A pair of glasses bringing a blurred scene into focus.

Friday Focus #1

Hello, dear readers. Welcome to my first Friday Focus post where I’ll dial in some rather vague details, and bring them into focus.

A pair of glasses bringing a blurred scene into focus.

On Wednesday, we discussed the word, “waver.”

So, in thinking about that, I was taken to the first story in The White Rune Series, Ghostly Interference.

Jag Peters has the ability to see and communicate with the ghost of Sam Jett. He wants so badly to share that with Rena Jett, as Sam was her brother who had died in battle in Afghanistan.

Jag knows what he sees, but Rena’s fierce rejection creates an internal fluctuation. For Rena, her world is built on the solid, painful fact that her brother is gone—period…end of sentence.

Each time Jag tries to share about his visions, it only makes her angry, therefore causing him to waver between his experience and Rena’s strong reaction. Their conflict is a battle between two different types of stability—and the terrifying moment when that stability begins to shake. And it applies to them both. How can it all come into focus?

The blurred scenario doesn’t come into focus until Rena has experiences that shake her belief system, and Jag’s confidence grows.

As an author, isn’t a big part of our job to bring conflict, differences and obstacles into some sort of culminated focus?

I’d like very much to hear your thoughts, and for you to share an experience where you might have struggled to find that clear focus.

  • Comment (15)
  • Sometimes I think of conflict as violence or the threat of violence, or people against nature in an adventure/survival story, but the philosophical differences between Jag and Rena are certainly conflict too. It also creates a conflict within Jag himself.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      That’s true. Internal conflict can be as difficult as external conflict and in many stories, the combination of the two are gripping. So, as writers, our job is to bring all of that into focus. With each story, it can be different. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment, Priscilla. Enjoy the weekend.

  • Dan Antion says:

    I was going to add that resolving internal conflict withing our characters is often more difficult than the outside issues. Sometimes, I wonder why we (we do create these characters) bring these conflicts to the surface. I do think it makes our characters more interesting, but sometimes it seems we’re our own worst enemy.

  • Teri Polen says:

    If there’s not some kind of conflict, there’s no story. You can’t have happily ever after from beginning to end. Where’s the fun in that?

  • MrsHallWays says:

    Yes! I agree that it’s an author’s job to help readers focus. But for me, it’s more important the author find focus for the characters, and for there to be clarity for the readers. Sometimes, where the author wants us to focus is obvious, but then it gets muddled and the conclusions lack clarity. Focus and clarity go hand in hand, for sure.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      That is such a great point, Kristine. The author must find the focus to bring it all together into some sort of satisfying culmination. Thank you so very much for chiming in!

  • What Dan said!

  • Great focus on the conflict of thoughts and feelings between Jag and Rena in your fascinating book, Jan.

  • petespringer says:

    Internal conflict makes a story for me because, as a reader, I want to feel what the protagonist is going through. We’ve all been in situations like that, which is why they are so relatable.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      That is so true, Pete. When we can relate situations characters find themselves in to our own experiences, the story deepens for us. Thank you so much for your comment!

  • This is a good discussion about this book, Jan. It’s a great story 🧡

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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