Though I provided this information in March 2011, it's worth reviewing again, because it provides a major way to create dynamic, three-dimensionsal characters for your fiction. When you locate the various personality types in your story, you can build quality conflicts that catpures readers and hangs on. Though I'd studied the core personalities in my psychology classes in college, A couple years ago, Author Mark Mynheir presented a workshop on characterization and suggested the use of the Myers Briggs personality test to help create dynamic characters by using the basic core personalities and then wrapping a backstory history around him. Instead of using the eight personalitiy types in the Myers Briggs, focus on the four
core personalities: : feeler, driver, analyzer, and elitist.
Feeler:
The feller is a person who reacts and interacts through emotion and comes across as warm and friend. He avoids confrontation and always tries to put the most positive twist on every situation. He prefers intimate groups rather than a crowd and rarely initiates conversation, especially with strangers. When in a larger group, he becomes more reticent and only expresses opinions that are non-aggressive. His emotions are often on his sleeve. His body language can be emotive. Think Oprah.
Driver:
The driver tends to be a Type A personality who is perceptive and therefore likes to control the situation. He is curious and enthusiastic while tending to pick up on the mood and style of the group he is in. He is verbal and quick-minded. His body action is animated. Some people might considered him overly-friendly, but he is naturally gregarious. He would be considered a nonconformist, willing to take changes if he sees the possibility of positive results. Think Bill O’Reilly
Analyzer:
The analyzer is organized, logical, and stoic. He is careful in what he says, controlling himself mentally, physically and verbally. Though he is pleasant, he keeps his distance and appears to need no one besides himself. Emotions are not for the analyzer, but intellect is. He is very self-confident and is not at ease in lighthearted or frivolous situations. Think Barbara Walters and Martha Stewart.
Elitist:
The elitist is aloof and feels superior. Although he appears friendly, he has a strong sense of his own importance. He observes his surroundings yet is detached from the situation. He can be charismatic and easily stands out in a crowd by his bearing and manner. Think Simon Cowell and Hannibal Lector.
Identify your main characters into one of the four categories, then build your backstory around these kinds of personality traits. Once you have this established, look at your major plot points and begin to build the conflicts that can result from these particular personality combinations. You will come up with quality conflicts if you do your homework.
Showing posts with label conflicts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conflicts. Show all posts
Friday, July 13, 2012
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Conflict = Tension = Emotion - Part II
In Part I, I defined conflicts and described the kinds. As I said, conflict is the backbone of fiction, and understanding this important element helps the author become a better writer. Hopefully I have added a few new thoughts to this blog.
Nature of Conflict
1. Complexity
Conflict, especially internal conflict, is complex because it tests the character’s problem solving abilities and wiles. It forces the character to devise a plan and to test his or her strength, and it results in change. The conflict inherently opens emotional doors that add to the tension.
2. Choices
Conflicts offer choices. The character must make decisions which path he will travel to resolve the conflict. These choices are important to the integrity and worth value of the character. If he fails, his self-esteem crumbles or his life could end, depending on the type of genre. Making choices is when backstory comes into play. What were the beliefs of the character’s family? What was right and wrong? What old saying did they believe as true? A stitch in time saves nine. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Do to others as you would have them do to you. These beliefs influence the way in which a character thinks and acts, so make sure to use these childhood/family’s beliefs to enhance poor decision-making or unexpected choices. Surprise the reader. With choices, you have tension, and whether the right or wrong choice, an emotion is a result for both the character and the reader.
3. Conflicting Choices
In real life, people are often faced with decisions in which they must choice the “lesser of two evils.” Decisions are rarely easy and sometimes they are not perfect. When a character must make a choice that creates a new problem or clashes with a deep-seeded belief or value, a new conflict is created. When clashing into a value or belief, emotion is expelled. Let’s say to save himself from being accused of a crime, he must incriminate his brother or a parent. Or Finding a lottery ticket, he wins a large payout, but he knows the person who lost the ticket. Does he keep the money? Split it? Or tell the person who lost it that he won the million dollar jackpot? Can you imagine the emotional reactions characters have dealing with this kind of conflict.
