Writing - Conflict Resolution

 The conflict type I haven't dwelt upon, nor have I gone into style, and probably innumerable aspects of stand-offs between characters. In a sense, that is the nature of conflict: too many variables. The aspect I'm addressing today is how it comes to an end. While I'm writing, it is popping into my mind that this may take a couple of weeks to deal with adequately. 

Conflict can, of course, end unsatisfactorily, with a situation whereby there is no really identifiable conclusion. In the context of a story, this may be a useful 'beginning' of another element within the tale. That may have been your intention in setting up the conflict. There are many examples where two protagonists may end up working together, in enmity, but towards a mutually desired conclusion. 'Cop shows' use this frequently, where the lone detective fights authority over having to work closely with a colleague. (eg. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock in Heat). The alternative successful conclusion is just as useful but tends to point towards a closed ending and follows the direction of the main story theme. 

The conflict may lead to a romantic relationship, as for Steele and Naomi in the Steele novels. Again, this has been used in stories before. 

In constructing the conflict, the purpose has to be clear from the outset for the writer, and less so for the reader. Such conflicts can spill over into following stories, and the life of such scenarios has driven the development of TV series and film franchises. I'm thinking of the relationship between cops like Starsky and Hutch, and Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. 

The point being that the purpose of the conflict needs to be kept in mind throughout its use. Of course, the full range of emotions can be the outcome of conflicts. Referring back to The Heat, this is a spiky, aggressive, and violent film, which I found hilarious, and is full of conflict from beginning to end, from McCarthy parking her car to fights with a criminal gang. The use of humour in conflict can actually deepen the affect that the serious, aggressive aim of the story. Even Victor Hugo introduced lighter moments with the innkeeper and his wife, which was fully explored in the stage show of Les Misérables. 

God Bless 

Writing - Conflict 2

Following on from last week, I've been thinking about the can of worms that is conflict. It ranges from toddlers nipping at each other to all-out war. 

 Like all processes, there are beginnings, developments and outcomes. The beginnings are virtually anything because conflict arises from reactions of individuals, which in turn are dependent on personality and learned personal preferences. When we write conflict into our stories, these are factors that can bring about a flashpoint. So there is an initial stimulus, which can vary according to who is the recipient of that stimulus. 

Then there is some type of reaction, which, once again, can take almost any form and doesn't have to be extreme, but for the players is significant. The fighting toddlers may cry and shout, young adults may indulge in a fist fight, or gangs may carry out more serious crimes. The explosion can take a myriad of forms. Within the explosive behaviour, there are opportunities to explore how such conflicts develop and then are resolved. 

Then the resolution may be a handshake, a hug, or a social gathering. Again, almost anything, depending on those involved. 

When we are developing situations for the entertainment of our readers, there is no limit to what we can imagine and include. At the same time, you can use real events that have occurred, like 9/11, an accident, and so on. The process is under the influence of the protagonists and the resulting narrative needs to be consistant. 

God Bless 

Writing - Conflict

 Seems simplistic to talk about conflict in a blog about creative writing. Conflict, with all its elements, is an inevitable part of story writing. Even the most sugary love stories will have moments of disagreement – conflict. Superhero tales are packed with conflict; disaster movies have it; Christmas stories have conflict and resolution. 

So what is conflict? It is defined as –

a disagreement or argument about something important

 

In all examples, there are at least two opposing positions. Emotions, people, countries, and so on. There are stages in conflict, which I am not an expert in, but like education, we all have some experience of the processes involved in conflict.

For example, there is usually an initial low-level issue, not always, but often.  This is followed by some negotiation, but quite often it is inadequate in arriving at a solution. This may be because the levels of emotion and attention may not be fully invested. The cycle is a descending situation. It may happen in this way because the antagonists are jockeying for dominance. Eventually,  the situation may descend into violence of the tongue, or even physical violence.  At every stage there are opportunities to break into the process and effect change.

