Comments on: Conflict vs. Tension: How Are They Different?

By: Ultimate Screenwriting Guide: How To Create Conflict & Tension In Your Screenplay | The Screenwriting Spark

Sun, 18 Jan 2015 05:06:31 +0000

[…] Conflict vs Tension | Writer’s Helping Writers […]

By: Sherrey Meyer

Sherrey Meyer — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 18:29:11 +0000

Becca, thanks for clarifying the differences between these two important elements in our writing. All along I’ve accepted that they were synonymous, but with your well written explanation I now see that there is a difference. Clipping this into Evernote under writing tips ASAP!

By: Sharon Lippincott

Sharon Lippincott — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 16:04:29 +0000

Fireworks moment here. THANK YOU!

By: Gwen Stephens

Gwen Stephens — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 12:08:36 +0000

This was definitely a lightbulb for me, Becca! Especially the bits about conflict in every scene, and establishing primal stakes! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

By: Writing and Tension/Conflict | Themself

Writing and Tension/Conflict | Themself — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 07:55:43 +0000

[…] I’ve been working my way through the Big Red Book (BRB) that supports the Open University‘s A215 Creative Writing course. I’ve just got to the Chapter on structure and it has made me think about how to get tension and conflict into my stories. In particular I was thinking about how to write the sort of scenes that make you want to keep on reading and keep people up at night to see what happens next. I also found this writing resource post on tension vs conflict in writing. […]

By: BECCA PUGLISI

BECCA PUGLISI — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:43:45 +0000

In reply to Richard Van Anderson. Ugh. MUST get this book.

By: BECCA PUGLISI

BECCA PUGLISI — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:43:30 +0000

In reply to Joanne. This is a great way to define conflict and tension. I agree completely!

By: BECCA PUGLISI

BECCA PUGLISI — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:42:48 +0000

In reply to Trula. Thanks so much for the kind words, Trula. I'm glad you got something from this post :)

By: Trula

Trula — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 17:10:14 +0000

What a great post/article. You explain with such clarity what tension is vs what conflict is. I followed Bookshelf Muse for a couple years, and am in awe how you guys have bloomed into Writers Helping Writers, and your description books are priceless. Big grateful fan here.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 05:47:47 +0000

Good points!
To me, conflict is about what is happening now, while tension relates to what *may* happen (in the future of the story). So conflict arouses interest and excitement in the reader, while tension (will it? won’t it? should it? but what if?) arouses hope or dread, and pulls the reader along to see how things pan out.

By: Laura Haley-McNeil

Laura Haley-McNeil — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 04:53:14 +0000

This is a great explanation. I’m pasting this into my notes folder. Thanks for your books, Becca. I refer to them constantly.

By: Richard Van Anderson

Richard Van Anderson — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 21:56:14 +0000

Nicely defined. Thanks. In his book THE FIRE IN FICTION, Donald Maass devotes a whole chapter to tension, titled TENSION ALL THE TIME. And he’s not talking about car chases and bombs exploding.