Immediate Fiction

1. Story's Core: Conflict, Action, Resolution (CAR)

The complete story is the most satisfying... because it has the shape of our most meaningful experience.

Universal structure. Every compelling story, regardless of genre or length, follows a fundamental three-part structure: Conflict, Action, and Resolution. This mirrors the shape of human experience when facing adversity.

• Conflict: A problem arises.
• Action: The character struggles to overcome it.
• Resolution: The character wins or loses.

Essential elements. These three elements are the absolute minimum required for a story to function dramatically. Without a clear problem, a character actively trying to solve it, and an outcome, the narrative lacks momentum and meaning. Think of classic examples:

• Romeo loves Juliet, but families hate each other (Conflict). They marry secretly (Action). Both die tragically (Resolution).
• Ahab is obsessed with Moby-Dick (Conflict). He hunts the whale relentlessly (Action). He is destroyed (Resolution).

Natural form. This structure isn't arbitrary; it's deeply ingrained in how we understand and process events in life. Stories resonate because they reflect our own struggles, efforts, and outcomes, providing a sense of completion or "closure."

2. The Engine: Dramatic Conflict = Want + Obstacle

For a want to be dramatic the character must feel that satisfying it is a matter of life and death.

Fuel for action. Conflict is the essential engine that drives a story forward, forcing characters to act and reveal themselves. Dramatic conflict requires two equally determined forces: a strong "want" from the character and a powerful "obstacle" preventing them from getting it.

• Want: The character desperately desires something, feeling they cannot live without it or continue as things are.
• Obstacle: A force (person, situation, internal struggle) is equally determined to prevent the character from achieving their want.

High stakes required. If the character's want isn't intense or the obstacle isn't truly threatening (meaning the character would suffer serious harm or ruin by doing nothing), the conflict is "false" and the story will lack dramatic tension. The struggle must feel like a matter of life and death to the character, even if it's not literally so.

Author's role. As the author, you must be the source of this trouble, exercising "sadistic license" to make things difficult for your characters. This goes against our socialized nature to avoid conflict, but it's necessary to push characters to their limits and reveal their true selves.

3. The Lifeblood: Emotion & Identification

Identification is why the reader reads and why the writer writes.

Emotional connection. Stories are fundamentally about emotion. Readers connect with characters by feeling what they feel – a process called identification. This emotional resonance is the ultimate payoff for the reader and the driving force for the writer.

• We identify with characters' worries, fears, and hopes.
• We experience their pain, joy, anger, and vulnerability.

Revealing character. To achieve identification, you must reveal the character's inner world, especially their emotions and thoughts. Action reveals character, but knowing why they act and how they feel about it is crucial for deep connection.

• Show, don't just tell, emotions (e.g., show fearful thoughts and actions, don't just say "he was scared").
• Explore the character's internal struggle and "secret life" (thoughts they wouldn't share).

Vulnerability is key. We are naturally drawn to vulnerability. When characters face threats and reveal their fears and weaknesses, they become relatable and human, allowing the reader to identify with them on a deeper level. This is true even for tough or villainous characters.

4. The Method: Show, Don't Tell

If you show the actual experience... the reader will be there, living it through the character.

Experience over idea. The most fundamental technique in writing is "showing." This means creating a vivid experience for the reader by presenting specific actions, dialogue, thoughts, and sensory details, rather than simply stating facts or summarizing events ("telling").

• Telling: "He was a dangerous person." (Idea)
• Showing: "She had a six-inch, ventilated, blue steel barrel... so smooth and trim he got a hard-on thinking about her." (Experience)

Scene is showing. The purest form of showing is a scene, which unfolds moment-by-moment, word-for-word, allowing the reader to witness the events as they happen. While partial scenes or summaries (telling) can be used occasionally, full scenes are essential for major dramatic moments.

Visual medium. Written stories are a visual medium. You must provide enough specific detail for the reader to picture the events, characters, and setting in their mind. If the reader can't see it, they can't fully experience it.

