But what is conflict in a story, really? At its core, conflict is a collision of two opposing wills. This collision can be in action, in speech, in decisions, in thoughts, in feelings, in any way your characters can express themselves. Everything that has to do with this collision of...
In this post, we're going to look at how to write a story by focusing on one of the most important elements ofanystory: conflict. Every story has to have conflict. A story without conflict is boring. I don't want to read about how someone has it all together. How do you write a...
Discovering what bestselling novelistDean Koontzcalls the Classic Story Structure (in hisHow to Write Best-Selling Fiction)changed my writing forever. My book sales took off when I started following his advice: Plunge your main character into terrible trouble as soon as possible. Everything your c...
You have to. Because that’s how story happens. So that’s a big reason I pass on otherwise-great stories, and the next big reason is related to the step right after that: that moment of conflict. It’s very easy to be cliché in that moment of conflict, and it’s very easy to ...
Conflict is a key part of all good fiction and is driven by the characters' struggles. Use this paragraph to examine how your character's basic information and strengths and weaknesses contribute to his personal struggles. For example, if your character is overweight and is self-conscious about...
How to Read FictionLiterary fiction tells a story about characters in conflict or expresses an emotion or idea.36The scope of literary fictionThere's enormous diversity in fiction: biographical reigious, romantic the novel of manners,turalistic, political, histoical,regional, national epic, ethnic...
It’s possible to explore all of these themes through completely different plots, which is a crucial characteristic of themes in fiction. Themes are rarely stated explicitly; they’re generally made clear through the characters’ experiences and development over the course of the novel. How to ...
Below I detail everything I’ve learned about how to write a synopsis that works for you. I also give you two synopsis templates — one for fiction and one for nonfiction, with real examples of each. In this post, you’ll learn: ...
Knowing the audience you’re writing for can help you make the right choices, such as deciding what tone to use and how long to make your story. Tip 3: Develop Your Characters Character development is essential in fiction writing. Take the time to think about your characters’ personalities,...
There have been commercially successful books and movies without a traditional climax, but these are few and far between. So it really comes down to your goals as a writer. If you're writing in the literary fiction genre, which is home to more “experimental” stories, then you may not ...