Do you like war stories? Battles are all around us; and I don't just mean those in which the military are involved. We war against man's inhumanity to man, cruelty to animals, gruelling situations, pain - and on the list goes.
The age-old battle of good versus evil requires that evil not just be mentioned in our stories, but that our main characters have to consciously fight against it.
In the 19th century, a French writer named Georges Polti worked out a useful list of what he titled 36 situations. They're not intended to be plots; but they are what plots can be built upon. (You can find his list quite easily by a search online). Things like jealousy, adultery, rivalry. While some of the listed situations have changed since his day; the nature of mankind hasn't, and these battles still occupy us, whether we want to be involved or not.
Battles will not only be the basis of your plot; but will take up a lot of your work at characterisation as well. You'll be setting your characters up to show how they fight against whatever evil protagonist comes against them, and how it affects them. This is where plot and characterisation come together.
Here are four broad categories of battles your characters are likely to be involved in:
(Remember that 'man' means mankind, rather than just the male of our species. Women are just as likely to be in the thick of these wars as men).
* Man against nature. These are usually a large part of adventure stories. Whether it's shooting marauding bears, or riding it high on a ship battling a storm, these stories form a large proportion of action plots. There are also other ways in which we battle nature, such as illness or injury. I think of Heidi and Pollyanna as classical examples of the latter, but of course there are many more. There are also the stories of nature that is out of balance due to man's imbalanced lifestyles.
* Man against man. Wars are the most obvious ways in which this battle is shown; but in fact, this sort of battle is everywhere, all around us. It could be seen in bullying, or in sports competitions; in politics or in other power-plays. Some of these battles may be mild; though of course the best stories are those in which the battle is tough and the stakes are high.
* Man against circumstances. Stuff happens in life that isn't always very easy to deal with. Jobs are lost, children move away, friendships end; and on the list goes. Circumstances are largely impersonal or out of our control, but real and often difficult just the same. While these battles may not form the larger part of a story outline, they'll be there; usually making the character's lives more difficult.
* Man against himself. This battle is commonly seen in the story in which a person struggles to do better, or get out of intimidating or constraining situations caused often by his own failure. Or - there's the story of the person who strives to achieve some great goal, with the toughest opposition coming from within. For example, old wounds cause pain; but should those wounds dictate your life? How can you overcome them?
There are many variations to these battles, but they serve as a useful list of possible battles which your characters may have to overcome. Onward to battle!
Do you need help to write better? Do you want some inspiration to put your thoughts into words? Could you do with some encouragement to develop your writing skills?
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