• Focus on concrete specifics.
• Use dialogue and action to reveal character and advance plot simultaneously.
• Avoid abstract generalizations or authorial commentary that pulls the reader out of the experience.

5. The Process: Embrace Mess & Write Badly First

You must write badly first.

Inevitability of mess. The creative process is inherently messy, unpredictable, and non-linear. Expect to make mistakes, get lost, and produce "bad" writing in early drafts. This is not a sign of failure, but a natural and necessary part of discovery.

• Mess is inevitable: You make a mess, you clean it up.
• Mistakes lead to discovery: Errors create new possibilities and combinations.
• Falling apart is good: Losing your way means you've generated enough material to get lost in.

Lower expectations. Trying to write perfectly on the first draft is a sure path to blocking. Give yourself permission to write poorly, to let everything flow onto the page without judgment. As Hemingway said, "The first draft is shit."

• Gag the inner critic during the drafting phase.
• Focus on getting material down, not perfecting it.
• Accept that "bad is good" in the initial stages.

Writing is rewriting. The real work of shaping a story happens in subsequent drafts. The messy first draft provides the raw material that you will later refine, organize, and intensify using craft techniques.

6. The Struggle: Hitting the Wall (Blocking)

What's really in your way, what's really blocking you, are all kinds of concerns you drag into the process...

Page fright. Writers experience a form of performance anxiety called "page fright" or blocking. This isn't a lack of talent, but a paralysis caused by bringing irrelevant concerns into the act of writing itself.

• Worrying about talent, success, or the quality of the writing while trying to write.
• Editing ideas in your head before they reach the page.
• Feeling overwhelmed by the perceived difficulty or importance of the task.

Universal affliction. Blocking happens to all writers, from beginners to masters like Flaubert or Oscar Wilde. It's not a personal failing, but a common hurdle inherent in the creative process. The better you get, the more sophisticated your ways of blocking yourself can become.

Self-abuse. At its worst, blocking manifests as an internal attack on your ability, worth, and potential. These negative emotions are unreliable and should not be trusted as indicators of your actual skill or the quality of your ideas.

7. The Cure: Unblocking Techniques

To get unblocked you must do something. You must act.

Action over thought. You cannot think or talk your way out of a serious block. Unblocking requires taking action, even if it feels meaningless or silly at first. The goal is to break the paralysis and reconnect with the flow of writing.

• Write "I'M BLOCKED" and continue writing every negative thought that comes to mind (Vent).
• Write about what you would like to write about without pressure to commit (Back Door).
• Intentionally write a terrible story (Write Wrong).

Trick the editor. Many techniques work by distracting or bypassing the judgmental part of your mind (the editor) that is causing the block.

• Write in a distracting environment (Distraction).
• Write as if no one will ever see it (Burn It).

Reconnect with flow. The ultimate aim is to shift from the rigid, judgmental "editing" state back to the fluid, non-judgmental "flow" state. This often requires consistent, low-pressure effort.

• Engage in "morning pages" or flow writing to access the subconscious.
• Schedule short, non-negotiable writing sessions at random times to train availability.

8. The Grind: Writing is Rewriting

Writing is rewriting.

Essential process. Getting the story right is not a one-time event but an iterative process of drafting and revising. Rewriting is not just polishing sentences; it's fundamentally reworking the story's core elements to enhance drama, clarity, and emotional impact.

• Expect to write multiple drafts (5+ is common, some write dozens).
• Rework larger elements: characters, scenes, plot points.
• Cut ruthlessly: Remove anything that doesn't serve the story's purpose.

Lose perspective. As you rewrite, you inevitably lose objectivity about your work. What felt exciting initially may seem dull, and you may struggle to see what needs fixing.

• Taking time away can help, but risks losing momentum.
• Using craft tools (CAR+ES) provides an objective framework for evaluation.

Systematic approach. Approach rewriting systematically by checking for core elements:

• Is the want strong enough?
• Is the obstacle threatening enough?
• Is the action direct and compelling?
• Is the emotion clear?
• Are you showing rather than telling?

