Back when I was writing screenplays, an agent told me that he loved my dialogue and my scene descriptions, that I was in many ways a really talented writer. Then he went on to add this little but: “Do you by any chance avoid conflict in your personal life, because you sure avoided it in this screenplay.”
He nailed it. I loathe conflict. When someone gets angry with me, I shrivel. I try to bridge whatever troubles exist between us by whatever means possible. Unfortunately, I have that same tendency in my writing, squirming the minute characters get in trouble. My instinct is to end scenes at precisely the point things heat up. The point, that is, where they get interesting.
Conflict is, of course, the heart of fiction. Without it, stories lose their ability to interest readers. I know I’m not the only one with this tendency. As a screenwriting instructor, I saw the same pattern in some of my students’ writing. That didn’t make it easier to see it in my own.
I’ve learned that when I’ve finished a scene, I need to go back and read it aloud. Listen for the conflict. Then note on the page the degree of conflict from 1-5. Of course I often rate the conflict higher than it actually is because any degree of conflict feels like a lot. Once I have a draft done, I put it aside for a while then later reread it and ask myself again, is there sufficient conflict to sustain readers’ interests? When I’ve taken those two steps, I give it to trusted readers to see what they think. I know I can’t just rely on my own judgment. I often need a little help in blowing up those bridges and plunging my characters into troubled waters—where they belong.