There is one secret ingredient that keeps reading turning the pages of a book: Conflict.
Conflict is a gripper! It’s the thing that has your readers saying “one more chapter” late into the night. It is the crème de la crème of a story, without it you have nothing.
Conflict should be in every scene of your story (woof. Sounds like a lot of work, but stay with me). The level of conflict depends on the goal of the scene. If it’s a big goal, big conflict is needed. If it’s a super crucial moment in the story, big conflict is needed. If it’s more of a filler scene, not so much conflict is necessary.
How to add conflict?
If you want to add conflict to your story, simply ask yourself one simple question: What’s standing in your character’s way?
Let’s break it down.
First, determine the goal for your character, then decide on the obstacle that they have to get around in order to achieve that goal. It could be as big as the overall plot of the story, or as small as overcoming a social anxiety in one particular scene. Not only does conflict keep readers, well, reading, but it also gives readers an insight on your main character. How a person solves a conflict says a lot about them. Does your main character lie, cheat, or steal to solve a conflict? Or are they morally righteous? Keep these things in mind as you’re writing.
Another important question to ask is, what does your character care about most? This will help you know what kind of conflict to add to a scene. In that moment do they care about looking good in front of their crush? Or staying alive no matter the cost? Maybe they care about comfort, or acceptance, or security. Whatever it is, the answer will help you figure out the kind of conflict that would best fit the situation AND the way your character will overcome it.
Final note: know your genre.
The stakes of the conflict will vary depending on what genre you’re writing. People aren’t typically fighting for their lives in a Romcom like they would be in a thriller. Be aware of what you’re writing.
If you’d like a little more structure on how to flesh out your characters and their conflict, purchase our character development workbook at Merakipress.org (link)
Showing vs Telling
Ask any author in the world, “What’s the number one mistake all newbie authors make?” Ten to One I guarantee will say, “Telling, not showing.”
Showing vs Tellling is one of the most important and most talked about concepts in writing. It is crucial to a good story! Even TV shows and movies can fall for the “telling” trap.
What is Showing vs Telling?
“Telling” is when you write what a character is experiencing in the most basic way. One simple way to determine if you’re telling is to look at the words you’re using. If you’re using “is, am, are, was, were” there is a good chance you’re telling instead of showing. Generally, this is considered bad writing.
“Showing” is when you describe what a character is experiencing vividly. It will have actions. Showing will also utilize the 5 senses.
Examples
Example of telling: Martha is scared.
Here, we are telling the readers what Martha is feeling instead of letting them see her actions and deduce for themselves what she’s feeling.
We can show Martha is scared like this: Martha’s pulse quickens. Her eyes dart around the room, widening. She needs to take in as much of the room as possible. Where is that noise coming from? Her eyes dart around again. Suddenly her hands start to feel cold, clammy. “I need to get out of here,” she whispers.
In this example, we’re giving readers a peek into Martha’s senses. This way, readers can feel what Martha is feeling. It helps them attach to the character better.
Of course, sometimes telling is necessary. If you show every detail in every scene, your book will be never-ending!
So how can we know what to show and what to tell? It’s very simple; show the things you want your readers to focus on. Tell details that don’t matter all that much.
Do you struggle to write descriptions that bring your stories to life? Do you worry that your descriptions are boring, unoriginal, or just plain bad?
This digital workbook is designed to help you learn how to write vivid and engaging descriptions that will captivate your readers.
If you want a more detailed understanding of showing vs telling, you can purchase our descriptions workbook!
Need help bringing your book to life? Meraki Press exists to serve first-time authors as they grow and launch their passion projects!
We offer complete packages or a la carte services for every step of drafting to publishing!
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