Conflicts and tension scenarios in novels

[Guardian]

I'm just finalizing my WIP and the first chapter is in the lack of conflicts and tension. Now my basic problem is, regardless I know how to create conflict and tension, as I did it in the later chapters and volumes, somehow I can't figure out any good conflict or tension for the first chapter. The greatest problem is, the world is a true Utopian world in the beginning (Chapters 1 and 2), where no harm can touch the main characters. The calm, peaceful world setup is necessary, but because of it there is no true tension and conflict in the beginning.

Could any of you list me some very basic and general fantasy conflicts and tension scenarios which used to be good starting conflicts? So in your eyes, what would be a good general conflict and tension scenario in an Utopian world?

[polymath]

Knowing the outcome and basing an opening conflict on the outcome might yield a main dramatic complication that ties into the entire narrative. In my sense of utopias, they are a complication in their own right, bound to fall apart from entropy, thus foreshadowing disaster. A key to conflict is reader rapport with a reader surrogate's insuperable struggle. What antagonizes the central character throughout?

Tension in my sense of it as a force is empathy and resonance with a central character's struggle and from artfully posing suspense questions about what will happen next and what the outcome of the struggle will be in the long run and artfully delaying answers.

If the utopia is going to fall apart, foreshadowing the fall in the opening would fill both empathy and suspense bills. Show cracks in the perfection facades, show minor annoyances, nuisances, compromises, and sacrifices. The cliff of despair should be hanging over the central character's blissful ignorance about to come loose at any moment.

Also, for the sake of empathy, show the central character's weighted self-serving and self-sacrificing motivations and don't forget the stakes public and private in the event of failure.

Conflict in the general sense of the word is a form of confrontational contention, not necessarily the literary sense of the term, where a diametric opposition of outcomes based on stakes is in play, i.e., salvation or catastrophe, acceptance or rejection, life or death, riches or rags, fame or obscurity, and so on.

[Guardian]

Thanks. Now I forgot to add, the MC in the first chapter is a seven year old girl and the story is presented via her eyes. The cracks are also appearing later on this Utopian civilization, but the beginning of the story is in complete peace and harmony. Although this is a bit different utopian civilization, then in most novels. i.e. money is not existing at all (So poor and rich is already out). Evil is also not existing, just in legends (It's appearing later). There is no tyranny, just harmony and peace. There is no self-serving, just sharing. So everything and everyone is perfectly safe and as no evil element is present, there is no source of evil at all, I can't apply the standard Utopian mistake to create conflict here in the beginning.

The problem is... the world has sense, it's setup, it's imagery is perfect, but as readers are used to confrontations and conflicts, here it's really hard to create any of it, because... #1. some readers can't really imagine a world without conflicts and make it boring to them. Others had no problem with it. But I should find a good balance to serve both sides. #2. the world and the people in it has no conflicts at all as this world is not our world where conflicts are necessary.

So basically I should try to find a nice balance, create a tension and conflict to present a world and it's people without conflicts to an audience which loves conflicts. Oh, and via the eyes of a seven years old girl.

I admit, it's a nice writing challenge.

[polymath]

One of the writing wisdoms of the ages is, paraphrasing, if a story is about driving around for a year and a day, the story begins the day the wheels come off. The previous days' driving are backstory setup best interleaved into the main action or left out altogether. Even present story time setup can be burdensome backstory.

[Guardian]

Actually the first two chapters are presenting only one day, the very last of the main character and all the parts what I present there has an essence. My WIP has a cause and effect. Every motion, every description, every action has it's own consequences, but no in that very moment, sometimes just chapters later. Here, the first chapter is serving this purpose, it's giving the basics, while it's also presenting the world and the main character. So this chapter is where it must be, just some readers can't feel it in the beginning, because of the lack of tension and conflicts, what I can't figure out because of the previously mentioned Utopian setting. As the readers reaching later chapters they're already see it's essence, but they must read few chapters for that.

[polymath]

Of the many priorities for an opening, one that stands out is creating emotional disequilibrium. Cause and effect by itself doesn't rise to that occasion. Empathy by itself doesn't. Suspense rises in part from an emotional disturbance that upsets equilibrium.

Causation's cause and effect and tension's empathy and suspense are two axes of plot. The third is antagonism's purpose and complication. Driving around even without a destination is a purpose. The wheels coming off the car is a problem complicating that purpose. Complications raise tension's suspense force. They are causal in nature. Antagonism's value for a plot is causing an escalating emotional disequilibrium.

If it takes two or more chapters to upset emotional equilibrium, readers might not read far without a promise a narrative will get around to it. Endings don't potently emotionally pay off without a prepositioned emotional disequilibrium, ideally located in an opening.

Another writing wisdom of the ages, transformation depends on antagonism to compel change. A transformation can in one sense be in only one direction from beginning to ending related to fortune, good to bad fortune or bad to good fortune. An opening in a good fortune utopia seems to me a foreshadowing promising a tragic ending. Cultural coding conventions in my sense of reader expectations will stand for no less.

[Guardian]

Suspense rises in part from an emotional disturbance that upsets equilibrium.

This is in general. But here, you can't apply that because of the upper mentioned reasons. Emotional disturbance must have a source. If there is no source as the world doesn't have it at all in the beginning, you can't give any true distrubance. There is minimal disturbance in the first chapter, but unfortunately they're too meaningless for some readers.

Endings don't potently emotionally pay off without a prepositioned emotional disequilibrium, ideally located in an opening.