 

So conflict, to some degree, is flexible even though protagonists are apparently intransigent. These facts are an indication of openings for communication. As such, opportunities for dialogue, from the writers’ point of view, are useful in the production of stories. 

God Bless 

Writing - Elders

 When I used to think of 'elders' I would have a default picture in my head of a little old guy sat in the shade of a tree, dispensing wisdom to anyone willing to listen. A scenario that may be true in a small number of places in the world these days. More frequently, elders are shuffled away somewhere quiet so they can do little harm. 

When creating the team that is at the centre of the Steele novels, I felt that the sagacity of years needed representation. I introduced a couple of older people there to dispense wisdom and moral standpoints where relevant. 

When writing stories, the inclusion of wise counsel can add depth to the story and engage more readers. It allows people to empathise with the actions that are included in your writing. To agree or otherwise with the actions taking place. 

The characters you introduce to play this role will come from your own life experiences. We have all known of or met this type of sage person and how we embody them into stories can be a fun exercise in itself. 

God Bless 

Writing - Scenarios

 Writing allows you to explore the imagination as well as your personal experiences. In fact, you can grab many opportunities to flex your writing muscle. The idea below was manufactured and is good practice for a variety of scenarios.

TWILIGHT

 

There’s something quite magical sitting outside on a warm summer's evening at the end of the day. Hearing the occasional car taking someone home after a long day,  and a train uttering its mechanical litany through the valley on a journey to wherever.

The air is still and cool but comfortable.  Solar-powered garden lights glow gently amongst dark flowers that will burst out bright in tomorrow's sunlight.

There is little that moves. A dark flitting shadow streaking across the eyeline  - a hunting bat. 

Although I didn't always write a paragraph describing every scenario I've used in the creation of the Steele novels, I have very detailed memories that I'm fortunate enough to be able to recall. It might be that some writers create a database of such snippets, and it could be useful for stories and articles. 

This exercise also provides me with spines for some of the poetry that I write. 

God Bless 

Writing - Levels of Thought

  

When you actually begin to write your book or your story, and you look at your plan and begin to put things down on paper or on the computer, you'll find yourself thinking at different levels.

 

Research done character set the situation described, and now you've got to actually bring together all of those ideas in some kind of case if narrative that is that will entertain your readership.  This involves thinking, which may seem obvious, but actually, we think on various levels. To begin with, it's fairly superficial, and we're actually just thinking about the physical nature of describing the story.  However, very quickly, we have different, less tangible elements coming together, which require more complex thoughts because we're looking at the interactions between place characters and events.  This is the point at which you can enrich the quality of your writing using personal experience and the research that you've done. If you like, it is the qualitative stage of writing your story. 

Human beings, by their nature, are complex characters; they are capable of abstract thinking, and writers have the drive to want to share that with other people. where it might be the desire to rush ahead and get things down on paper, it is probably time to pause and consider each scene and the depth of meaning within those scenes, so that we take our audience along with us. This is the point at which you can truly say, 

 'I’m a writer' 

God Bless 

 

 

 

Writing - Memory

 Unless you have a great memory, you will need to keep a writing diary/file of information to be used or to use again. It may be that you only write one story, and then perhaps you can get away with the occasional note. You might be able to write everything on little scraps of paper; however, if you intend to write more than one story in the same vein, then you need to have a record of the sorts of things that you may need accurate information about to maintain consistency. 

When writing the Steele novels, I soon discovered that I needed to keep accurate records of the types of vehicles my hero liked to drive. Additionally, it was necessary to keep abreast of the latest developments in vehicular technology to keep my stories up-to-date. This type of preparation is necessary to keep your writing current. 

The second tranche of data I needed was a current catalogue of weaponry. This takes me back to an example I never get tired of using, and that is the number of bullets fired by a Colt 45 in cowboy films of the 50's and 60's. Plainly, the magazine of such weapons was a 6-space barrel shape, and yet John Wayne could fire forever seemingly without reloading. Bringing it as current as possible, I spent time researching modern magazine sizes so that I could furnish Steele with the most modern weapons. I believe the biggest magazine was with a Glock handgun of around 19 shells. Probably, well out-of-date. 

