No story is complete without interpersonal conflict between characters. Every person is different, and some people just don’t get along. Usually, those people just avoid each other, but good stories are full of conflict. So what do you do if you want to write about two characters who clash? You Read more…
Has anyone ever told you that your story is falling flat and you need to raise the stakes? What they mean is you need more escalation in your plot, but not in the way most would think. Last week we discussed how to put stakes into your novel, and this Read more…
When people talk about putting conflict in a story, they often discuss how to create it or intensify it. Hardly anyone addresses how to resolve it. I think most people just assume there is one option: the character overcomes it. Life isn’t that simple, and I don’t think stories should Read more…
Guess what? It’s time to hit on my favorite topic again. Conflict! I’ve already covered types of conflict such as man verses man, man verses nature, etc. This post is going to cover the idea of layering conflict. Life is not simple. Every day we play multiple roles in society Read more…
This week we’re getting to the heart of the major conflict in any plot. James Scott Bell emphasizes that every story is about a character confronting death, but it’s not as straight forward as it sounds. There are three types of death: physical, professional, and psychological. All stories need conflict, Read more…
There is no such thing as a good story with no conflict in it. While we like to have conflict-free lives, we must have conflict in our books in order to keep the reader’s attention. This, my fellow writers, is where the Try/Fail cycle comes into play. Try/Fail Cycle Over Read more…