Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48049
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

> How do I resolve conflict if none of the options seem satisfying or correct?

The heart of this sentence is the word 'seem', which suggests ambiguity. Your story most certainly can be resolved in a satisfying way, and you might be closer to the solution than you think.

Let's ignore for now the possibility that there is a third way of resolving the conflict. Either A kills B and breaks his vow, or A keeps his vow and B walks. No other options exist.

Say we canonize the former resolution; the one that has your personal preference. When A and B enter the metaphorical coliseum and unfurl their switchblades, A knows there's no turning back. In addition to a struggle between him and his foe, there's now a second struggle going on. A versus himself, or rather, his will to survive versus his will to stick to his morals. You've effectively added an extra layer of conflict to the story. That's not bad, it's interesting.

Here's the climax. A shivs B, who crumples into a ball and bleeds to death. The physical conflict is over, but the mental one still burns bright. How is A going to react? Maybe he hates himself for breaking his vow and drowns himself in the nearest river, thinking the world is better off with one fewer monster. Maybe he comes to accept that doing the right thing isn't as easy as merely wishing to do right. I'm sure there are plenty more reactions to come up with, and that you know your story better than I do. So, pick one.

Is the climax's resolution going to mess with that wonderful foreshadowing in chapter 2, and is it going to shoot a hole in B's backstory? Do I need to rewrite, or even cut those things? The answer, unfortunately, is yes.

I'm a big proponent of outlining one's story. I like to pretend I know where my story is going at all times. But that's all it is. Pretend. When the first draft is done the story will have some warts that need to be cut in the second draft. Doing so will make new warts. But they're smaller, and not so numerous. And after enough revisions, they disappear.

Original score: 3