My final example is a diary-type record of places visited and activities carried out. This speaks for itself in that you must remain accurate to maintain reality within the fiction that you are producing. 

I'm not a great fan of record keeping, but it saves time in producing a book in that research is not beginning from square one every time you put pen to paper. 

God Bless 

Writing - Themes

If you are serious about writing and intend to produce more than one story, you are allowing yourself to develop ongoing themes running throughout your work. 

 

 

The type of theme you decide upon determines in some degree the flavour of your work. In the Steele novels, one of my important themes was the link to Japan. This was important because it went towards the development of the hero's personality and skills. So the supporting details of the Yakuza and it's history is reiterated in parts across all of the Steele stories. 

The Japan connection is important, but there are other, less important but almost as continuous throughout the books. I have used other strands to establish relationships and to change the direction in which the story is moving. 

Early in Patrick Steele's adventures, I decided that a relationship with the local police could add a little spice to the progress of each adventure. On top of that, a personal relationship worms its way into the fabric of the tale while Steele is between Japanese girlfriends. There are also hints towards police dishonesty that flit around one of the stories. 

A final example is that of the mother figure for the hero. This is important due to Steele's unfortunate upbringing, but that introduces a level of stability in all of the stories. 

The examples given are a brief taste of what stories contain but they demonstrate the way Steele is structured. 

God Bless 

Writing - Teams

 In many genres, the stories have groups of protagonists rather than single people. Even superheroes have some backup people. Batman had Robin, Lone Ranger had Tonto, Superman had his girlfriend, and Tarzan had Jane. Teams! When I created Steele, I created a larger team that I felt enriched the action with human interactions.

By having a group, skills were introduced without making Steele seem too far-fetched. My aim was to maintain a level of realism in the main character. I also included a love interest and a pseudo-parental role that introduced the possibility of moral dilemmas in the actions in which Steele became involved. All of these possibilities for enriching your writing can introduce surprise elements or hidden plot twists. 

Relationships can be tricky; they can become more significant than the storyline that followers of a particular genre may find diluting. It can mar the experience. There are elements of teams that are educating, supportive of modern life, and of interest in the 21st century. However, you need to be true to your style and genre. For me, the antics of the teams should embellish the story, not control what is happening. 

In short, writing close to real life, if you are a police drama author, should not detract from the drama. 

God Bless 

Writing - Be Brave

 I have frequently suggested that our writings can be kept current by including issues of the day. It doesn't matter which party or group you belong to personally; in the era of free speech, you have the right to discuss all sides of political arguments. Obviously, there are countries where there is no such freedom of speech. The slightly worrying signs that situations are changing can be identified through the pronouncements made by governments in reaction to anti-government action. 

Actor Robert Lindsay starred as Citizen Smith in 'Power to the People' in a comedy series that ran from 1977 to 1980. In the series, he saw himself as the leader of a small group - Tooting Popular Front - with an aim to introduce communism. May seem a little far-fetched but consider the language of your governments. 

In the UK, it is considered radical to support the people of Gaza who, as we are all aware, have been mercilessly persecuted in acts of genocide by Israel. The government described such protests as radical. (Freedom of speech!) Just one pointer that brings into question political attitudes towards freedom of speech. 

Some commentators have suggested that when this sort of action is carried out by governments, politics needs to be changed. We can see the influence of powerful groups and people demanding that their position be supported and protected by governments because they feel that they have purchased that right. 

The situations described above have occurred in dictatorships and non-democratic countries, but when you see it happening in self-congratulatory democracies, then there is something seriously wrong with the system in those countries. 

So when you write, whether it be in an article, a letter to an editor or a novel, highlight the things that are going on that you feel are wrong. 

