Thursday, October 25, 2012

Six Conflict Questions To Ask

I'm not a person who likes conflict. Not even the tiniest bit. However, when it comes to my characters I have no choice but to make them face conflict. Why put these characters through something I dislike myself? If I don't, there will be nothing to read, no reason to turn the page and find out what happens in the end.

As I edit my current WIP I am finding there are certain questions I must ask myself. And I ask them for every single chapter. I want to make sure that there is some semblance of conflict in each and every chapter, whether it is external, internal, or romantic. It must be there. It is what fuels the reader on, keeps them on the edge of their seats, and most of all loving the book in the end.

Here are the 6 main conflict questions I ask myself to unlock the best possible plot.

Courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.net
1) What does my main character want and why?

2) How could my main character suffer emotionally?

3) Could my main character sacrifice something to meet his/her goal?

4) What could my secondary characters do to complicate this goal?

5) Could these complications be even worse?

6) What could distract my main character from his/her goal?


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