Possible to have too much conflict?

proxy · Mar 24, 2010

My current WIP has 4 types, vs self, nature, society and in a relationship

is that okay or can too much conflict be considered melodramatic/angsty? This is YA btw.

blacbird · Mar 25, 2010

Yes. It's possible in writing to have too much of anything.

caw

third person · Mar 25, 2010

YA + conflict overload = emo = ew

Caitlin Black · Mar 25, 2010

This reminds me of the epic emo poem I was dared to write for NaNo... maybe one year the world will hear the struggle of one man to find just the right colour blue for his hair.

Le sigh.

And yes, that sounds like conflict overload - maybe you're trying to write too many stories into this one? Sounds like you could get 2 or 3 books out of that. 2 cents. You has them.

Becky Black · Mar 25, 2010

It could work if they are all different aspects of the same conflict. That is something they are doing brings they into conflict with both their family/loved ones and wider society, and gives them inner conflict because rebelling in that way goes against everything they've been brought up to believe. That's better than just lots of various unrelated troubles coming at them, which could seem melodramatic and lead to an unfocused story anyway.

proxy · Mar 25, 2010

junkfoodmonkey said:
It could work if they are all different aspects of the same conflict. That is something they are doing brings they into conflict with both their family/loved ones and wider society, and gives them inner conflict because rebelling in that way goes against everything they've been brought up to believe. That's better than just lots of various unrelated troubles coming at them, which could seem melodramatic and lead to an unfocused story anyway.

yep. it's like a chain reaction, where the main character's conflict with society creates other problems. is that acceptable then? either way, i'm doing my best to tone down the emo level.

then again...
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TrueArtIsAngsty

Ruv Draba · Mar 25, 2010

We need enough conflict to surprise, enough to press the main characters to change or fail, enough to make the other characters interesting, and enough little tensions of conflicting ideas to justify whatever we else want to say in narrative.

We really don't need more than that.

maestrowork · Mar 25, 2010

Yes to your title question.

Not sure if YOUR story has too much conflict. Haven't read it. But it is possible. Like a Michael Bay movie -- yeah, too many CGI and explosions can be a bad thing.

jana13k · Mar 25, 2010

If all the conflict is wrapped up into one tight little ball where it feeds off itself, then you're probably okay, unless you're writing humor. Hard to throw in humor when there's so much angst. Not impossible, mind you, but a hard sell.

I personally, hate to read books where there's something going on on every single page. I have attended writer's workshops and they're all "conflict on every page" blah, blah, blah. That's great, but some people take that to mean gunfire, and car chases, etc. and it's exhausting. All readers need some downtime, per se, to absorb what the character is going through.

Danthia · Mar 25, 2010

It depends on what you mean by conflict. If you mean things are always at odds with other things, and the protag is caught between tough choices all the time and has to struggle a lot to make the right one, then you're probably fine.

If conflict is just the protag getting into trouble and having to get out of it all the time, chances are yes, it's too much conflict.

Conflict works best when the outcome isn't clear and the reader doesn't know how things will turn out. It's least effective when it's just the protag dealing with "action" or facing something we all know they're going to get out of with little trouble.

Of course, if all your conflict, even if it's good conflict, isn't working together to tell a coherent and compelling story, then it could be too much. It's hard to keep track when there's just too much going on.

Al Ross · Mar 25, 2010

Is the characters always arguing too much conflict. (on and of last half of the book)?

jana13k · Mar 25, 2010

Al Ross said:
Is the characters always arguing too much conflict. (on and of last half of the book)?

The "general" consensus is that arguing isn't conflict.

job · Mar 25, 2010

You may be overthinking all this.

My advice would be to approach the story askng yourself -- 'What is my story about?'

Do you come up with a fairly simple answer?
You're probably ok.

Fr'instance. What is Kiki's Delivery Service 'about'?

Kiki is a witch who can't seem to grow into her magic. She leaves home and opens a delivery service in a distant town, finds friends, becomes more sure of herself, grows up, falls in love. Lingering insecurities rob her of her powers -- but, in the end, in a moment of crisis -- she overcomes all doubts and sweeps in to save the day.

