CONFLICT - Turning up the heat

The important thing to remember about creating an effective and emotionally affecting conflict is that the key to a conflict that has your reader emotionally involved is to focus on the characters.

With characters that your reader cares about then they will be cheering for your hero and heroine and wanting them to win through, to get together and to reach that happy ever after ending.

Without that emotional involvement, you can create the most violent, intense, tragic conflict and the reader will not feel the emotions you are aiming to create.


An INTERNAL conflict does not need to be over-psychoanalysed to be effective

- You don’t need to over load with deep-seated fears and abusive childhood to make them reluctant to accept love.
- - a couple of serious issues, a cynical outlook, a misguided personal goal can have the same effect

- Explore the subtleties of LESSER PROBLEMS

- To make these work really explore the FEELINGS your characters would feel

- KEEP IT SIMPLE DIG DEEP

TURN UP THE HEAT
No more Ms Nice Writer -you have to treat your characters mean and make those problems get worse

For example -
1. If you have a villain (External) make him a strong one – one that might just overpower the hero

2. Give the hero and heroine conflicting goals

3. Let your hero/heroine inadvertently make things worse by their own actions – maybe the heroine’s honesty hurts the hero’s cause

4. Let outside forces unexpectedly turn the tide against your protagonists – a burning house and the wind changes – a stock market crash

(c) Kate Walker