but agents seem to be asking for roller coasters with more downward rushes than my heart can cope with. Not every kid at the fair wants a high adrenaline ride, right?
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16 Replies
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Weeelll – my take on this is that reading is escapism and something that is too akin to the daily grind does not have much appeal. And would the children not appreciate the balance more if they’ve seen what happens without it? I don’t think high-octane adrenaline rushes every five minutes are necessarily needed, but there does have to be something progressing the story. No harm in your protagonist thinking things are going well, but if the reader knows (or suspects) different then you automatically have jeopardy that drives the story onwards even during an apparently quiet period. I agree that a breather from time to time is in order, but to use your rollercoaster analogy, could that breather not come while the car is cranking upwards?
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I agree with everything you’ve said, but I’ve just been reading that there should be conflict in every SCENE – isn’t that a bit too much? Can’t the escapism be had through a humorous scene or a simple discovery of something or even well-written interiority? Aren’t the conflicts and tensions best felt when mixed in with upbeat moments?
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I am totally with you there. Conflict in every scene sounds like overkill. Although I wonder whether what you have been reading on the subject might be right but has been badly worded? Maybe one needs to consider conflict, tension, drama and obstacles in more depth. In a scene where a heroine rescues a dog from a river you still have drama and tension (and obstacles until the rescue is complete). In a scene where boy kisses girl you still have drama and you might have conflict because the girl deeply wants it but maybe has been brought up to believe it’s wrong. Perhaps every scene, however cosy, does in fact have innate tension and it is our job to bring that out? I dunno – just thinking aloud.
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I don’t think it’s realistic nor desirable to have conflict in every scene and I’m not sure if that could even be achieved but what do I know!
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Very interesting discussion!
From what I have learned, there is a LOT to discuss here and it would take several books to nail it down—in fact, I have read more books that I can count on this subject. Let me see if I can share my perceptions simply.
One of the best books to treat this subject is Donald’ Maass’ The Breakout Novelist (2010), a fantastic mash-up of many of his previous books.
Maass does preach “conflict on every page” but the idea he describes as conflict might also be thought of as “contrast”—it is what gives the scene or moment the feel of life. For example, the scene does not have to be that someone broke in the door, held a knife to my throat and said they needed to have money to buy food for their dying husband. It could be: it was a beautiful glorious day, and my house was filthy, but the sunlight was so intoxicating that I didn’t care how filthy and poor I was for once—the sunlight made me feel rich. This still gets at “conflict”—there is an inner tug of emotion, and a new way of seeing something in a fresh light, so to speak—but there is not a cartoon.
Now, many books today are like television programs and they are often cartoons. People try and mimic the comic book style of plot-driven TV and it does not work—because you don’t FEEL anything.
The sense of feeling or “heart” in a book comes from subtle nuances and insights that the heart recognizes as human, not high speed car crashes. Another problem: everything today is so “mental”—heart is nowhere to be seen and when it seen it is clichéd and cloying and cheesy as all get out. Your standard depiction of love just does not feel real.
In ancient Greece, the Greeks treated “mind” as a second-class citizen, with intellect or spirit being the first-class citizen, although “mind” is about all you see in books these days. The Greeks were like: “Hmmmm. Body, mind, and spirit/intellect. Let me see. Body–yes we grunt, groan and eat like the animals—and other things, too. The mind—of course you don’t want to poke yourself in the eye with a knife. Why would you? But intellect/spirit—there’s the thing. Now THAT is interesting. Let’s hear about the soul!!”
Everything having to do with all the talk on plot scaffolding and TV-style conflict is all about “Mind”—a one-dimensional world of visual stimulation and things happening to people, usually jarring, and then a story of how they poked their enemy in the eye with a knife. Boring!
It is boring because it is not soul and it is not heart. It is FALSE conflict—it is a cartoon.
Real conflict is more like contrast—in people, emotions, perceptions, memories, feelings about things. Conflict through contrast shows very subtle and nuanced glimpses of the human soul and the human heart. This is what you can only get from a good book—and it is so seldom seen today in all the extravagant escapist plots and ridiculous storylines. If you use the words conflict AND contrast then yes, you need conflict on every page, in every sentence. But this is not a car explosion or a warehouse fire.
Hope this makes sense!
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Some great points, David. I think if I replace ‘conflict’ with ‘contrast’ it doesn’t feel so ridiculous. It’s also useful separating plot-driven TV from books with ‘heart’.
Love the Greek stuff too. It reminds me of a book I read recently which I really liked and gave me great insight into writing: The Science of Storytelling (Will Storr).
Thanks 😉
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I just kind of write – I don’t think about it that much, there’s a danger I think in over-thinking your writing but there’s a huge danger of under-thinking it too, so it’s a balancing act I suppose.
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As others have said, I think the problem with saying every scene needs conflict, is in the word itself. Conflict has certain connotations attached to it – war, high drama, arguments. And I don’t think that is how the word is meant in these circumstances. David’s idea of contrast is a great way of looking at it, but I’ve also heard it described as instability.
If all the characters are happy in a scene, that brings closure and risks removing the impetus for the reader to turn to the next page. However, if there is still an instability despite the happiness – a little feeling of uh-oh, how is this going to be resolved – that will make the reader want to read on to find out what happens.