God Bless 

Writing - Special Events

 When we're writing stories, quite often it can be more interesting for our readers to attach the events of a story to a specific date or a series of dates. For example, yesterday was Father’s Day, which could be a key data set off with a particular tale about fathers' relationships etc.

Today, June 22, is a special day because it is Windrush Day, which commemorates the British Caribbean community, as well as World Rainforest Day, which highlights the importance of protecting tropical ecosystems. 

I have just finished a short story based in Moscow on May 9th, which is their Victory Day, and provided targets for assassination!

Somehow I missed this beauty below!

It is also National Chocolate Éclairs Day and National Onion Rings Day.  The mind boggles. However, each of these special days offers a myriad of opportunities to entertain our readers, although at the moment I can’t think of anything to do with onion rings that would make a good story.

It may be that one of these days is particularly relevant for you. Why not make the end of the story as enjoyable for you as it is for your readers? We all deserve some pleasure, even in the production of the work, not just in the number of sales it brings. 

God Bless 

Writing - You're in it

  I’ve tried to explain the mindset of being an author, and yet the narrative is controlled by the characters in the story rather than by you.

If you think about it, it is perfectly logical. When you create a

 character, you don't just create the physical or even a convenient set of behaviours, but you also produce a psyche that will enable the character to operate within the story. So, an aggressive nature,  or high intellect, or supportive traits. In other words, you make them human. 

In reality, I believe that while you are writing, you are employing several aspects of your brain and its functions. While in that concentrated state, you are empathising with two or three characters in your story, then your own reality becomes secondary to the story, and you have some kind of out-of-body experience. This is then explained as the story characters taking over the narrative. I offer this explanation because the alternative is not possible. In support of this phenomenon are esteemed writers such as Ian Rankin (Rebus novels). 

So being taken over psychologically is ok. That may sound strange, but it can be seen as a test of the quality of the people in your story. 

It is acceptable. 

God Bless 

Writing - Empathy again

 Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their perspective, and imagine yourself in their place. 

The above is probably an essential skill in being able to create characters and have them interact in a story. It is also a skill some adults actually never mastered. It is currently one of the many criticisms of the President of the United states Donald J Trump. As the definition suggests, this is a complex skill that develops over time, and the young author may find some aspects exceedingly difficult.

That was carried out in the classroom when I used to teach. The task was to have the children write from the point of view of somebody in a story, and the quality of the work that came out was varied. 

 

An example could be the breaking into a home at Christmas as seen through the eyes of the family cat or dog. I know the example would be telling the story of Jesus and trying to go to Jerusalem on a donkey from the point of view of the donkey.

 

The first stage in answering these questions would be to describe the emotions felt at the time. Questions such as how would you feel in that situation are quite useful prompts.

 

Being able to practise empathy brings about the tempering of your behaviour towards other people and hopefully leads you to become a more understanding adult. So you can see why, when writing a story, the skill is important. 

 

When I was writing the Steele novels, my lead character Patrick steagall add to manage relationships between himself and three or four other people and those relationships pertain throughout all 11 books and so weren't stationary but developed and in some cases broke up. From my point of view, I found this one with the enjoyable parts of writing stories. The manipulation of the characters and situations they found themselves in was great fun, or at least it could be and also influenced the direction in which stories progressed.

 

As an exercise for oneself, writing a short story from a different point of view can be a very valuable exercise.

 God Bless 

Writing - Humour

 Over the years, I have read some very amusing books. Some authors are naturally gifted at being amusing, but then there is me! Over the years I have tried to write amusing poetry, I have often been entertained by Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan and Pam Ayres. Similarly, I have enjoyed the writing of Tom Sharpe and various non-fiction writers. 

Porterhouse Blue was a very successful TV series adapted from the eponymous novel by Sharpe. 

