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Short Story Writing Tips - Is The Conflict Resolved By Another Force?

by: Nick Vernon

In real life we don't want to deal with conflict and hope it will be resolved by someone else, or something else.

As with having the conflict resolved by another character, the same here applies having the conflict resolved by another force. Such as the weather, luck, nature, coincidence, province etc. All are weak devices to use and should be avoided at all costs.

Let me give you a few examples of the conflict being resolved by another force�

Your character is stuck on a deserted island. The conflict is, how is he going to get off that island. Having a ship come by and rescue him, is having another force solve the conflict for him. In this case, it�s province or luck. Unless of course the character has something to do with the ship coming to his rescue, like having him build a fire, which someone from the ship notices, then the character has something to do with the rescue, which is fine.

Another example�

Your character wants to visit his mother. The conflict is whether he should go because she lives on the other side of town and he�s not too confident his old car will make it there. If a neighbor offers him a ride, which by chance is happening to go in that direction, then our conflict is solved by coincidence and by another character.

Your character has to resolve his own conflict. If you choose to use another device, make sure that the character has something to do with it or else it will be a weak way to end your story.

About the author:
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Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers funny stories. Visit

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