Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
Conflict moves a story forward, keeping both characters and readers involved. Consider the ultimate conflict—betrayal by a friend—as a way to amp up the conflict in your fiction.
Lack of conflict between characters and lack of emotion-inducing scenes for readers will make stories flat, boring, and tedious. Discover why conflict and emotion are so important to fiction.
Continue reading Get Pushy—Push Character Conflict and Reader Emotion »
A whopping big list of questions to ask so you can get to know your characters and then manipulate them so you can create compelling fiction.
Ramp up story conflict by repeatedly denying characters what they want or need.
Give your main character a tour de force moment where he reveals his true personality and all the needs and fears he’s been repressing and stuffing deep for a lifetime.
Continue reading Character Rants and Breakdowns—Let ’em Rip »
Conflict, one of the major elements of fiction, is story’s driver. It’s what propels story forward and from event to event. Read more about conflict and learn some tips for creating variety in story conflict.
Continue reading Conflict—Beyond Arguments and Fist Fights »
The use of subtext can add depth to and increase conflict in your fiction. Check out the uses of subtext, the hidden element of fiction.
Fiction characters both on screen and on the page require lives of volatility and change and conflict. They need anything but peace. They need events intruding and messing up their plans. They need other characters to challenge them, to put obstacles in their paths. They need confrontation and trials. And they need to take risks.
Compelling fiction means stories that engage the reader. And readers are engaged by conflict and tension, by friction between characters and between one character and himself or his surroundings. Explore ways to write boldly and without restraint to create conflict and tension.
The reader will focus on what stands out. Turn the reader's attention where you want it to go.
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freelance editors, and everyone who loves words
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Copyright © 2010-2018 E. A. Hill Visit Beth at A Novel Edit
Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