4. Conflict Grows and Deepens
When you peel back one layer of an onion, beneath you find another thicker layer. This is conflict. A novel depends upon layers of conflicts—the thin ones first and then they grow deeper and more dramatic. As a character believes he is resolving one issue, it is important to add another problem in his path that creates a new conflict. Always save the most dramatic and worst one for last. Don’t make your character’s life easy. Drama and emotion go hand in hand.
5. Immediate Conflicts
Every novel opens with a conflict. This is what hooks the reader and keeps her reading. Often the early conflicts come from a situation appearing on the first pages that causes the character to act or to make a decision. This can happen from a letter, a telephone call, a new character with a message, a strange situation, finding a clue to something important or a person needing to run away from a situation. Whatever it is don’t plop heavy backstory into the opening chapters. Hint at the past through introspection or dialogue. Cause the character to do something that leaves the reader with questions (he receives a letter and hides it). But don’t spew out information that pulls the reader from the action. Let the conflict tug the reader along.
6. Conflict Introduction
Introduce a new conflict building before ending the current one. Don’t give the character a moment without a conflict. Be real. Life is filled with small and large problems. Organize the difficulties in the character’s life and present them one at a time. This keeps the novel moving along, and allows emotion to build in a realistic way.
Nature of Conflict
1. Complexity
Conflict, especially internal conflict, is complex because it tests the character’s problem solving abilities and wiles. It forces the character to devise a plan and to test his or her strength, and it results in change. The conflict inherently opens emotional doors that add to the tension.
2. Choices
Conflicts offer choices. The character must make decisions which path he will travel to resolve the conflict. These choices are important to the integrity and worth value of the character. If he fails, his self-esteem crumbles or his life could end, depending on the type of genre. Making choices is when backstory comes into play. What were the beliefs of the character’s family? What was right and wrong? What old saying did they believe as true? A stitch in time saves nine. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Do to others as you would have them do to you. These beliefs influence the way in which a character thinks and acts, so make sure to use these childhood/family’s beliefs to enhance poor decision-making or unexpected choices. Surprise the reader. With choices, you have tension, and whether the right or wrong choice, an emotion is a result for both the character and the reader.
3. Conflicting Choices
In real life, people are often faced with decisions in which they must choice the “lesser of two evils.” Decisions are rarely easy and sometimes they are not perfect. When a character must make a choice that creates a new problem or clashes with a deep-seeded belief or value, a new conflict is created. When clashing into a value or belief, emotion is expelled. Let’s say to save himself from being accused of a crime, he must incriminate his brother or a parent. Or Finding a lottery ticket, he wins a large payout, but he knows the person who lost the ticket. Does he keep the money? Split it? Or tell the person who lost it that he won the million dollar jackpot? Can you imagine the emotional reactions characters have dealing with this kind of conflict.
4. Conflict Grows and Deepens
When you peel back one layer of an onion, beneath you find another thicker layer. This is conflict. A novel depends upon layers of conflicts—the thin ones first and then they grow deeper and more dramatic. As a character believes he is resolving one issue, it is important to add another problem in his path that creates a new conflict. Always save the most dramatic and worst one for last. Don’t make your character’s life easy. Drama and emotion go hand in hand.
5. Immediate Conflicts
Every novel opens with a conflict. This is what hooks the reader and keeps her reading. Often the early conflicts come from a situation appearing on the first pages that causes the character to act or to make a decision. This can happen from a letter, a telephone call, a new character with a message, a strange situation, finding a clue to something important or a person needing to run away from a situation. Whatever it is don’t plop heavy backstory into the opening chapters. Hint at the past through introspection or dialogue. Cause the character to do something that leaves the reader with questions (he receives a letter and hides it). But don’t spew out information that pulls the reader from the action. Let the conflict tug the reader along.
6. Conflict Introduction
Introduce a new conflict building before ending the current one. Don’t give the character a moment without a conflict. Be real. Life is filled with small and large problems. Organize the difficulties in the character’s life and present them one at a time. This keeps the novel moving along, and allows emotion to build in a realistic way.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Conflicts, hooks, characterization in a novel?
Another new author asked a very complex question about conflicts and hooks when the novel isn't a suspense.. Most of you know the importance of conflicts and hooks in any kind of novel, but here was my response to her question---both an explanation and advice.
