Keys to story writing (pt 3)
Natasha Thomas-Francis, Contributor

In our last lesson, I shared part one of a short story with you. Today, I'll give you the second part of this suspense.

Suppose...

No, he mustn't allow himself to think of that. He glanced at the driver, and again his hand went to his wallet. He had heard of passengers being attacked at night and being robbed. But surely ...no, that couldn't happen to him.

If only he could see the other man's face clearly! But he had no idea who the driver was. He kept his eye intently on him during the seemingly interminable journey.

Now they were approaching a spot where the road branched off in another direction. There were tall, dark bushes around. The car slowed down, and the driver took something short and black from the side pocket of the car. It looked like an iron tool. Would the driver attack him with that?

"Stop!" he heard himself screaming, and his heart beat so fast with fear that he could hardly breathe.

But the car did not stop. Faster and faster instead, it went. Now they were nearing his destination. Did the driver intend to take him past and then...

"Put me down here," he cried out.

Still with his eyes on the driver, he quickly stepped from the car as it came to a standstill. He fumbled with his wallet for his fare, but the taxi was no longer there.

"No night passengers for me again," exclaimed the driver, as, with a sigh of relief, he hurriedly moved off. And his hand tenderly caressed the heavy spanner with which he had meant to defend himself had that queer passenger attacked him!

At what point of the story do you think the climax occurs? Consider that the most intense part of the story is when the passenger screams out for the driver to stop, but the car is not brought to a halt; instead, the driver speeds up. I'm sure, at this point, the passenger is wondering if he will be kidnapped. But after this point, the story reaches a resolution when the driver lets the passenger off at his destination, and vows never to transport night passengers again.

Did you understand the twist in the story? Well, initially, the man who was anxious to get to Valencia was quite fearful of the taxi driver. However, it turned out that the irrational movements of the passenger made the driver fearful of him also! Hence, both men were quite relieved to have been rid of each other.

Wasn't that story interesting? I'm sure your attention was engaged at every stage in the story. This is the kind of interest that you need to foster in your readers when you write your stories.

To end this lesson, I want us to turn our attention to types of conflict in short stories. Conflict is some sort of struggle or uneasiness that your main characters experience. Every story needs conflict, as the depth of that conflict is represented by the climax of the story. And if there is a conflict, there must be a resolution to that struggle. As I told you, recently, this resolution may be positive or negative.

So what are the types and kinds of conflict you could include in a short story?

There are two types of conflict:

1) External

A struggle with a force outside one's self.

2) Internal

A struggle within oneself; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

These types can be further divided into kinds of conflict. There are five kinds of conflict:

1. Man vs man (physical)

The leading character struggles with other persons (for example, a difference of opinion).

2. Man vs his environment

The main character struggles with natural forces (for example, hurricane).

3. Man vs circumstances

The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her (for example, poverty).

4. Man vs society (social)

The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people (for example, society dictates that because a person is a female and dark-skinned, she cannot become the president of a prominent organisation).

5. Man versus himself/herself (psychological)

The main character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices (for example, fear, anxiety, guilt).

Which one of these kinds of conflict was present in the story I shared with you? Was there more than one type evident?

Next week, I will continue our discussion on story writing. Remember to get those creative juices flowing in your brain so that you can write captivating stories. Have a blessed week.

Natasha Thomas-Francis teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com