Plot is often the one element that makes or breaks a story. Essentially, plot is conflict. Even in existentialist stories, the conflict is often hidden in the discussion of what life and existence means. For almost every other story out there, the conflict is easier to see. Usually the basic plot structure is something along… Continue reading Creating a Plot
Tag: conflict
Finding the Story Start
It’s no secret that the start of the story is one of the hardest to master. The opening scene is your best chance to catch your reader and to hook them into reading your story the rest of the way through. As the author, you already have a love and admiration for your characters. Your… Continue reading Finding the Story Start
Building Tension
One of those constantly talked about pieces of writing advice is tension. Make sure your story has tension. Let the tension ebb and flow. Raise the tension. The big question a lot of advice skirts around is where tension comes from, and how you manage it. In the short term: tension comes from conflict. By… Continue reading Building Tension
Worldbuilding: Politics Intro
Anywhere civilization starts to crop up people tend to group together. The exact definitions of a group of people can be a little vague. You might have people who are grouped together in a town, or in an occupational group. And how a group is managed and how they make decisions together is where politics… Continue reading Worldbuilding: Politics Intro
Conflict: Versus Others
Arguably the most common form of conflict is versus Other. In this particular conflict, there is someone else your protagonist must face off against. While some other forms can get away with not having an antagonist, that doesn't work in a versus Other conflict. With the versus Other conflict, you always have someone outside of… Continue reading Conflict: Versus Others
The Written Vixen 