Angela Ackerman - The Conflict Thesaurus: Volume 2

THE CONFLICT THESAURUS:

A Writers Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles

VOLUME 2

ANGELA ACKERMAN

& BECCA PUGLISI

THE CONFLICT THESAURUS: A WRITERS GUIDE TO OBSTACLES, ADVERSARIES, AND INNER STRUGGLES. VOLUME 2.

Copyright 2022 by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

All rights reserved

Writers Helping Writers

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in print or electronic form without prior permission of the authors. Please respect the hard work of the authors and do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials.

ISBN: 978-1-7361523-2-4

Edited by Michael Dunne

Book cover design by JD Smith Design

Book formatting by JD Smith Design

Available in ten languages, sourced by universities, and recommended by editors and agents all over the world, this bestselling series is a writers favorite for brainstorming fresh description and powering up storytelling.

The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Vol. 1)

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition)

The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Character Attributes

The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Character Flaws

The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to City Spaces

The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Personal and Natural Places

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Psychological Trauma

The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers

Emotion Amplifiers: A Companion to The Emotion Thesaurus

Were all familiar with the fish story. You know, the one where an uncle, neighbor, cousinsomeone sets out to catch a fish. And then he does.

Presented like this, it sounds straightforward anddare we say ita touch boring. And if the story was nothing more than someone reeling in their dinner, it would be pretty yawn-worthy. But what makes a fish story special is that its always more than it seems. In fact, it might not contain a carp, trout, or catfish at all and instead be a tale of how someone negotiated a great deal on their car, pulled out an engagement ring and got a yes, or something else entirely. But its still a fish story, trust us. And for it to work, it needs the same vital thing all great stories do: conflict.

Lets look at a classic fish story for a moment, one where the storyteller is your neighbor. Hes on his porch, enjoying the cooling air as dusk sends fingers of pink and orange across the sky. He spots you mowing your lawn and waves you over. The pitcher of iced tea at his elbow seems pretty inviting, so you climb the steps, sit, and thank him for the hospitality.

Once youre settled, he nudges an ice chest with his foot. Went fishing this morning. Boy, what a day.

Good neighbor that you are, you lean in with an expected, Oh?the universal signal to tell you all about it.

Our fisherman begins his tale with the setup: he rose with the sun, gathered his rod and tackle, and headed out the door. The early hour meant less traffic, and he made it to the lake in record time. Not a cloud in the sky, just him, the birds, and the gentle buzz of dragonflies. A great day to be on the water.

Then, an early upset: his blasted boat motor refused to start. It took him a good half-hour of pulling to fire it up, and by then, other fishermen had arrived. The whole point of getting there early was to claim his spot, so he had to hustle to keep his lead.

Finally, he reached his secret fishing location and cast a line over the side. The sun warmed the back of his neck and the water was mirror-calm. And somewhere below, a certain plump trout was scouting for a free meal.

But the minutes ticked by. And by.

Not a bite, not one nibble.

Your neighbor starts to grouse about how his back ached and the hot sun was crisping his skin like chicken in a fryer. To make matters worse, because he was in a rush, hed left his lunch kit and water bottle in the truck. He was so thirsty, the saliva in his mouth had turned to glue.

His impatience grew. The fish had abandoned his secret spot. His thumb hurt like a bugger because hed accidentally poked it when baiting the hook, and overhead, dark clouds were brewing. The day had become a total dud. Maybe it was time to pack it in.

But then, the line jerked. And then again.

From his chair, your neighbor re-enacts this moment. His arms are extended, an invisible twitching rod in his grip. He pulls back, testing the resistance. Aha, a solid bite!

He cranks the handle of a non-existent reel, pulling and releasing in turn, but sweet whiskey, wouldnt you know it, this fish had the strength of an alligator. No, two! The kind that grew up in the runoff of a nuclear power plant.

Pulling with a fierceness that seems superhuman, your neighbor grunts and relays the rest of the battle in spurts.

Thunder rumbled overhead. The sky was black. The wind had picked up and waves slapped his boat, threatening to capsize him! He held on, fighting the monster for a good hour.

You cock an eyebrow.

Well, maybe half an hour. He pauses. Five minutes, at least.

This detail clarified, he returns to the tale. At last, the trout broke the surface, thrashing like a demon. Your neighbor stands and begins to grunt and swear as he grapples with the invisible fish. Finally, he wrestles it into the boat and collapses in his chair. Victory!

He slugs back a gulp of iced tea. Then he taps the red lid of the fish cooler. Took everything I had, but, well, the rest is history!

And thats a fish storyan epic tale of highs and lows, of being outmatched and outwitted until personal will and strength tip the scales in the tellers favor. Sure, it wanders away from the truth and comes with a good dose of embellishment, but the teller knows something important: having a need (motivation) and setting a goal to fill that need doesn't make a great story. But achieving a goal that fulfills that need when everything is against you (conflict) does.

This is a key takeaway for us writers because when we sit down at the keyboard, our imaginations can come up with event after event to write about, but without certain conflicts, the story's plot will wander, taking the reader's attention with it. That's what a fish story teaches us: for a story to draw in the audience, we need a goal, a motivation, and conflict.

GOAL, MOTIVATION, AND CONFLICT WALK INTO A BAR

For most writers, dreaming up exciting ideas, characters, locations, and situations isn't a problem. But if we blindly run with these, instead of writing a story, we may end up with just a series of things that happen (and a long, annoying revision road). And unfortunately, the longer it takes to get a tale into fighting shape, the more chance there is well grow frustrated, become distracted by a new idea, and move on to something else. Burying another manuscript in the hard drive graveyard is never the goal. Finishing and getting the story into the hands of eager readers is.