Writers Helping Writers^®

Conflict

Using Wound Categories & Pointed Questions to Identify a Character’s Past Trauma

May 2, 2023

Using Wound Categories & Pointed Questions to Identify a Character’s Past Trauma

May 2, 2023

The wound is a fascinating and vital piece of your character’s past that has lasting, formative effects on who they’ll be at the start of your story. As such, it’s…

What Are Your Protagonist’s Flaws?

April 13, 2023

What Are Your Protagonist’s Flaws?

April 13, 2023

The most relatable characters are ones who mirror real people, meaning they are complex individuals with a blend of strengths, failings, attributes, and flaws. Of these four, flaws are often…

Does Your Story Need a Hit of Organic Conflict? Look to Your Setting.

March 30, 2023

Does Your Story Need a Hit of Organic Conflict? Look to Your Setting.

March 30, 2023

Every writer’s mission is to pen a story that draws readers in, offering familiarity when it comes to certain genre expectations while also delivering something fresh so to be distinctive…

How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?

January 31, 2023

How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?

January 31, 2023

If you’re writing a story in which your character will need to evolve internally to achieve his goal, a cohesive and well-planned character arc will be vital to its success.…

Build Suspense With Secrets

January 24, 2023

Build Suspense With Secrets

January 24, 2023

Have you wondered what makes a book unputdownable? What techniques or tricks an author employs to make sure you read that next word, sentence, paragraph, page? One of the most…

Force Your Character to Make Hard Choices

January 3, 2023

Force Your Character to Make Hard Choices

January 3, 2023

One of the best things about conflict is that it pushes your characters to act. In every scene, your characters are making choices—big ones and small ones, and thereby steering…

How to Uncover Your Character’s Inner Conflict

November 10, 2022

How to Uncover Your Character’s Inner Conflict

November 10, 2022

Conflict is a powerful element within the story and can be loosely categorized as either Outer (external) Conflict or Inner (internal) Conflict. The difference is that outer conflict is something…

The Role of Failure (and Conflict) in Character Arc

November 3, 2022

The Role of Failure (and Conflict) in Character Arc

November 3, 2022

The change arc. The process whereby, over the course of a story, the protagonist becomes aware of their weakness and evolves in whatever way is necessary for them to achieve…

How to Reveal a Character’s Internal Conflict

September 27, 2022

How to Reveal a Character’s Internal Conflict

September 27, 2022

If you’ve been on the writing trail long enough, you’ve heard plenty of talk surrounding conflict and the role it plays in storytelling. Whatever form it takes—annoying neighbors, quarrels with…

Release Day: The Conflict Thesaurus (Volume 2) Is Here!

September 6, 2022

Release Day: The Conflict Thesaurus (Volume 2) Is Here!

September 6, 2022

A new writing guide is joining the family today, so please say hello to the SILVER Edition of The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles.…