forum Hold the Drama

Started April 11, 2018 by @Burn_With_Me group

tune

Hello, fellow writers!

So the project I'm working on currently is a high school "drama" that's not supposed to be too dramatic. (I'm walkin' a fine line there, eh?)

I want it to be like a very "internal conflict" type book, though, where the only antagonist that the characters must overcome is simply their own shortcomings and fears and flaws, etcetera.

Obviously there is going to be some drama when these personalities and backstories clash, but I keep adding awfully melodramatic, over-the-top, outrageous backstories and flaws to motivate these characters and make them relate to each other, and it's just turning into too much. Half the characters in this story have parent problems (in some cases, dead parent problems), traumatic childhood memories, a severe loss of some sort, mental and medical problems, dark pasts, and overall just utter depressing-ness with every page.

What should I do? I really want to tone the drama down, but I also want it to be gritty, and true-to-life. Do any of you guys have any tips or examples of how YOU came over this problem or how you might deal with this in your own stories?

Any and all help is appreciated!

My advice would be to tone it down a bit. You don’t have to have divorced parents or traumatic memories to be messed up in high school; instead, you could say that some people came from other schools where, maybe just the year before this one, they had horrible experiences with friendships or bullies. That’s all. Sorry my advice is bad.

I agree with @TurtleOfFreedom - When I was in high school, there were people who had problems like this, but it was never a majority, and most of those people were coping in healthy ways. It's good to want to be realistic - but In my opinion, there is just as much good in these situations as bad. Things can't be all dark all the time, especially because it's high school! maybe focus on adding some levity into the story - it will seem more realistic, and make the darker moments even more dramatic.