Chris Eboch's Blog, page 33

Publishers Versus Amazon: An Escalating War

Last week, I shared some opinions about Amazon and other bookstores. But other bookstores aren't the only ones who hate and fear Amazon. Many publishers do as well, despite the fact that Amazon makes it easier for people to get those publishers' books. The advantages are balanced – many would say outweighed – by Amazon business practices that try to force publishers to lower e-book prices, and ask for special discounts and other considerations.

(Amazon is also making self-publishing an appealing alternative to traditional publishing for many mid-list authors, and no doubt that will eventually force publishers to improve their contracts in favor of authors. But that's another issue.)
Digital Book World has had a lot of interesting updates lately on the skirmishes between Amazon and various publishers.
In How EDC Plans to Sell More Books After Dropping Amazon, it discusses the practices of the Educational Development Corp., a children's book publisher, which published the classic potty training book Everyone Poops. The EDC is pulling all of its titles from Amazon. The EDC is an unusual company, however, and has another option. Amazon sales accounted for only about 13 percent of EDC's sales in 2011. The company makes "nearly two-thirds of its revenue from its sales force of 7,000, which is mostly made up of independent contractors who sell to their friends and acquaintances, often in their own homes at gatherings – like Tupperware parties, but with children's books."
The company has been losing sales reps who get discouraged when potential customers attend gatherings but then order the books off Amazon. Without competition from Amazon, the EDC expects sales to grow – as they did for the company's Kane/Miller line of children's book, which had a 33% increase in sales after the company pulled titles from Amazon two years ago. Now there's some creative marketing!
In another battle, Amazon stopped selling e-books distributed by the Independent Publishers Group, a large book distributor for smaller publishers, after the two organizations couldn't agree on a contract. (Amazon Yanks 5,000 Titles from Independent Publishers Group, a Chicago Book Distributor) Digital Book World reported on several organizations that were backing IPG. Here's one: Science Fiction Writers Group to Redirect Book Links Away From Amazon in Solidarity With IPG

And if things weren't tough enough, the Justice Department is preparing to sue five of the "Big 6" North American publishing houses, along with Apple, for colluding to maintain artificially high prices for digital books. Jordan Weissmann explains the situation—and possible fallout—in a recent article from The Atlantic, How Cheap Should Books Be? Jane at Dear Author offers her take on the situation in this post: What Kind of Competition Has Retail Price Maintenance for Digital Books Fostered?  And The Guardian weighs in with Ebooks: defending the agency model.
It's a tough new world for publishers, and with a few exceptions like the EDC, most are struggling to stay relevant and reach customers. On PandoDaily, Sarah Lacy, a journalist and author of books on technology, shared a long e-mail from a publishing industry insider who says, "We're in Amazon's Sights and They're Going to Kill Us."
Many will see that e-mail as further evidence that Amazon is an Evil Giant trying to take over the world, and it should be stopped. But I tend to agree with Sarah's comment at the end: "Amazon didn't create publishing's woes, any more than blogging created the challenges of newspapers. The company is just cleverly exploiting them. And good for them."
Don't get me wrong – Amazon has tried some pretty shady practices. They always seem to be pushing the limits, probably to test just where those limits are. But it's not censorship to decide you'll only do business with certain people under certain contracts. It's not "unfair" to push for the best contract you can get. (That's why authors like agents.)
Amazon has opened up a lot of opportunities for authors, and they've shaken up an industry that desperately needed shaking. Like Sarah Lacy, I'd love to see publishing adapt to this new era. She suggests it will take publishing employees quitting their jobs to start new companies. That may be true, as big publishers seem to lack the flexibility to innovate. But come on, guys – there must be ways you can improve.
Next week I'll share an idea on how publishers can stay relevant. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. Leave a comment here or drop me an e-mail, and maybe I'll quote you next week.

Making Sense of Point of View

Many of my published works of fiction—The Well of Sacrifice and the Haunted series—are written with a first-person narrator. In  The Well of Sacrifice a young Mayan girl tells her story as she tries to save her city from a power-hungry high priest. In the Haunted series, 13-year-old Jon narrates his struggles with the pressure of parents, a crush on an older woman, and the outrageous demands of a little sister who is determined to help ghosts. In both cases, the voices just appeared in my head—even though I have little in common with a ninth century Mayan girl or a 13-year-old ghost hunting boy. The mind is a mysterious thing.

