Well, this made me think of tabletop roleplaying games, and especially of the game Heart of Wulin, where the protagonist all have entanglements with two other people ... and that doesn't always create conflict, but it certainly guarantees tension - and the essay clarified that for me.
I most certainly will keep tension as a story driver in the back of my head when running games, it's an amazing point!
I love this post! Makes me think of many things, but my mind latched onto the sailing analogy. It is so apt -- not until I read this did I realize the parallels between the tense journeys I've taken out on the water (even just the Charles!), the constantly shifting winds, the other boats, all in *tension* but not in conflict (hopefully), and the tension of a good narrative, the twists and turns that move the reader, or the player, this way and that, in a winding curve shaped by the wind of the sotry, until they reach the safe harbor of the conclusion. Thank you for sharing!!
Well, this made me think of tabletop roleplaying games, and especially of the game Heart of Wulin, where the protagonist all have entanglements with two other people ... and that doesn't always create conflict, but it certainly guarantees tension - and the essay clarified that for me.
I most certainly will keep tension as a story driver in the back of my head when running games, it's an amazing point!
I love this post! Makes me think of many things, but my mind latched onto the sailing analogy. It is so apt -- not until I read this did I realize the parallels between the tense journeys I've taken out on the water (even just the Charles!), the constantly shifting winds, the other boats, all in *tension* but not in conflict (hopefully), and the tension of a good narrative, the twists and turns that move the reader, or the player, this way and that, in a winding curve shaped by the wind of the sotry, until they reach the safe harbor of the conclusion. Thank you for sharing!!