Know Jack #482 Conflict, Stress, and Misfortune

I find it interesting that readers of fiction want a book to give them the very things they shun in life. Conflict, stress, and misfortune are the fabric from which good fiction is woven. Without these elements, there is no story. Giving readers a slice of life may lend a little sunshine, but there’s no real story. Readers don’t want happiness to show up until the end. God, fate, circumstance, or whatever you choose to trust in, instantly appearing and miraculously saving the protagonist is boring. People may want boring (or at least uncomplicated) for their own lives. They’re not interested in reading it.

I think about two things while writing. How can I get my protagonist into trouble, and how can I make it worse. How he or she extricates themselves is a secondary concern. In my mind, that they will extricate themselves is a given. I’m rather infamous for killing off my characters. However, before they die, I want the reader to like them. Generally, the cause of their misfortune and death is to increase the protagonist’s, and so the reader’s, turmoil.  I have yet to kill a protagonist, though the thought has crossed my mind.

Victory over trials and tribulations is ingrained in my psyche. Bad things may happen to good people, but good people always win. Their victory may not take the form everyone envisions. Goodness in the face of evil is a victory in and of itself. I am asking on occasion why I write about monsters, demons, and the occult. Usually, the question comes from those who believe any mention of those things is to promote them. That is why many of my Christian brethren avoid my books like the plague.

In my writing, nothing could be further from the truth. I do not believe in the undefeatable, invincible evil, whether it be monster, spirit, or devil. I find Freddy, Jason, and the like unbelievable and as boring as the protagonist for whom the sun is always shining. I’m sure much of that comes from my Christian mindset. The Devil himself fell like lightning from heaven, cast out by a greater power.

I approach evil as a rallying cry meant to draw out good people and the good in people. Conflict, stress, and misfortune are the growth medium most suited to the development of personal goodness, courage, and victory.