I wrote several novels in the third person that didn't sell. Does that mean I'm better with first-person? Not necessarily, but I think that when I write in the first-person, I know my main character well. I can hear his or her voice, and I know how he or she thinks. I can't even start until I know the character. 

Third person allows a bit of distance, as if I'm talking about someone rather than being them. This lets me write a book focused on plot, even if I haven't fully developed the characters. The result can be a well plotted but lifeless book. 

Still, third person isn't always a mistake, even for me. My middle grade mystery in ancient Egypt, The Eyes of Pharaoh , is in third person. Rattled , my first romantic suspense for adults, is in third person with two viewpoints, although Whispers in the Dark and my-work in-progress are first person. I've also used third person with success in the fictionalized biographies  Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker  and  Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier  (Childhood of Famous Americans series, written as M.M. Eboch).

Sometimes third person is the best choice. Maybe you want that extra distance. Maybe your main character wouldn't make a great first-person narrator. I have one manuscript about a 12-year-old boy who's not that talkative, so writing in his voice would make for a very short book. (having multiple viewpoint characters doesn't matter, though, as you could switch between first-person narrators in different chapters.)

I find point of view choices interesting, but I hate trying to teach point of view. Fortunately, I found a great blog that already has summaries of the basic viewpoints! I'm passing you over to  Anna Staniszewski  this week. Click out her point of view posts through the links below, or start at her main blog page  and either search for "point of view" or browse through her interesting posts. Next week, I'll go into a little more detail about some of the subtle point of view mistakes I see. 

Anna Staniszewski on POV:

Choosing a Point of View 
Choosing the best POV for your story is an important step, but often people's definitions of the different POVs vary so it can be tricky to know what you're choosing and why you're choosing it. Here's my attempt at a simple breakdown of the most popular types of POV, with the pros and cons of each.

How POV Affects Character  
Last week I did a breakdown of the most popular types of POV and stressed how important the right POV is to a story. Today, I wanted to elaborate on that a bit more, specifically on how POV affects character.

Examining Omniscient POV 
Last week I looked at how POV affects character, specifically in first person and third person limited narration. Today I wanted to do one last post on point of view, focusing on third person omniscient, specifically involved omniscient POV since detached omniscient is pretty rare these days.
And here's a link to children's book writer Molly Blaisdell's Seize the day blog, with her Reflections: POV First Person , on the advantages and disadvantages of the "first person shooter" viewpoint.