Same as above. They're there, there is disturbance, they're also paying off in the end very well, but as I written, those disturbances here are considered so meaningless by some readers... while, as it's confirmed, those disturbances are the most meaningful in the end and they're working out very well... as a whole (It's loosing it's essence in chapter by chapter reading as the entire disturbance is a really long story arc.). This is why I'm intending to add surplus conflicts... I just don't have a clue what.

They are causal in nature.

Causal in nature... in our world. But here, I tried to create something completely different then our world. As I written the world setup, the characters are passed too. Only the tension and the conflict is missing, because this world has no problems at all. Conflicts may arise from three elements; world, characters and events. Here, the world don't have the source for that. Characters detto. And as events are usually originating from the first too, this is also not existing. Although the tragic ending is there... in chapter 2, where it must be. But good or bad fortune is also cannot be applied here because of some restrictions (As "fortune" is also explained). New world, new rules.

Antagonism's value for a plot is causing an escalating emotional disequilibrium.

Antagonism is only a matter of point of view. Here, the readers are getting a very clear presentation about it.

So basically I tried to avoid every possible cliche, yet with the very same move I cornered myself with this "missing conflict / tension" problem in the first chapter.

[Watcher55]

Perhaps you can use the opportunity to build suspense that promises conflict. Hint at the silent "snake in the garden". or shift between describing Utopia and the metaphorical meteor as it streaks towards what fate has written.

[Guardian]

And what a perfect hint. As it was in Batman Begins; "Always mind your surroundings.". Thank you very much. :)

I want to create new elements, instead of using those ones what I already have there. Sometimes my mind is working on the most complicated way instead of taking the easiest way. This was a fine example for it. Million, million thanks! :)

[Louise Curtis]

*hoping no-one said this, since I didn't read everything*

even 7-year olds have wants. Is she jealous of a prettier girl at school? Is there a boy who pulls her hair that she can kick in the. . . leg? what does does she REALLY REALLY need for xmas/her birthday?

people in a utopia are still people - a lot of the western world is healthy and wealthy (compared to the rest of the world, certainly), which are characteristics of utopia. Yet we manage to have plenty of problems.

[cheekychook]

I can't comment specifically to the utopia-based part of your question, but I will pass on a bit of advice I received from a fellow writer that allowed me to think much more clearly about how to begin my novel. The advice was simple. Read your whole book, beginning to end, then the minute you finish reading your last word on the last page WRITE YOUR FIRST CHAPTER. Try it. The point is that in some manner there should be a "full-circle"-ness to your story. Seriously, try it. Helped me a lot. Granted I have still gone back and forth on my first two chapters a hundred times whereas no other portion of the book has ever needed that particular kind of tweakage...but it still helped. Good luck. :)

[Guardian]

Seven 7-year olds have wants. Is she jealous of a prettier girl at school? Is there a boy who pulls her hair that she can kick in the. . . leg? what does does she REALLY REALLY need for xmas/her birthday?

Here, this can't be done. It's a quite different world and jealousy is not existing. The entire social system is also different then ours, so as the holidays.

Read your whole book, beginning to end, then the minute you finish reading your last word on the last page WRITE YOUR FIRST CHAPTER. Try it.

Maybe that's going to happen... again. But I must keep many elements from this one as even this chapter is holding dozens of details which has an effect and direct consequences in the later chapters, so I must work a bit backward. Well... this WIP is a bit more complicated and a bit more complex then the usual. Whose read it knows what about I'm talking.

The point is that in some manner there should be a "full-circle"-ness to your story.

Oh, there is a full circle in the story. And not just one. :)

[Nicole R]

Actually the first two chapters are presenting only one day, the very last of the main character...

So, this is her last day alive? If so, that presents tension in itself. You could also build conflict and unease by making this utopian world creepily perfect from the readers' perspective. Sort of like Duloc in Shrek :) Your MC would feel like everything is within the normal confines of her world, but readers would perceive that something larger is going on. The very absence of things we take for granted in our world (arguments, jealousy) can create an eerie vibe that might help build a feeling of conflict.

[polymath]

I'm seeing several concerns with a utopia opening. Pure utopia challenges credulity, which challenges willing suspension of disbelief. One of the several implicit contracts a narrative has with readers is to preserve readers' willing suspension of disbelief.

Pure utopia runs counter to the fundmental nature of dramatic arts. A pure utopia has no passionate clashes of will. An action by itself is not dramatic. A passion by itself is not dramatic. Passionate action is the cornerstone of dramatic arts.

Pure utopia is a static society, if not stagnant, if not a declining society. Passionate clashes stimulate existence. A society without clashes lacks one of the prime motivators of life. Without opposing forces life is effortless and meaningless. I cannot help but see a utopia as anything other than a dead or dying society with no future prospects.

[Guardian]

You summarized my problem very well. Take a relative static, but still evolving society, where people have the urge to research, to live their life, to make their society even better, to live for what they truly like. The present society is different, because if there is no conflict, they're bored to death (In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century it's not really existed as people was capable to invent themselves, when they had nothing to do; i.e. reading a book, take a short trip in the park, etc, etc... Now, they're creating or seeking conflicts to pass the boring times, otherwise they're bored to death.). And this world is different then ours. People are don't searching conflicts, but living their lives and always try to do something with it. While the present reading generation is the complete opposite... if they don't have action and conflict, or if you don't give anything to them immediately... they're bored to death or cries as they're very-very impatient.

So I should present a patient, inventive, very peaceful society in the beginning... to a non-inventive, conflict seeker, impatient one. That's the problem and this is why I'm seeking a good solution to create a good balance for this one.