October 7, 2008 | writing
Lesson Number One in every single frickin creative writing course I teach:
USE YOUR CONFLICT. Make things worse for your characters. Don’t bother with the nice conversations, write the ones that make a difference. If your characters are discussing tea or the weather, give them a major sub-text about the problems underneath. Don’t put off conflict for later, use it as soon as you can to keep the pacing up, and make it more complex and difficult as the book goes on.
So what do I do this morning? Write a conversation about fake tan, for God’s sake, that is actually about fake tan. And then I wonder why it’s boring!
I took a break to do the hoovering upstairs (I can only do this while Fecklet is at his child minder as he is afraid of hoover) and suddenly, bang crash wallop, I realise my conversation is wrong, it shouldn’t be about fake tan, it should be about why my heroine is lying to the person she thinks is her best friend! I was going to keep this conflict until later in the book–but WHY?
USE YOUR CONFLICT, stupid Julie!!
I’m going to rewrite it now.
Jan Jones says:
So THAT’S what hoovering is for! I used to hoover to send my firstborn to sleep. Which is why I only ever had a three-minute patch of clean carpet…
phillipa says:
Totally agree Julie. My new heroine just found out her childhood sweethear is engaged while serving his finace a muffin.She has to act tottaly cool on outside while in turmoil inside. But it could be much better – you’ve reminded me to ramp up the tension in the scene!
However, all I write is crap today as you know.
phillipa says:
Also my typing. I have finance on the brain, as my life savings go down the banking toilet !
liz says:
as always your reminders come at the perfect time! Thanks and great to see you last week if a bit rushed
Fran says:
Thank you! I am editing my writing today, so thanks for kick up backside. also, my grls were both scared of the hoover..maybe becuase when mummy use it, she sometimes cursed at the same time?
Julie says:
Yes, Jan, I would never hoover if it didn’t give me plot ideas.
When Fecklet was very young and in a sling, I used to hoover with him on my chest because he liked the noise and movement. No longer. Obviously, my house is much dirtier now.
Julie says:
Phillipa, a muffin! Genius!
Crap is allowed, God I hope so as that’s what I mostly write these days. It’s the writing that counts.
Julie says:
Liz, I am constantly amazed at how I can forget these very basic things. I’m sure you don’t need a reminder but if it helped…good.
It was lovely to see you and the little miss last week, one day we will get to talk properly!
Julie says:
Fran, good luck with the editing, and cursing–surely not?!
Michelle Styles says:
Editing and revising are for adding the missing bits in. Upping the tension is important. particularly in scenes that are potentially low tension or tension hoovers as is making sure the protagonist leads, and that you do not lay too much pipe.
phillipa says:
Julie – can you do a piece on keeping confidence in your own voice? Pretty please..
Julie says:
Agh, in this case I had to go back and rewrite the whole thing right away, Michelle, because it substantially changes the parts that come afterwards, in a good way.
What does that mean, “lay too much pipe”?
Julie says:
Keeping confidence I’m not so sure of, but I’ll happily blog about voice, Phillipa. Not that I know anything except for my own random thoughts.
I’ll try that tonight. What should I talk about!?!?
phillipa says:
I always wonder what ‘voice’ is exactly. It’s hard to define, isn’t it? I was really freaked out when I heard mine for the first time. It was SO different to my articles etc
Also – when you get knockbacks like rejections or negative review (yet readers seem to enjoy what you write…), how do you hold true to your voice and not be shaken into thinking you should try and write like someone else? Anyone else!
Also – do you find it hard to read other books while you write your own? I love reading but hardly dare open another romance these days for fear of a – thinking my writing sucks and b – taking on that author’s style. That might be because in my other job, it is actually my job to emulate another person ie client’s voice.
Sorry. I just rambled on there!
phillipa says:
And now, thanks to your reminder, I’m off to edit and rack up the tension in that muffin scene.
Debs says:
This is just what I needed to be told today.
Thanks, off to the shed to put it into practise.
D
Michelle Styles says:
Lay too much pipe = build too much backstory. A complex or complicated backstory that no one understands, including the author.
Author Phillipa Ashley » Blog Archive » Tension says:
[...] I read Julie’s great post about conflict, I’ve been ramping up the tension in every scene of my new book. It’s not difficult as [...]
Julie says:
Debs, good luck ramping up conflict in the shed!
Michelle, I have done EXACTLY that in my wip. Good to see there’s an expression for it, ie that others have done it, too.