Quit touching me.

MOM! Hes tou-u-uching me.

Everyone keep your hands to yourselves and look out the window. Count cows or something.

Five seconds later.

Quit looking at me.

MOM! Hes

As you read this, I am on a road trip.

I have boxed myself in a compact car

with four active children

for, count em, twenty hours.

I admit that the above example is less an argument and more a form of kid torture, but in such close confines, for that long, arguments are inevitable. But, arguing and disagreements are a part of everyday life. As a part of everyday life, it should also be a part of your romance (and other genre) writing.

An argument in your story can:

-be a great way to open a scene and draw your reader in,
-propel the plot forward,
-expose facets of character,
-set the scene, and more.

Having actions move a plot forward is easy to picture, but how could an argument?

You could have characters reveal secrets, say regrettable things (the kind you want to suck back into your mouth before they get to the other persons ears), or even resolve problems.

Using an argument to show another side of your character is pretty straightforward. Use it to show usual or even unusual temperaments. Do they hold some things back or do they let all their feelings out. You should also take advantage of the argument to subtly show physical features along with their character traits.

You could also use arguing to set a scene. If you are in the kitchen your characters could be setting the table, washing dishes or throwing them. If you are in the bathroom they could be having trouble sharing the sink as they get ready for work or out for the night. This is as limited (or unlimited) as your imagination.

Trial lawyer Gerry Spence wrote in How to Argue and Win Every Time, Argument is the affirmation of our being. It is the principal instrument of human intercourse. Without argument the species would perish We must argue to help, to warn, to lead, to love, to create, to learn, to enjoy justice to be. (How to Argue, p. 5)

Writing an argument in your fiction, nonfiction, poetry or prose is honest. It is something everyone can identify with and relate to. For some of us, they are a type of communication that can happen every day.

2006 Holly Bliss. All Rights Reserved. This document may be freely redistributed in its unedited form and on the condition that all copyright references are kept intact along with the hyperlinked URLs.

Holly Bliss
Writes for http://www.Writing.Com/