Yesterday, we filled in some of the space between the beginning and the start of Act 2.  Hopefully, you’re having fun and your answering some of the questions that a reader might have about character.

Before we go much further, I want us to really look back at what we’ve done so far.  So all of Act 1 should be fairly planned out, plus the midpoint, the start of Act 3 and the End.

Conflict

I want you to go through all your cards or files or folders even and make a note on the bottom of them about what the main conflict is in each scene.

If there isn’t really conflict happening in a scene I would really look at that scene and figure out if I can put some conflict in there.

Often I have informational scenes that don’t do anything but dump info.  I get really into writing those scenes.  I think that the information in them is so important to the character and I like building that world.

But readers can get bored reading all that.

What most readers like is conflict.  It doesn’t always have to be a fist fight, but each scene needs to have some type of struggle for your main character.  It could just be that they need to get through a door, but their sister is blocking it until your main character gives in and calls their mother for the first time in weeks.

What it does and what it shows

As the writer, if you know what that conflict is and what is keeping your character from achieving what they want it becomes a more interesting story.  It is also a good way to show off something about your character.  In the example above about the sister (a part from my novel) it provides me with a way to explain that Leddy hasn’t spoken to her family other than the sister for a long time.  It also shows the reader that Leddy’s sister wants to try and bring the family back together.

Wrap up

So take a moment before you go on and make sure you know what conflict is going on in your scenes.  Write a sentence on your card or file so that you remember it.

You’ll start to see a through line as you go.

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