I find it difficult to be funny when I am writing, but there is a yearning inside that tempts me occasionally to try. I usually give up fairly quickly. Not that I'm a dour, humourless person, or at least I don't believe that I am, I can be quite witty in a small, understated way, publicly. Writing in an amusing way is a more complex skill, for me. 

This is something that I am unable to offer a great deal of advice on for the previously stated reasons. It would be like me standing up to perform comedy and spouting a series of 'dad' jokes that fall flat. If your feedback suggests that you have a comedic bent in your writing, then go for it; if you believe people find you to be funny in company, it may translate into amusing writing. My advice would be not to force it! 

God Bless 

Writing - Reality

 Being a writer can be a doorway to many different freedoms. This includes the freedom to stretch the truth beyond breaking point. Remember films involving cowboys in the wild west who carried guns that had six cartridges, they'd get into a gunfight and fire hundreds of bullets without reloading. 

Coupled with the never ending supply of ammunition was the physical ability to withstand the effects of being shot. If you consider the damage a projectile does to the human body as it passes through, tearing flesh, nerve damage, breaking bones and ripping open blood vessels, we ordinary folk would probably go into shock almost immediately. Having said all that, we know it is only 'make believe' and being totally accurate all of the time would be boring, so a little licence can spice up the abilities of one's characters. 

On the other hand, the use of a factual description closer to the truth can enhance the quality of the supportive narrative. It is also more fun to stretch the readers' imagination and build some 'magic' into the characters in your stories. There is a danger in going too far or not far enough. Naturally, the effect of stretching the truth and its influence on the reader is very subjective. For some, too much fantasy can be a turn off, for others, you can't go far enough. 

In fact, it is up to the writer as always. If you feel that the flow you create can stand some embellishment, then go for it, and if the opposite is true, take it easy. 

God Bless 

Writing - Balance

 I remember growing up in the 1960s and 70s and seeing a menu of soap operas on TV. I also remember when I stopped watching some of them and the reasons why.  Coronation Street was the first programme of that type, and it was soon joined by Emmerdale Farm and eventually EastEnders. 

I stayed as a loyal fan of Coronation Street for the longest of all three, even though my parents were still watching all three many years after I’d left home. The reason I stopped watching soap operas, I remember telling someone, was that they were too close to real life.

Putting it simply, I think I like to be entertained rather than coached in social psychology and sociology. This side of my nature comes across in the type of programmes I watch these days. I enjoy a good police drama, murder mystery and who-done-it. However, I can easily be put off when the human frailty of the lead policeman seems more important than the crimes that they're trying to solve, and it seems to me that the screenwriters and authors are starting off from the premise that the human frailty is what people are more interested in than the actual crimes being committed.

 So when it comes to the material I like to watch, I look for the crime and hope that the programmes do not have an alcoholic lead character, a Chief Inspector with family problems or a lawyer who is struggling with his sexuality. 

 Now that is not to say that those issues aren’t important, and it is essential to make your characters as human as possible. I’m not into superheroes all the time, but there are plenty of people on the earth who've had problems, lived through them, and are functioning normally, so why not have people with their investigative skills who are functioning normally? These are the reasons behind Patrick Steele, the lead character in my novels. He is not a superhero; he's not perfect, he has had frailties in his life, and one of the reasons why he is engaged in the activities as an adult is because of the issues he had when he was a teenager. The information is described in the earlier books and particularly in book 5, which is entitled Inceptus. 

So the idea of getting the balance right, the title of this blog suggests, is to guide fellow authors away from human failings. Yes, they can be interesting, yes, it's important that for reality’s sake, your characters are showing some human feelings, but to remember that you are out there trying to entertain.

 God Bless 

Writing - Educating

 When you choose to write, it is my opinion that you have also chosen to disseminate information. It’s almost like being a podcaster while indulging in creativity. Of course, this is a voluntary role. What is written is entirely up to the author. 

Educating is part of my raison d’etre and so not a surprise that I am saying this. It is an opportunity rather than a necessity. The type of information that I believe may be useful is the correction of commonly held misconceptions. Obviously,  passing information on needs to be relevant to what you’re writing about at the time.