This is the assessing a WIP in a concrete -- not abstract -- way.

The writer looks at character and action. She asks herself -- Is this structure a good way to tell us about Kiki? Does the plot hang together? Does it fit the character? Is it full of the potential for lively, exciting movement, cool secondary characters, and feats of derring do?

See how this approach is not asking about 'conflict between Kiki and an ideal of freedom,' or 'Kiki versus nature,' or 'themes of self-against-society as shown by Kiki's experience in an urban setting,' or 'the use of witchcraft as a metaphor for feminist empowerment'. Abstract questions of 'conflict' and 'exploring themes' and lordknowswhatallelse
are what folks do when they write term papers for English class. This is theory and anlysis better suited to studying fiction.

You're not studying fiction. You're writing it. Diff'net process altogether.

Claudia Gray · Mar 25, 2010

Once there's so much conflict that it ceases to have dramatic impact, or renders the characters too contentious to be sympathetic, you're in overload territory.

Summonere · Mar 25, 2010

Possible to have too much conflict?

Only when it stops making sense.

If your readers pause to ask, “Why is this happening?” you've probably botched necessity for conflict. (Or at least clarity. Which kinda circles back to the above...)

Sanoe SC · Mar 25, 2010

I’m going to say ‘no.’ It’s not possible to have too much conflict.

The more conflict in your story, the longer it becomes. Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is a single story with dozens of conflicts told over 14 novels with over 3.5 million worlds, and it’s not finished yet.

Even if you’re dealing with a single novel of less than 100,000 words, the question of how much conflict is too much is going to depend on your genre, your desired pacing, and your definition of conflict.

If you look at the first book of the Dresdon files, the supernatural investigator faces a different conflict in every chapter. Demons appear to fight him. A wizard of the White Council tries to have him punished. A vampire challenges him to a magical duel. All the while he’s investigating a series of supernatural murders.

This probably would not do for a romance novel, however.

Lady Ice · Mar 25, 2010

Yes. Too much action conflict can be boring. It makes everything seem trivial and means that it makes it very hard to come to a believable climax.

Too much moral conflict can mean that A- Your book is too melodramatic/emo or B- It gets muddled and has no real direction.

I don't quite understand the importance of your conflicts:vs self (okay, I get this. He's having trouble within himself) nature (seems irrelevant to me unless its a natural disaster like an earthquake or he's climbing a mountain), society (bit of a misfit) and in a relationship (action conflict, not moral conflict).

Hamlet has a lot of conflict, but then it is a 4 hour long play.

STKlingaman · Mar 25, 2010

With that much conflict, I'd think your
main character has problems either
accepting or conforming to mainstream society,
(unless of course the story takes place in his
dream/nightmare state where everything turns
against him)
is a hotheaded narcissistic, a simple bully,
and not worth wanting to get to know.

But of course if written well and explained
properly it can work - anything can work.
And if we've learned anything it's that there
is a market for anything and everything.

shaldna · Mar 26, 2010

Inkblot · Mar 27, 2010

jana13k said:
The "general" consensus is that arguing isn't conflict.

Whose general consensus? Of course arguing can be a type of conflict.

SPMiller · Mar 27, 2010

Serious Desi · Mar 27, 2010

I was once told that if you are asking yourself if there is too much, then there's a high chance that there is too much.

Too much conflict is the hardest thing in the world to read.
But if you give the reader breaks I think that can help.

Lady Ice · Mar 28, 2010

Inkblot said:
Whose general consensus? Of course arguing can be a type of conflict.

As in plot or story conflict.

backslashbaby · Mar 28, 2010

Keep in mind suspension of disbelief. If it becomes too predictable that every move an MC makes is going to be a big drama, that can put some readers off, imho. Make it all relatable, unless you have some overriding style reason not to. Genre dictates a lot of that, too.

Twinwillowsfarm · Mar 29, 2010

If everything is conflict, do you have hope to balance it with? Constant conflict is wearing, hope is what keeps us reading. Hope that the MC will overcome, hope that the antagonist will see the light, hope that the situation will change, etc. I think if you balance conflict with hope, and the story moves along at a readable pace, then it's a good thing.

Possible to have too much conflict?

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