Meat and Potatoes of a story..Conflict

Sorry it has been so long... I promise not to go this long again. I really missed writing on the old blog. Today friends I like to talk a bit about....

Conflict and Obstacles

 

When it comes to writing, I believe the meat and potatoes of the story is the conflict and obstacles each character faces. Character development is also essential. There are many different elements to writing a story, each one just as important as the other.

So I have to ask this.

What if you cannot for the life of you come up with a conflict? Does this mean you are just a well-adjusted individual who obviously doesn’t have much conflict in your own personal life? Or does this mean you are a horrible writer? I wonder if I should just pack it in sometimes! Sure, I come up with the norms such as, they can’t be together because it is forbidden. He’s a vampire, she’s a ghost how will it work?

I have tried to even write a story as one is an addict and the other needs to cure someone in need. I have let a story guide me but I feel as though I am writing the same thing over and over again. How does one get out of this rivet? Are there different conflicts besides the obvious?

I look over my favorite stories as some kind of guide, and though they were written many moons ago some of the same circumstances do not apply? No one that I know of has to get married to survive. So then why not just set those stories in that time period you ask? Sure, but again I struggle.

Then there is the fact that no matter what I write I end up with a sex scene. I don’t want them they just pop up. I think to myself does this even make sense? Does this go with the story? Or, is this necessary? Each time I think about it I say yes. This is the path the characters took me on. Is this my fate to write conflict free porn? UGH!!!

This is why my friends I have not written in a long time. I try and try but I can’t come up with anything. I wonder if I can use things from my own life. They should be relatable right? I find that so boring though. The answer to this dilemma? I guess I just have to keep at it, keep pulling my characters into different directions. The more I keep at it I am sure the better I will be at coming up with a conflict.