RUE and Conflict
I've been in the midst of judging contests since November and I'm starting to see a pattern with entries, enabling me to see what I need to work on in my own writing.
RUE
Resist the Urge to Explain
This manifests as telling most of the time. Good showing needs no explanation. A grin says more than "she was happy." RUE doesn't just occur in telling though. Sometimes the sneaky bugger pops into narrative (and there's a fine line, imo, between internal narrative and telling). For example, something will be said in dialogue or shown in action, and then we like to jump in and drop a few lines explaining what just happened.
Just like in life, sometimes it's better to RUE.
Another weakness I'm coming across is lack of conflict.
I think many writers (including myself) make the mistake of thinking that bad things happening to our main character equals conflict. I've been pondering it though, and I'm beginning to realize that conflict cannot exist without goal. (GMC, anyone?)
A true conflict means two opposing forces, not one force battering our main character. This means our main character must be a force as well. Our main character must begin the story with a deep desire which translates into a goal he or she vigorously pursues.
And then, WHAM.
An opposing force gets in the way of that goal and suddenly our MC must deal with that conflict.
So true conflict requires a proactive MC rather than a reactive one.
What do you think? Is there enough conflict in your plot or is your MC just reacting to what happens to her or him? And anyone here struggle with RUE?
RUE
Resist the Urge to Explain
This manifests as telling most of the time. Good showing needs no explanation. A grin says more than "she was happy." RUE doesn't just occur in telling though. Sometimes the sneaky bugger pops into narrative (and there's a fine line, imo, between internal narrative and telling). For example, something will be said in dialogue or shown in action, and then we like to jump in and drop a few lines explaining what just happened.
Just like in life, sometimes it's better to RUE.
Another weakness I'm coming across is lack of conflict.
I think many writers (including myself) make the mistake of thinking that bad things happening to our main character equals conflict. I've been pondering it though, and I'm beginning to realize that conflict cannot exist without goal. (GMC, anyone?)
A true conflict means two opposing forces, not one force battering our main character. This means our main character must be a force as well. Our main character must begin the story with a deep desire which translates into a goal he or she vigorously pursues.
And then, WHAM.
An opposing force gets in the way of that goal and suddenly our MC must deal with that conflict.
So true conflict requires a proactive MC rather than a reactive one.
What do you think? Is there enough conflict in your plot or is your MC just reacting to what happens to her or him? And anyone here struggle with RUE?
Comments
I'm diving into my ms and starting revisions based on Genesis comments. Telling/explaining is one of the big downfalls in my first chapter. In the beginning of my story, I felt the need to share quite a bit of backstory, and as the judges pointed out (in red!:), it's a story no-no. {aka, snore}
I'll be taking a hard look at conflict, too. I like the way you described exactly what conflict should be for a mc.
Thanks for the helpful thoughts!
Hi Kerry, LOL on the backstory! We've all done it, no worries. :-) The interesting thing is that you've probably already included that backstory later in the book, in dialogue, etc, so deleting the big chunks of backstory probably won't hurt the overall story. Make sense? You sound like you have a great attitude toward your entry too, which is good. :-)
Hi Lynn, good point about our scenes. Sometimes we need to treat them just like a character.
Conflict has always been a weakness for me so I was thrilled when I got a recent entry back that commented on the strong conflict. Finally! Phew!!
The main critique my crit partners had was not enough conflict for the heroine. Things were coming too easily for her and I needed to snarl her path up a bit.
I'm still trying to weed out the RUE in all my work...it's slow going. :)
LOL Sarah. Yep, thank goodness for rough drafts!
Erica, I know you'll be able to do it and come out with something amazing. :-)
Thanks for explaining this time.
I appreciate you!
Jen
Thanks for the reminder. I'll rue the day I forget this rule again! LOL
I wrote about it in detail here:
http://www.melissajagears.com/2011/01/hero-and-heroine-in-total-conflict.html
But what I learned was when every character's goal had an opposing goal from another character the book flew effortlessly.
But I really like you state we need a proactive MC to create real conflict. Wording it that way makes it so understandable now!
I, however, do think I do a good job of not RUEing :)
Me too, Deb, me too.
Oh Eileen, reading your comment makes me think about how UN proactive my MC is in the story you just read. LOL
Thanks for stopping by, Katie. :-)
Diane, it's def. a good opportunity. :-)
Oh no, Robyn! LOL Well, now you know. :-)
Keli, I've actually had that problem too, where I went too far, both in RUE and in backstory. Sometimes I think it's harder to add back in than to cut.
And thanks for stopping by, Cheryl. :-)
Hahahaa, you give me too much credit, Anita! No, I def. did not make up that acronym. :-)
LOL Elana. Been there and will
probably be there again.
Jessica, thank goodness for post-it notes, right?
You know, it's amazing how much you can learn when judging a contest. That's why I always try to judge at least one contest a year.
But yeah, I'm a littler nervous that my hero has very little conflict. But there's still time to tweek. :)
Great lesson!
Hmm, MC must be proactive and not reactive? I'll have to ponder that one and go over my manuscript.
Blessings,
Susan :)
-Mel