Secrets, Lies & Family Ties - Writing About Your Protagonist Conflicts - Guest Post From Author Sylvia Hubbard

 Secrets, Lies & Family Ties - Writing About Your Protagonist Conflicts

Definition of Conflict: The struggle within a plot between opposing forces.

I learned about conflict when I first entered college.

You see I always equate the dumb things I’ve done in life to learning experiences in my writing.

In college, I did a lot of dumb things.

I mean, I guess I was supposed to because I was away from my parents, on my own, hanging with wild and crazy people and loving every second of it.

So there, I got my “experience” in at that time, but I also learned about conflict.

In conflict, I learned during the midst of the worst, it’s really hard to see the silver lining and sometimes it feels like there’s no way out.

I felt like that a lot.

Until I started writing again.

That was after college.

In writing, I learned I could see things more clearly and see the end to the problems in my stories and in my life.

Writing saved me. Writing help me see.

I know that sounds strange, but it’s true.

On with the lesson.

In your story as in life, your protagonist is usually going through several “conflicts” at the time.

No one ever goes through one problem at a time in life, so you have to remember the list of conflicts your protagonist must go through.

Conflict can go :

    1. against another person
    2. against nature
    3. against society
    4. against machine
    5. against God
    6 against him/herself

In these general conflicts, various things can rage.

Like in Secrets, Lies & Family Ties, Grae covers her identity to Ezekiel, keeps the fact that she's fallen for him a secret but also hides the fact that she might have to make the choice of embezzling money away from him in order to save her company. That's a woman living in the real world as she fights against herself, society and another person.

Now I usually don’t do more than three conflicts. I’ve seen where writers try to get all six of them in to make the story longer, but I found with a great deal of research, length in a story takes care of itself.

Resolving Conflict.

You must resolve ALL conflicts your protagonist has.

I found the reader to be much happier when you do.

You do not end a story without doing so, or tell the reader it’s going to be in another book. If you’re an avid reader, as much as you are a writer, (which you should be) you ought to understand that can piss someone off.

(sorry for the language.)

Oh-kay, that’s enough on the writing tip for the day.

I’ve added something to help you map out your conflicts. I found this great chart about conflict. Click the link below to see a full chart to help out.

http://www.chinoisdefrance.com/images/Carte_Conflict_lifecycle.jpg

Make sure to get your copy of Secrets, Lies & Family Ties



Detroit native, Sylvia Hubbard, a single mother of three, has worked tirelessly to promote and encourage emerging writers in Michigan. She independently published her first romance novel in 2000 and has continued to write in that genre, sometimes venturing into other subgenres. Always urban and contemporary styled, her writing is enjoyed all over the world. She has published 4 paperbacks and over 10 e-books.

The same year she published, Ms Hubbard also created Motown Writers Network to fill the lack of education and networking for Michigan authors online and offline. By 2004, she was frustrated that all the literary conferences had moved too far away from the city and co-created The Essence of Motown Literary Jam Conference held only in the City of Detroit annually.

In addition to romance writing, Hubbard has been featured at various conferences and workshops all over the United States and Canada, where she has taught authors how to sell their books on the Internet. She also published Internet Marketing for Writers & Businesses as a resource for those unable to attend her workshops. In the upcoming year, she will be featured in several anthologies and plans to publish additional e-books.

"I'm no superwoman," she states with a smile that seems infinite on her lips. "I'm just being an asset in the world instead of a liability."

Considered an addicted blogger by HoneyTechblog.com, nominated and recognized for her literary work in the Metro Detroit area, referred to as "A Literary Diva" by Detroit City Council and donned "Cliffhanger Queen" by her readers, she finds solace in speaking and educating on a variety of topics.

Her subjects range from Creative Intimacy, Single Parenting, Blogging, E-Books, Publishing (all aspects i.e.: writing, publishing, marketing & promoting online & offline), and personal triumphs with inspiration mixed in.

Never a disappointment, Sylvia Hubbard, has spoken in front of thousands all over the United States and Canada.


To find out more about me (Sylvia Hubbard) go to my website: SylviaHubbard.com or catch up with me on twitter. @SylviaHubbard1