84
votes
Accepted
How to write a story without conflict, like "My Neighbour Totoro"?
There is definitely conflict, in the sense of narrative conflict, in My Neighbor Totoro. Sickness (with possible death) counts, whether it's resolved through any action of any characters or not. ...
- 1,238
59
votes
How to write a story without conflict, like "My Neighbour Totoro"?
My Neighbor Totoro makes heavy use of Kishōtenketsu:
Kishōtenketsu (起承転結) describes the structure and development of classic Chinese, Korean and Japanese narratives...The first Chinese character ...
- 579
29
votes
Accepted
The problem of the throwaway boyfriend
If you don't have some readers disappointed by the breakup, you haven't done justice to the "throwaway" boyfriend
The problem appears to be that you want the initial boyfriend to BE a throwaway ...
- 8,677
27
votes
Is it a good idea to make the actions of my antagonist reasonable?
This is a great idea, but keep one important thing in mind.
First of all, there's absolutely nothing wrong with making an antagonist sympathetic, reasonable and likable. If anything, it's good writing!...
- 8,762
26
votes
Why would a character's parents allow them to go on a lethal quest?
I'm not sure about the general case, but in your specific case, it's worth noting that thievery is a pretty dangerous profession in its own right:
There's obviously the threat of being caught by law ...
- 11k
21
votes
Resolving moral conflict
You're saying you've written yourself into a corner. You appear to have to options, and you don't like either. You're forgetting: you are the writer. You are god. Your story is not set in stone, your ...
17
votes
Accepted
How do I balance immature levity and flaws and character growth?
This is a big, important question. After all characters must be distinct and unique or else they are no longer characters, but rather bland, amorphous machines whose actions can only be explained by a ...
- 1,839
15
votes
Why would a character's parents allow them to go on a lethal quest?
I think you’ve answered your own question: “she wants to go to give her family name a better reputation.”
This could be her parents’ motivation as well. Going on a quest could be a once-in-a-lifetime ...
- 954
13
votes
Character crisis for a Science Hero?
For what it's worth, I am a professor in CS and a mathematician, and I've published in peer-reviewed academic journals original work in the field of statistics, and worked extensively in AI.
her ...
- 104k
13
votes
Accepted
Does a story require a villain to succeed?
There's a school of thought that every scene must have conflict, that every scene needs an antagonist.
This idea is different than every scene needing a villain. A villain is usually an antagonist, ...
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12
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The problem of the throwaway boyfriend
You've suggested that the particulars of their separation don't matter, but it is specifically those particulars that hold the opportunity to sow doubt and hope into the otherwise obvious path.
Amp ...
- 10.8k
12
votes
The problem of the throwaway boyfriend
Provide multiple possible resolutions
From a Doylist perspective, of course they're going to break up. From the beginning, a long-distance relationship isn't very interesting - having the MC meet ...
- 11.4k
11
votes
How to write a story without conflict, like "My Neighbour Totoro"?
The first paragraph of the plot summary for the example you've given suggests there are at least two forms of emotional conflict in the material. The mother's illness, the strangeness of a new place. ...
- 10.5k
11
votes
Accepted
Dangers of being sympathetic to the killer
What are the dangers of painting a sympathetic view of the killer through the family of the killer’s perspective and in seeing the obvious interior dysfunction of the killer by seeing inside his mind?
...
- 104k
8
votes
How to write a story without conflict, like "My Neighbour Totoro"?
Remember back to elementary school. There are three kinds of stories.
Man vs. Man (Let's call this Capt. America vs. Iron Man)
Man vs. Nature (How about The Perfect Storm or Alive)
Man vs. Self (...
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8
votes
How to write a story without conflict, like "My Neighbour Totoro"?
The answer to your base question is subtext...
Give the audience or reader something to chew on and make it enjoyable or terrifying or whatever... but in some way interesting... and some people will ...
- 260
8
votes
Accepted
What could be done to generate and maintain reader interest in plots without a lot of conflict / tension?
Conflict does not have to be grand, and the stakes do not have to be enormous. Consider a romance, like "When Harry Met Sally" or "Sleepless In Seattle" or "You've Got Mail". I'm not saying you should ...
- 104k
8
votes
Does a story require a villain to succeed?
Traditionally, people have referred to four different types of conflict that can animate a narrative.
Sexist language aside, these classifications can be quite helpful:
Person versus person - Your ...
- 56.5k
8
votes
How do I write gray vs grey stories?
Remember two things:
"no man is all of one stripe" meaning that people are always multi-faceted, villains who seemingly care only for power still love their children and pacifists who wouldn't raise ...
- 10.5k
8
votes
Why would a character's parents allow them to go on a lethal quest?
What do young women who want to run away with young men, against their parents wishes, usually do? They ease the bedroom window open late one night after the house has become quiet, and climb down ...
7
votes
Conflict and antagonist in a certain subtype of erotic novels
(1) from the first desire to consummation or
(2) from loveless sex to romantic love or
(3) from a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment
– what can cause conflict?
I think ...
- 104k
7
votes
Accepted
Is this ununderstandable character part of the conflict?
Yes.
In every conflict, you will have the protagonist and the antagonist. Antagonist does not need to be human, or sentient, or even alive in any sense. For example, in Tom Hanks movie Cast Away, the ...
- 6,153
7
votes
When does a partially random event go from reasonably possible to contrived "deus ex machina"?
I'd say this isn't a deus ex machina - those usually occur suddenly, resolve the story's conflict/dramatic tension, and in many cases occur from outside the narrative context.
Here you've essentially ...
- 7,263
7
votes
Why would a character's parents allow them to go on a lethal quest?
It's just as dangerous not to go
She is in serious trouble with a local mob boss or powerful gangster, perhaps having stolen something she shouldn't. The parents allow her to go on the quest because ...
- 1,351
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