Speaking Engagement Reminder and a pinch of writing advice 4

Hi all.  Just a reminder that I’m going to be speaking at the Gathering of Writers hosted by the Easter Idaho Writers League.  I’ll be discussing how to improve conflict in writing, including story structures, exercises and some good old fashioned “dos” and “don’ts”.  Just as a preview, I’ll mention one now.

Okay, we’ve all be told to start the story “in medias res” aka, in the “middle of the action”.  That isn’t terrible advice, but I think a better option would be “in the middle of the conflict”.  But wait, Russell, isn’t that the same thing?  In some cases, yes, but not all.

I’ve read some books that start off with massive battle scenes, huge monsters, earth splitting spells, or similar massive descriptions of mayhem.  Sure, any one of these is likely better than a bland description some nobody brushing his teeth, but even the greatest description of literary destruction is still missing that all important human connection.

It’s that connection which draws readers into and through a story.  While a gripping battle sequence is good, an equally gripping battle sequence that involves a character readers care about is vastly better.  After all, uncertainty is only tense if readers care about the outcome.

That’s why I feel its better to start with a character than action…Of course, starting that character in action (or some form of conflict) is even better still.

My advice when opening a novel is as follows.

1:  Give us a reason to like or be otherwise interested in the protagonist.

2:  Give said protagonist a goal (or dump a massive problem on the character’s head)

3:  Create doubt as to whether or not the protagonist can accomplish said goal or overcome said trouble.

If you can do that on the first page, you’re off to a good start.  Once there, the next thing to do is give your character a chance to solve the problem.  And that there is the key.  Begin with conflict, not action.