I always start a scene/chapter on an instability and end on a different one. That ensures the story is always moving forward.
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This is such an interesting discussion! I write for adults so I’m not very aware of the MG world but I personally think that, rather than drama in every scene, every scene just needs to earn its place. So that could be that it moves the plot along, it could tell us something about a character or it could set up a question, for example. But I don’t think it has to be a non-stop rollercoaster, it just shouldn’t have any flabby scenes…
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Whether you like his writing or not, the master of tension and drama is Lee Child with his 24 book series on Jack Reacher. He must be doing something right!
I’ve just finished reading the 2nd of two books covering how he goes about it. The first one was ‘Reacher Said Nothing’ and the more recent one, ‘With Child’. These are not ‘how to books’ but they provide fascinating insight into his process, which is basically ‘no process’. He just sits down, starts (every year on Sept 1st) and writes. And he writes well. And with each book his sentences. Get shorter. Until sometimes they are just. One. Word.
He also know his character inside out, as indeed he should do after 24 books. And one of the attractions and why readers keep coming back is that the protagonist, does not go through a ‘character arc’ of revelation. In book one he is a loner, a drifter, a man who writes wrongs and is happy to do so with extreme violence and floating on a diet of too much coffee and breakfasts in diners. 24 books later he is still at it.
A bit like Enid Blyton really. Hmmmm. -
I think sometimes we take tension and conflict too literally. Conflict can be a lot of things, it can be external or internal. For example, a child who best friend broke an expensive lamp is torn between not saying anything to protect his friend and telling the truth like his parents taught him. In a romance conflict between wanting to kiss the girl but being scare of rejection or the tension of will they, won’t say. Tension can be as simple as being desperate to get inside because it’s raining hard and the character cannot find their keys, the turkey burning in the oven and not finding a mitt to pull it out, dying for a pee and all the toilet stalls are in use, etc… But when you have conflict then you also need conflict resolution and you need to alternate those. Can’t have one without the other.
I agree with Holly what every scene needs to have a purpose mainly move the plot forward and/or develop characters.
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I agree with Holly too, and with Kate. I think that creating instability is key, and some of the instability can be urgent and dramatic. Or maybe most of it should be obvious conflict, if that’s the kind of book you’re writing. But it can also include discomfort and niggling doubt while everyday life is carrying on at the same time.
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Hi Sarita, doesn’t it depend on the story you are telling? Whatever the motivation for your characters and their ultimate goals are, everyone or thing needs a breather. I am writing adult fiction, so use ups and downs in context with what is happening and what has just happened. I admit I am dialogue heavy, so if an incident has just happened, the characters involved may reflect on that afterwards, either talking about it or thinking individually. I like first person so a lot of my text would be the MC thinking about each situation before moving on. Maybe we are in a world where a lot of advice is generated towards action thrillers on TV or film. I used to wonder watching these whenever did these people go shopping or go to the toilet. What is the theme of your children’s book? Could the characters discuss whatever the conflict is for the purpose of resolving it, and learning from defeating whatever the crisis/evil is? Anyway best of luck with your book, a fellow writer I know (who has been published) advised me that something has to happen in every scene, either physically, or emotionally to move the story to its conclusion.
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Hi Jane. Yes, I’m sure it depends on the story – maybe I just object to the generalisation and the pressure on authors, regardless of the genre, to make every scene and chapter exciting. I do get though that readers don’t want to read about an uneventful shopping trip and that these are the bits that as authors we have to skate past, unless of course they can reflect back on the character or be resonant in some way. Speeding time up, fast forwarding over bits, is obviously a tool we use to keep the reader interested.
My story is about a girl desperate to belong. There is plenty of conflict/tension/contrast in my view, I just don’t want to have to orchestrate every chapter to end on a high/obstacle/cliffhanger etc. THAT to me feels false and perhaps a bit of a cheat. I guess I want my reader to want to carry on reading because she relates to the characters, loves the writing, wants to explore and discover more. I find the desperate need for drama even a bit patronising to the reader, like saying ‘if I’m not entertaining you constantly and rather asking you to pause and think and reflect a bit you’ll just give up’ -insulting the reader’s investment in the book and her emotional intelligence.
Anyway, I’m not an agent or publisher so what do I know? But I do think I have to feel honest with my reader and comfortable with my writing so I’ll try to find that balance which makes it feel right.
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I am pretty sure agents don’t always get it right. Books are highly subjective aren’t they. I have read three this year which were recommended via shops, online etc but all three I gave up on as I didn’t like the characters (and these were not anti hero types, they were just not interesting enough). These are published books. I already like the idea of your book someone who feels an outsider sounds great (to be honest my MC in my first book was similar but they are more fun to write aren’t they?. I think your character will try things out, try to find someone she can trust and have to test them out, that’s reflection which can alternate with tenser moments. I love books like that when you are wondering, what is he/she going to do next. Best of luck with it, and I think also most readers like a bit of mystery and working things out for themselves.
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I’ve heard that conflict can be defined in many ways. “Just thinking” may be enough conflict for your character in their situation. It can’t all be car crashes!
