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Serious question, does a story need a villain or can conflict come from the setting alone?
Last month I was workshopping a short story set in a remote mountain cabin during a blizzard. My writing group kept asking who the antagonist was, but I wanted the storm itself to be the source of tension. I tried it both ways: a version with a hostile stranger showing up, and another where it's just one person struggling to survive the cold. Which approach grabs you more as a reader? Has anyone else written a story where nature or circumstance is the main conflict?
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grant5699d ago
Buddy of mine wrote a piece about a climber trapped on a ledge during a rockfall. No bad guy, just the mountain crumbling under him and it was the tensest thing I've read in years. Nature doesn't need a name to mess you up.
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