One such misconception is the often trumpeted complaint from the politically short-sighted that immigrants are taking our jobs. As long as I can remember, people from other parts of the world have been invited to the UK to take up job opportunities to fill a gap in the available workforce. The current situation is slightly different in that immigrants are seen as cheap labour by oligarchs and giant corporations, so more accurate to say that the super-rich are taking jobs. As in all political situations, this is very complex, and it is disingenuous to mislead the populace by using trite, emotive statements. Professionals coming to the UK to take up positions are not the problem, as they are fulfilling a shortage. 

Such positions are not always easy to place in your writing and can appear clumsy if not woven into a narrative to feel natural. I’m not suggesting that every writer should always have their ‘soapbox’ on hand, but not to miss opportunities to right wrongs. 

God Bless 

 

 

Writing - In the Mood

 There’s a lot written about writer’s block, and I believe it occurs as a result of negative external pressures. If you’re desperate to get published, if you have significant others who are negative, it’s not surprising if, when you have a blank page in front of you, your mind goes blank. You need to be in the mood. Don’t forget that you can write whatever you want, and it is entirely up to you. 

Whatever you want to put on the page is your freedom. In moments of desperation, change what you’re writing. That is, start something new, a short story perhaps, or go to a previously started piece. Doing that is a positive move and may provide the impetus to get you going again.

As with anyone suffering a creative hiatus, positive steps can lead to positive actions.

Other, non-writing solutions can be tried, such as a change of scenery, a walk in the fresh air, or a drive. An hour’s personal reading or a different creative activity. It seems that creative people are rarely tied to only one opportunity of exercising that particular gene.

All of the above doesn’t involve other people quite purposefully, for there lies the source of negativity  - possibly. 

 

God Bless 

Writing - What if ...?

 These days it seems to be unfashionable to be a conspiracy theorist. In all honesty, I find it to be a bit of fun and an opportunity to exercise one's imagination. Not only that, on the rare occasions that my theory is close to the facts of a situation,  a bit of a laugh. It’s like writing with all the brakes off. If you read Georgia Orwell’s book ‘1984’, you will appreciate that he was quite a conspiracy theorist. 

The above is my effort at theorising and is available from Amazon in paperback and on Kindle. 

Of course, there is a situation in the world that lends itself to much speculation, Donald Trump's least favourite subject - The Epstein Files. Perhaps I should keep this to myself and write the book, or not. Over the last eighteen months, since Trump's accession to his White House throne, there has been a drip feed of Epstein miscreants and not just from the USA. I have read of French politicians, a Polish official, the former Prince Andrew, and Lord Mandelson from the UK, and more. It must be remembered that the Epstein group has been on the go for thirty years and possibly longer. 

One symptom that Epstein's influence is more widespread than just in the US is the rise in the current brand of capitalism in a number of countries. Also, it is believed that Vladimir Putin has had some influence on the development of the criminal organisation. 

I've dangled the carrot; have fun. 

God Bless 

Writing - Our Babies

 One of the most frequently given pieces of advice is to write from where you're at. A second trite phrase is likening our books to children. You can probably understand why. In fact, that is where a dilemma arises. Writing is intensely personal, and yet to achieve success in this modern media-ridden world involves bearing your soul to the world.

 

That is the point at which a writer must make a decision. They have to do their agent/publishers’  bidding and bend themselves into a pretzel to achieve success, or they stick to their reasons for writing and risk anonymity.

 

Back to the baby analogy. It would be naive to believe that your work won’t require some adjustments, but you have to decide when a story stops being yours.

Writing,  as with all arts, is subject to ‘fashion’ – the prevalent opinions of the day. Critics, publishers, and reviewers jump on current bandwagons. If your work does not fit the fashion, then you’ll be out of luck. That is the biggest test of whether or not you keep going. 

 

God Bless