Characters or Conflict?

[lucky-E-leven]

I recently had a fun story idea, but there is no real conflict. I don't think I typically write fluff or pure stroke, but I keep spinning this idea around in my head anyway.

So, I'm curious.

Can well developed characters carry a short story for you?

or

Must there be some kind of conflict?

~lucky

 

[yui]

Can well developed characters carry a short story for you?
~lucky

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Though typically, even in character driven fiction, there is conflict created with character development, eh?

 

[minsue]

Yup. Hell, if they're done well, even character driven novels can suck me in and leave me in a state of confusion when I'm done reading and realize nothing actually happened in the whole damn bood.

Conflict is definitely not necessary, but some sort of tension is, be it within a character or between characters.

I've no doubt in my mind you've the talent to pull it off.

 

[hmmnmm]

Maybe the blatant absence of obvious conflict could create an unconscious, almost uncomfortable question for the reader - there could even be interesting character development without conflict in the story as such, while dribbling in elements of conflict within the narrative itself.
Just an idea.

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

I recently had a fun story idea, but there is no real conflict. I don't think I typically write fluff or pure stroke, but I keep spinning this idea around in my head anyway.

So, I'm curious.

Can well developed characters carry a short story for you?

or

Must there be some kind of conflict?

~lucky

Douglas Adams.

That's all I need to say.

But to expand, yes, I feel that often the most important part of any writing project are the characters and that well written and eccentric characters can sustain their own storylines through the sheer force of their competing and co-mingling personalities. Often times, the more eccentric the characters the more easily you can place them in a bland setting with bland worries and have it still be entertaining.

A good example would be the comic strip College Roomies from Hell where the eccentricity of the characters drives much of the plotlines of a group of friends in college.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Well developed characters can carry a short story easily. You don't really need a major conflict. In a lovey dovey, you don't need any.

The real question is do you have tthe talent to develop characters that can carry a story and in your case, the answer is undeinably yes, you do.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Lucky,

To what those other folks said, I agree. But I wanted to add that there is a thrid C, change. Any character development involves change. And in that change there is often some conflict, if only with the memory of what was battling the reality of what is. The sub genre coming-of-age is based on that idea.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Although I can’t write them (yet) I do enjoy character-driven stories.

IMO

As long as the reader feels that s/he is learning more about an intriguing character, s/he will usually overlook there not being any plot. At least until the story is concluded.

I do believe that the reader needs to feel that the story is GOING somewhere, though, either through resolution of a conflict, or resolution of some puzzling aspect of a character.

 

[yui]

Although I can’t write them (yet) I do enjoy character-driven stories.

IMO

As long as the reader feels that s/he is learning more about an intriguing character, s/he will usually overlook there not being any plot. At least until the story is concluded.

I do believe that the reader needs to feel that the story is GOING somewhere, though, either through resolution of a conflict, or resolution of some puzzling aspect of a character.

But there is a plot in character driven fiction. Conflict is often internal and no less valuable for that internalization, don't you think? That's the difference between plot driven and character driven stories. Saying character driven stories have no plot is like saying plot driven stories have no characters.

 

[minsue]

... is like saying plot driven stories have no characters.

Read much stroke, Yui? That ain't far off for a lot of them.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

. . . Saying character driven stories have no plot is like saying plot driven stories have no characters.

Every story has some action, even if it is only some old man/woman remembering.

Ever story has some character, even if it is only an inanimate object.

But, what is propelling the story?

Take for an example, “Stand By Me.” (The film version, at least)

The boys are on a journey to see a dead man, they see him, they even fight over his body, then, they leave it behind. Except as a McGuffin, the dead body really has no impact upon the story.

What interests and keeps the viewers watching (or reading, I suppose) is what they are learning about the characters of the boys, as they journey through a turning point in their lives.



This would be what I would call a character-driven story. And wouldn't you know it? Its a non erotic kind of coming-of-age story, just like Rumple said.

 

[elsol]

Here's my approach...

I write a story.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[Seattle Zack]

No, I disagree.

Conflict drives a story, or a novel. No one wants to read about well rounded perfect characters. It's like Lawrence Block said, give your main charachter some flaws.

