Monday, February 18, 2013


I just posted an essay on using conflict in writing on my "StartingYourStory" blog. At the end, I challenged readers to take a look at their most recent writing and identify the conflicts they included. So, just for fun, here's something I wrote at a recent meeting of our Write Time writers group (from the prompt, " I didn't know that brown cheese burned so well." ... and it turns out to have all sorts of conflict ... but see for yourself:

 I didn't know that brown cheese burned so well. Of course, I’d planned on serving it cold, sliced, with crackers and fruit.  God, the fates or the heat-death of the universe had other plans for my cheese, it seemed.

“Cal, you gotta come see this.” My roommate, Jess, can never be bothered coming to me—I always have to go to her. “It’s brilliant. We gotta do this at the party.”

“Jess, it’s just a few people coming over for drinks before we see a movie. It’s not a Hollywood premiere or anything.

“But look at this recipe—I love that flamed Greek cheese. “

“Don’t have time to shop—I’ve got gouda and Swiss and that Norwegian stuff your boyfriend loves.”

“Well, use that then, Callista. What could go wrong?”

What indeed…