Day 13!
Whew! It's been a couple of days. I say a couple since technically I did write yesterday, I just did it a little differently.
Since
the second Friday of the month is now Palace Night, I decided to RP instead. It's definitely still creative writing!
However, it's back to my normal routine now.
Before I move on to my story writing for the night, I'd like to share something that has helped me with both writing and RPing, identifying and using conflict.
What is Conflict?Conflict is the heart of a story. It's anything that stands between your character and what they want to do. This is usually what we find interesting about a story. However, conflict is much more than hostility and fighting. Literally, anything that keeps your character from completing a goal is conflict. Therefore any "scene", "interaction", or "story moment" can have conflict. What's more, it should have it. That may seem odd, especially in RP, but let me illustrate.
Let's say that your character wants to enjoy a beer. It's a good start. Action starts with a desire to have something or do something. Without it, your character will stand where they are like a bump in the road. However, your character goes to a bar and orders a beer. The end.
That's not really all that interesting, is it? Not only that, it's not very interesting for a reader or another RPer. However, we can fix that with conflict. Let's try having this character wanting to enjoy a beer but something gets in the way.
How to Use ConflictLet's go back to our character at the bar and give them another chance for some conflict. Imagine that they take their first sip of the beer and instantly have to grab their mouth to keep from spitting it out. They begin to look very uneasy and make a few faces. They may even start to turn colors before looking around frantically...
I think we can safely say that something has kept them from their goal of enjoying a beer, but what? Did our dear character find out that they make beer out of something different on this planet? Did they order a beer but have no idea what a beer actually tastes like? Did they see something shocking and their reaction has nothing to do with the beer? Can you think of any other possible reasons for that kind of reaction? This is the great thing about conflict, it raises questions.
Open questions create interest and interest can lead to engagement. This happens because people are curious. When people encounter an open question, they naturally want to get an answer. This is why "will they won't they?", "whodunit?", and "will they survive?" situations are really good at holding attention.
Holding attention is really important and it's most important in an RP. Without interest, characters stand there not doing anything, players get bored, and the story stagnates. But questions like "what just happened" become a reason for other things to start happening. Sometimes it's the RP-saving catalyst for two or more characters to actually interact.
A Few More ThoughtsAll of that being said, try doing this in the future. Think about what your characters want and what can reasonably get in the way. If RPing, also lookout for when other characters try to get or do something and it fails. Just like questions are an excuse for others to interact with your character, it's also an opportunity for you to interact with someone else's character.
One more thing to note for RP, though, is that this works better if people in the same conversation or "interaction" stagger trying to introduce conflict. For example, if several characters are waiting quietly at the bar, it's great to have your character attempt something but hit some conflict. If there is already a lot going on at the bar, it might be better to wait until things slow down before attempting to introduce conflict.
Regardless, as you experience stories or create them, pay attention to the flow of stories that interest you. See if you can spot the conflict driving the story. As you get better at identifying and using conflict, I'm sure you will find it super useful.
Keep. On. Writing!
