Coming Soon: The Conflict Thesaurus (Volume 2)

Some things are harder than others: getting up to work out rather than sleeping in. Not eating that entire container of salted caramel gelato. But one of the hardest? Waiting for a sequel.

When it comes to finishing off an amazing novel, your brain goes into fourth of July mode: The characters, the world! You want more, and then sometimes, joy of joys, you discover there will be a sequel. It’s an instant sugar high. And then of course the realization hits that it’s going to be awhile. You’re a writer, so you know what goes into producing a book. It’s tough, because you realize you have to wait, even though you want to do nothing more than dive right back into that reality again.

Becca and I won’t pretend our second volume of The Conflict Thesaurus is on the same level as your favorite fiction series, but if you’ve read the first guide, you know it’s packed with game-changing ideas on how to leverage conflict. And if you have been waiting, there’s only a month-ish to go, meaning it’s time to share a bit more about Volume Two.

First up…the cover!

Isn’t she pretty?

Silver is the perfect match for gold, and together these books will add serious storytelling ammo to your writerly toolkit because you’ll have non-stop ideas on conflict, making it easier to choose meaningful problems and struggles that draw readers in and further the story.

Next, the back jacket.

THE CONFLICT THESAURUS, VOLUME 2:
A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles

A story where the character gets exactly what they want doesn’t make for good reading. But add villainous clashes, lost advantages, power struggles, and menacing threats…well, now we have the makings of a page-turner. Conflict is the golden thread that binds plot to arc, providing the complications, setbacks, and derailments that make the character’s inner and outer journeys dynamic.

FORTIFY YOUR STORY BY ADDING MEANINGFUL CONFLICT AT DIFFERENT LEVELS

Inside Volume 2 of The Conflict Thesaurus, you’ll find:

• A myriad of conflict options in the form of power struggles, ego-related stressors, dangers and threats, advantage and control losses, and other miscellaneous challenges
• Information on how each scenario should hinder the character on the path to their goal so they’ll learn valuable life lessons and gain insight into what’s holding them back internally
• Instruction about using the multiple levels of conflict to add pressure through immediate, scene-level challenges and looming problems that take time to solve
• Guidance on keeping a story’s central conflict in the spotlight and utilizing subplots effectively so they work with—not against—the main plot line
• An exploration of the climax and how to make this pinnacle event highly satisfying for readers
• Ways to use conflict to deepen your story, facilitate epic adversarial showdowns, give your characters agency, infuse every scene with tension, and more

Meaningful conflict can be so much more than a series of roadblocks. Challenge your characters inside and out with over 100 tension-inducing scenarios in this second volume of The Conflict Thesaurus.

If this is Volume 2, it means there’s a Volume 1! Where do I find this mother lode of conflict?

Right here. Read a sample if you like to see how it will help you level up your story. And a bonus: it’s the Kindle deal of the month at Amazon.com & Amazon.ca., so you can grab it right now for .99 cents. (affiliate link)

Will there be a preorder?

Sorry, no. We’ve tried a preorder in the past, but a certain online store made a mess of it (costing us hundreds of sales), so we’d rather not have that happen again. But if you’d like a notification if the book comes up early, add your email here.

Can I get an ARC of The Conflict Thesaurus, Volume 2?

Every book launch we give out 50 Arcs, and unfortunately these have already been distributed. (Sorry.) We would love it if you would review the guide when it releases though. It would mean the world to us!

Do you have a Street Team? Can I help?

Yes, yes, and YES! If you would like to be part of our Street Team, you can sign up here. We would love to have your help. Plus, being on the inside of a book launch means you can apply what we do to your own book launch strategy. Win-win!

Can I access The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2 at One Stop for Writers?

Yes! If you’d like to take a look at the full list of scenarios from both books, you can find the Conflict Thesaurus here along with the rest of the topics in our show-don’t-tell database. Start a free trial if you’d like to poke around & view it in full.

(TIP: if you like to use our books for character building, try the Character Builder. It contains all our databases and will help you step by step as you build a character, and connect all the characterization dots for you.)

Did I miss a question? If so, please ask, and I’ll be happy to answer!

Thanks so much for always supporting us. September 6th will be here soon, and we can’t wait. We hope this book is everything you need, and more!