Conflict Two

Sorry for the gap in posting - Conflict. Ds1 and Ds2 are here which means that my time with the 'puter is slashed to the minimum and I'm not complaining but my writing time is in conflict with their time (no guess who wins). I have to confess I not only have a mother's love for them but I seriously enjoy the company of teens. I love the way they look at life and the fantastic discussions you can have with them (when they are awake and not in the state of walking sleep). The only downside is that with my two in tow I look like I have two looming bodyguards with me at all times. In truth I may need them as I left them behind for the gala dinner following another day volunteering on the water and found myself with Dh dancing until 3am. Had they been there they would have told me in no uncertain terms that elderly mothers do not do that sort of thing - it's too embarrassing!

Nathan Bransford continued his discussion of Conflict here. As always there is a huge amount to take away but this sums it up for me :

"Too often though, writers focus on connecting the dots in a way that gives the reader the information they need to know without trying to tie the threads in a fully-realized scene that's interesting and engaging. Almost always it's best to try and introduce conflict to a scene in order to make it interesting and advance other aspects of the plot.

Ultimately, conflict is the reason we read novels. It forces characters to make decisions, it tests their strengths and weaknesses, it reveals what makes people tick. Conflict, ultimately is revealing."

So as I continue to work my way through this rewrite I need to keep that in mind although at this stage I made just push through the finish and rework each scene more closely when I know exactly where the whole is going.