You know how there are those books that you read and the author says "Do this, and this, and this, and you'll have best-selling fiction on your hands," but then you kind of cringe because you don't want your book to be a carbon copy of 10 other books out there? I'm too busy reading really good books to read ones that make me yawn.
There's always the risk with writing craft books, especially those in a series, that things can get a bit same-y. And I don't have time for same-y. I read a lot of fiction books and a lot of craft books for my job as a book coach, so I need to quickly identify books I think might serve my clients.
And this is one of those books.
This book has 500 pages of detailed conflict examples and each entry includes a list for 'Ten Ways My Main Character Could Die' and 'Sixty Bodies Found Floating In The Blood-Filled Canal'. It also includes a section on 'How to Suggestively Use Your Main Character to Poop in the Elevator.'
Oh, wait, that's another book. Stupid, stupid, Stuart. Why did you do that? In public? On the internet?!
See? I'm already conflicted.
This book explores many forms of conflicts from losing an advantage over someone else, to conflict of egos, and oodles more.
And don't skip the intro. Do not! I made the mistake of skipping the intro in my first read through because in most books it's a lot of fluff, but there's valuable information here that sets up the rest of the book so you get the most out of it.
This will make a great addition to any writer’s bookshelf, particularly your own.