Gail said:
Your questions are so complex I'd have to write workshops for each of them. Let me say a few things - and then I would recommend you purchase a couple of good books on plotting. You can read them slowly and refer back to them when you get confused.
You also would benefit by finding a critique group so you have people who can look at your work and make comments specifically about some of the things are you doing well and the things that need work.
Conflicts
Every story needs conflict. Without them you don't have a story -so you need to give serious thought to this. Conflicts (which creates tension) are the things that get in the way of the person reaching their goal or his need in the story. The goal usually is motivated by something that happened or is happening in the character's life. For example - A man grew up very poor with no father in the home. He had to eat in soup kitchens with his mother. As he grows up, he is determined to get an education and have a good life -- but this goal might have different purposes. He might want to be rich and successful because he no longer wants to be poor. Or he might want to be rich and successful because he wants enough money to help others who are poor so they don't have to live as he did. The purpose would be based on the man's character and personality
Now conflict is what gets in the way of his success. Perhaps he has a job and is working his way up in the business but the owner dies and his son takes over. He doesn't like the hero who now starts having career problems. Or let's say his job is going well but a new man joins the business, and the new man starts taking over and the hero begins to lose control of his success in the business. These are just a couple examples, but I hope you understand why conflict is necessary. Without conflict, you have a story of a guy who had a difficult life and now is doing well. That's boring. . .even if it has humor in it.
Though I write romantic suspense, most of my novels are straight romance so they're not scary at all, but the characters have problems that add tension to the story and make them more dramatic. Problems need to grow worse with each problem.
Suspense is a genre but tension, conflict and emotion are vital to any story whether it be family relationships, romance, coming of age, searching for purpose, or any other type of fiction.
Conflicts are not arguments. In fact that's the weakest kind of conflict. Conflicts are those internal struggles we have in making decisions. Let's say your character realizes that her brother has gotten involved in something illegal. She has the moral struggle to close her eyes and say nothing or confront her brother and hope he steps away from what he's doing, or contact authorities and turn him in. This is internal conflict which is the strongest kind of conflict because it affects values, morals and beliefs which are important to each of us.
In romance, a conflict might be a woman who has lived a shady life---let's say she was involved in prostitution or perhaps some kind of illegal business --- and now she's moved away and is living a stellar life, one she's proud of. She meets a man and she's falling in love. He's falling in love with her -- but she fears he will learn about her past and hate her for it. . .or walk away and not forgive her. She must decide to tell him and hope he forgives her, take the chance he'll never learn about it, or walk away from the chance to love. This is real conflict with tension and emotion.
Now complicate that story. She decides not to tell him, but someone comes to town who knows her past. Now what does she do? You've heightened the stakes. You've added to the tension. Though this story is romance---not a suspense---it creates suspense.
Tension creates emotion and emotion is what makes your story interesting for readers. Without tension and emotion, you don't have a plot which means you don't have a story.
Characterization:
Conflicts and tension helps characters change and grow. a must in good fiction. If you're succeeding with that, you are doing a good job because you're creating "real" people. Think of your own life. Everyday you are a different person because of something that has happened in your life. You learned a new lesson, you focused on something that you've never noticed before. You learned something new about yourself or about someone else. You found something you can't handle. You make a choice or a decision. These are all changes that characters experience in novels. As you read a novel, you should dissect it so that you can see how these characters are changing.
Hooks
Hooks are very important to keep your reader turning pages and finding out what's going to happen next. Without hooks, they have no reason to keep reading so keep that in mind. A hook can be an open ended question at the end of a chapter. It leaves the reader trying to decide what he will do. At the end of a chapter, a hook can be a phone ringing and the chapter ends. This would work if the character is waiting for an important call that will answer a vital question or offer a needed job or help. Put a scene involving someone else between the character answering the phone. Don't do that too often or it will lose it's hook value.
Final comments:
As a new writer, you can't learn everything in a day or a week or a year. It often takes many years to write a novel that is saleable, but you shouldn't give up. Put aside the old novels if they don't have enough story to create drama, and start a new one, using the new techniques that you are learning. Most people don't sell their first novels. I have numerous novels I wrote early in my career that are not published. Let this information soak in slowly and don't get discouraged. Copy this info and learn it in small pieces.