Just as an example, make him an alcoholic (like Block did, with the Matthew Scudder novels). Make him or her accessible, cause we all have flaws. Let us relate to the character of your story. Because we live through him or her, right? Otherwise, we (the readers) have no investment in the story.

 

[NoJo]

Seconded. And it's not just a male thing, even though the "macho" school of writing gurus like Syd Field and Willam Goldman are among its strongest advocates. Any story has to have conflict.

Conflict doesn't necessarily mean conflict between protagonists. A lot of my favorite strories are about inner conflict.

 

[elsol]

And to every writing rule... there are plenty of successful exceptions.

So I say again... Write It!

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[English Lady]

Characters bring conflict of some kind more often than not..so write your characters and see what conflict turns up.


thats basically what I do *L*

 

[Seattle Zack]

It could be anything, internal, external conflict, whatever propels the story foreward.

(and, as usual, SnP, I have no idea what you're talking about)

In my creative writing classes they used to talk about the story arc ... how the main character changes from the beginning to the end. It's important in fiction, because we (as readers) become invested in these changes. At least, if you do it right. And that's where the necessary conflict comes in.

 

[Liar]

I recently had a fun story idea, but there is no real conflict. I don't think I typically write fluff or pure stroke, but I keep spinning this idea around in my head anyway.

So, I'm curious.

Can well developed characters carry a short story for you?

or

Must there be some kind of conflict?

~lucky

Conflict doesn't have to mean drama. There are many ways to carry a story.

 

[Liar]

(and, as usual, SnP, I have no idea what you're talking about)

Could that be because she haven't posted in this thread yet?

 

[Seattle Zack]

Could that be because she haven't posted in this thread yet?

Posted twice, dude, but I still like your post.
--Z

 

[impressive]

So, I'm curious.

Can well developed characters carry a short story for you?

or

Must there be some kind of conflict?

~lucky

Conflict is NOT necessary for stroke

 

[elsol]

Conflict is NOT necessary for stroke

There's plenty of conflict in stroke... the conflict with how we wish shit would be.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[NoJo]

I'm not sure what a stroke story is. Really. All the stories that get me off have got conflict in them. I don't know if you're describing those vignettes, which are almost pure voyeristic descriptions of sex.

Maybe it's the sadomasochist in me, but when everything's hunky dory between the protagonists, I don't get aroused.

 

[yui]

Every story has some action, even if it is only some old man/woman remembering.

Ever story has some character, even if it is only an inanimate object.

But, what is propelling the story?

Take for an example, “Stand By Me.” (The film version, at least)

The boys are on a journey to see a dead man, they see him, they even fight over his body, then, they leave it behind. Except as a McGuffin, the dead body really has no impact upon the story.

What interests and keeps the viewers watching (or reading, I suppose) is what they are learning about the characters of the boys, as they journey through a turning point in their lives.



This would be what I would call a character-driven story. And wouldn't you know it? Its a non erotic kind of coming-of-age story, just like Rumple said.

I think we're agreeing, Burly. I stated in my post that that conflict can be internal or external. I took this part of your post too seriously: "As long as the reader feels that s/he is learning more about an intriguing character, s/he will usually overlook there not being any plot. At least until the story is concluded."

I was simply trying to make the point that just because something is character driven doesn't indicate lack of plot/conflict. But obviously you already know that.

Personally, I tend to favor strong characterization over a flashy plot, but that is just a personal preference. I don't think one has more merit than the other and I don't think one is mutually exclusive of the other.

Luck,

Yui

 

[bridgeburner]

All of this is bringing to mind a scene from a film scripted by Harold Pinter from a novel by Ian McEwan : The Comfort of Strangers

The vacationing lovers, Natasha Richardson and Rupert Everett, are sitting at a cafe doing nothing but drinking their coffee and making idle conversation. If you simply read the dialogue they're talking about nothing, but the subtext is massive and rich. I've never read any McEwan, but I have read a bit of Pinter and this is pretty much a staple of his work --- nothing is happening and yet everything is happening. The man's a genius for this sort of thing.


-B


edited for egregious spelling errors