9. Finding Time: The 5-Minute Method

The effects of these sessions reach beyond the actual time you put in.

Consistency over quantity. You don't need large blocks of free time to make progress. Consistent, short bursts of writing or engaging with your story are highly effective for building momentum and keeping your imagination active.

• Start with just 5 minutes a day.
• Commit to 30 days before evaluating the method.
• Make it non-negotiable, like brushing your teeth.

Prime the subconscious. These short daily sessions, especially when done first thing in the morning or before sleep, help keep your story simmering in your subconscious mind. This leads to ideas and solutions emerging more readily when you have longer writing periods.

• Bedtime contact: Think about your story before sleeping.
• Leverage "drudgery time": Ideas often surface during mindless activities.

Build momentum. The 5-minute method is a gateway. Once consistent, you can gradually increase the time (e.g., 10 minutes, 20 minutes) or add longer sessions on weekends.

• Even 10 minutes a day yields significant pages over a year.
• The key is daily contact to maintain connection and flow.

10. Novel vs. Short Story: It's About Characters

More characters, who are more trouble, more scenes, more pages.

Length through complexity. The primary difference between a short story and a novel isn't just length, but the complexity and scale of the conflict, which is directly tied to the number of significant characters involved.

• A short story often focuses on one or two main characters and a central conflict.
• A novel expands the conflict by introducing more characters who are invested in the outcome.

Mathematics of fiction. Adding characters exponentially increases the potential for dramatic interactions and scenes. Each new character brings their own wants, obstacles, and relationships that create new conflicts and complications.

• Consider every character having a scene with every other character.
• Each additional character should add trouble or complexity to the main conflict.

Generate material. If you're struggling to expand a short story idea into a novel, the solution is to add more characters who are naturally connected to the existing ones and who have something significant to gain or lose. This generates the necessary material for a longer narrative.

11. Point of View: Whose Story Is It?

Almost always, the point of view is set in the character with the biggest problem, the character with the most to lose...

Experiencing the story. Point of view determines whose experience the reader shares. This includes the grammatical person (I, you, he/she) and, more importantly, which character's mind and perspective we inhabit.

• First Person ("I"): The character is also the narrator. Can be objective or subjective (unreliable).
• Third Person ("he/she"): The characters live the story, but a separate narrator presents it. Usually objective, but can be omniscient (knowing all minds).

Follow the drama. Choose the point of view that offers the most intense and revealing experience. This is typically the character facing the greatest conflict and having the most at stake.

• Staying in a single point of view often creates the strongest connection.
• Multiple points of view can work if handled skillfully, switching between equally dramatic perspectives.

Narrator's role. The narrator's voice and presence (or lack thereof) also shape the reader's experience. An omniscient narrator can comment on the story, adding layers of meaning or perspective, but risks pulling the reader out if not done well.

12. Cut the Fat: What to Ignore

These concepts are the result of examining story from the outside rather than from the inner dynamics of the characters and the conflict.

Focus on the essentials. Many traditional writing concepts and terms are unnecessary "dead weight" that can confuse and paralyze writers. The core craft elements (Conflict, Action, Resolution, Emotion, Showing) are sufficient to build a strong story.

• Ignore terms like "beginning, middle, end" (covered by CAR).
• Ignore "character development" (happens automatically through action).
• Ignore "voice" and "style" (emerge naturally as you write).

Avoid unnecessary tasks. Don't feel obligated to engage in activities that don't directly contribute to getting the story on the page and making it dramatic.

• Character biographies: Only useful if they directly inform the character's actions in the story.
• Premise: A strong CAR story will inherently have meaning and fulfill a premise whether you plan it or not.
• Outlining: Only necessary if it helps you write; many successful writers don't outline.

Prioritize identification. Don't worry about making characters "likeable"; focus on making them relatable through their struggles and vulnerability (identification). Don't strive for "interesting"; strive for identification, which inherently creates interest. Use Occam's Razor: the simplest, most direct approach (focusing on core craft) is best.

Last updated: May 19, 2025