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Writing Tip - Do You Look For The Easiest Way Out When Building Conflict?

by: Nick Vernon

Until the writer understands that building conflict is very important, she will go about treating her characters kindly, throwing them the minimum of problems.

We care about our characters but we also care that our stories are the best they can be.

When we first attempt to build conflict, we find it difficult because it’s a natural reaction. We don’t like conflict; we try to avoid it in our lives, so inflicting it on our characters goes against our nature.

But the writer has to eventually understand that the story is about the conflict’s history. Without conflict and the problems associated with it, we don’t have much of a story, or rather we have a bland one.

So how do we overcome that resistance?

Through practice. She has to practice building conflict like she practices everything else and eventually excels in it.

If building conflict is one of your weaknesses, practice building only the conflict. Forget the rest of the elements. Only concentrate on that.

When ideas come to you for stories, go through the plotting process.

Plot the conflict and make things harder for your characters. Keep your characters busy with problems they have to overcome. Keep throwing obstacles so they won’t reach their goal straight away.

Keep on doing that until you feel that you have somewhat overcome your weakness and do not treat your characters as kindly as you initially did.

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If it helps, think of someone you don’t like ☺. Use them as your practice character. Revenge them by throwing problems their way, which they have to overcome. If your practice character has wronged you in real life then it won’t be hard making them suffer on screen. Who knows, it might even make you feel better!

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We don’t like conflict in our lives because conflict brings decisions. It brings worry and actions, we have to perform, in order to overcome it, and bring our lives to the peaceful state they once were.

Unfortunately, in order for our stories to be interesting to our readers the characters’ lives cannot be peaceful. Things have to happen in their lives.

So make things happen in your story. Stir up the characters’ lives and your readers will get caught up in the action.

About the author:
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Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers funny stories. Visit

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