Gail said:
Your questions are so complex I'd have to write workshops for each of them. Let me say a few things - and then I would recommend you purchase a couple of good books on plotting. You can read them slowly and refer back to them when you get confused.
You also would benefit by finding a critique group so you have people who can look at your work and make comments specifically about some of the things are you doing well and the things that need work.
Conflicts
Every story needs conflict. Without them you don't have a story -so you need to give serious thought to this. Conflicts (which creates tension) are the things that get in the way of the person reaching their goal or his need in the story. The goal usually is motivated by something that happened or is happening in the character's life. For example - A man grew up very poor with no father in the home. He had to eat in soup kitchens with his mother. As he grows up, he is determined to get an education and have a good life -- but this goal might have different purposes. He might want to be rich and successful because he no longer wants to be poor. Or he might want to be rich and successful because he wants enough money to help others who are poor so they don't have to live as he did. The purpose would be based on the man's character and personality
Now conflict is what gets in the way of his success. Perhaps he has a job and is working his way up in the business but the owner dies and his son takes over. He doesn't like the hero who now starts having career problems. Or let's say his job is going well but a new man joins the business, and the new man starts taking over and the hero begins to lose control of his success in the business. These are just a couple examples, but I hope you understand why conflict is necessary. Without conflict, you have a story of a guy who had a difficult life and now is doing well. That's boring. . .even if it has humor in it.
Though I write romantic suspense, most of my novels are straight romance so they're not scary at all, but the characters have problems that add tension to the story and make them more dramatic. Problems need to grow worse with each problem.
Suspense is a genre but tension, conflict and emotion are vital to any story whether it be family relationships, romance, coming of age, searching for purpose, or any other type of fiction.
Conflicts are not arguments. In fact that's the weakest kind of conflict. Conflicts are those internal struggles we have in making decisions. Let's say your character realizes that her brother has gotten involved in something illegal. She has the moral struggle to close her eyes and say nothing or confront her brother and hope he steps away from what he's doing, or contact authorities and turn him in. This is internal conflict which is the strongest kind of conflict because it affects values, morals and beliefs which are important to each of us.
In romance, a conflict might be a woman who has lived a shady life---let's say she was involved in prostitution or perhaps some kind of illegal business --- and now she's moved away and is living a stellar life, one she's proud of. She meets a man and she's falling in love. He's falling in love with her -- but she fears he will learn about her past and hate her for it. . .or walk away and not forgive her. She must decide to tell him and hope he forgives her, take the chance he'll never learn about it, or walk away from the chance to love. This is real conflict with tension and emotion.
Now complicate that story. She decides not to tell him, but someone comes to town who knows her past. Now what does she do? You've heightened the stakes. You've added to the tension. Though this story is romance---not a suspense---it creates suspense.
Tension creates emotion and emotion is what makes your story interesting for readers. Without tension and emotion, you don't have a plot which means you don't have a story.
Characterization:
Conflicts and tension helps characters change and grow. a must in good fiction. If you're succeeding with that, you are doing a good job because you're creating "real" people. Think of your own life. Everyday you are a different person because of something that has happened in your life. You learned a new lesson, you focused on something that you've never noticed before. You learned something new about yourself or about someone else. You found something you can't handle. You make a choice or a decision. These are all changes that characters experience in novels. As you read a novel, you should dissect it so that you can see how these characters are changing.
Hooks
Hooks are very important to keep your reader turning pages and finding out what's going to happen next. Without hooks, they have no reason to keep reading so keep that in mind. A hook can be an open ended question at the end of a chapter. It leaves the reader trying to decide what he will do. At the end of a chapter, a hook can be a phone ringing and the chapter ends. This would work if the character is waiting for an important call that will answer a vital question or offer a needed job or help. Put a scene involving someone else between the character answering the phone. Don't do that too often or it will lose it's hook value.
Final comments:
As a new writer, you can't learn everything in a day or a week or a year. It often takes many years to write a novel that is saleable, but you shouldn't give up. Put aside the old novels if they don't have enough story to create drama, and start a new one, using the new techniques that you are learning. Most people don't sell their first novels. I have numerous novels I wrote early in my career that are not published. Let this information soak in slowly and don't get discouraged. Copy this info and learn it in small pieces.
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