Why Some People Hate Amazon — And Why I Don't

I've heard a lot of complaints about Amazon lately, on blogs and listserves and discussion boards. People say that Amazon is a "bully" trying to take over the publishing world. Some companies are fighting back. For example, Barnes & Noble won't stock books published by Amazon, now that Amazon is opening a publishing arm.
(By the way, Barnes & Noble has its own imprint, Sterling Publishing, though it's up for sale. Amazon sells Sterling Publishing's books as well as Barnes & Noble's Nook e-readers.)
I understand the anger against Amazon, but refusing to stock products people want seems like shooting yourself in the foot. This doesn't punish Amazon. In fact, it benefits Amazon. If a customer wants a book, and it's only available through Amazon, are they likely to buy something else through Barnes & Noble, or order what they want through Amazon?
The policy, instead, punishes authors. So you have Amazon bribing you with a better- than-average contract on one hand, and Barnes & Noble threatening you on the other hand. Both are using pressure. Most authors will go where they can make the most money, which for most of Amazon.
The policy also punishes customers. What business thinks it's logical to refuse to give customers what they want, in order to punish their supplier? And how does this support Barnes & Noble's commitment to providing their customers with "any book, anywhere, anytime"?
Amazon might not be playing nice, but neither is anybody else. And I'm not alone in my feelings.
Jane at  Dear Author  said in a post,  Dear Publishers: What Have You Done for Me Lately?,  "Publishers have called on readers to be okay with their high priced ebooks, forego discounts, struggle with DRM [piracy protection], limit sharing, turned their backs on libraries, reject the money of our reading brethren outside of North America, but they want our help in shunning Amazon? What have you done for me lately?"
Mystery author L.J. Sellers has publicly expressed appreciation for Amazon, which has allowed her to finally make a living as a self-published writer, after years of holding down a regular job while publishing as a mid-list author. In a post on the Crime Fiction Collective blog, "Can We Stop Calling Amazon a Bully?", she says, "Amazon functions much like other companies, only more successfully than its competitors. Some people would argue that its tactics are not fair, but what does that mean? Does the word fair apply in business? Again, we're not dealing with children. The concept of one for me and one for you is not how capitalism works."
But Amazon is putting other book sellers out of business! What should we do?
From a capitalist viewpoint, maybe nothing. I don't recall people getting worked up when Netflix started putting video stores out of business. The world is changing, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
On the other hand, diversity is good. We don't want just one source for our books, or it gives that source too much power. And bookstores aren't quite like other stores for many people. So if you want to keep your local bookstore in business, shop there. Some even have online ordering for e-books. B&N online sometimes has better prices than Amazon. They list my romantic suspense,  Whispers in the Dark , for $8.99 in paperback, while Amazon has Whispers in the Dark[image error]for $9.99. (I have to note the irony that a few years ago Barnes & Noble and Borders were seen as the bad guys for putting independent bookstores out of business. But please, make your own decisions about whom to support.)
And here's another interesting link in the bookseller wars, from Dear Author. "Paid Content reports that Amazon will be offering non Kindle versions of digital content in an effort to persuade Barnes & Noble to relent and carry its Amazon published print titles in stores." Jane later comments, "I'm sure B&N will come up with another excuse to ban Amazon published books" and brings up an interesting point. Will Amazon start carrying electronic formats for other devices, such as the Nook, along with their Kindle e-books? How will that affect the market?
Next week, I'll talk a little about how publishers are reacting to Amazon.

Not All Grandmothers Have White Hair (Making Minor Characters Fresh)

In my Friday posts, I've been talking about building strong characters. Of course, your main character needs to be the best developed. Your villain and any major secondary characters should also be complex, realistic and individual. What about minor characters who don't have an important role? What about secondary characters in picture books, where you don't have much time for developing complex characters?
In times like these, it can actually help to turn to a recognizable "type" – the comforting grandmother, the bratty younger brother, the geeky science teacher, the peppy cheerleader. The reader sees those quick clues and understand the character. However, watch out for negative stereotypes. You know, the ones based on race, gender, religion, size etc., that are hurtful or reinforce prejudice.
You might also ask if you can add a twist to make that character type fresh. This doesn't need to take up much space in your story, but it can make your world more interesting. For example, let's say you want your main character to turn to a grandmother for comfort. Your first instinct might be to create a sweet, white-haired lady who always has fresh baked cookies on hand. That could work, and it's not harmful, but it is a cliché and rather blah.
Now try giving Granny a twist. Maybe she dyes her hair platinum blonde and get donuts from the bakery. Maybe she is a school principal who babysits her grandkids during the summer. Maybe she goes bowling most evenings, but will take time out to console her grandson over a plate of bowling alley nachos. Maybe she's running for mayor, but always has time for a cup of herbal tea and conversation. Maybe she and your main character have long talks while they walk her St. Bernard. The possibilities are endless – and a whole lot more interesting than that old cliché!
Think of the grandmothers you know. Their ages may cover quite a range, starting in their 30s. They might hold a variety of jobs, or be homemakers, or be retired. They may be married, divorced or widowed. They have a variety of hobbies and interests. Try making your minor characters as fresh and real as the people you know. They may give you new ideas for developing your main character or your story. But even if they stay in the background, they'll make that background more enjoyable!
Exercise: think of a type—jock, cheerleader, bully, high school science teacher, grandparent or whatever. Write a brief description, making it fresh. If you wind up writing more than a couple of lines, go back and pull out just one to three details that do the best job of making an interesting character in the least time.

Timing Is Everything: Barbara Gregorich on Self-Publishing Time Sensitive Topics

For those who are considering self-publishing but might be intimidated by writers organizations which berate it, I want to say something positive about one category of books: those with time-sensitive topics.

If you have a time-sensitive topic that you haven't been able to sell to a traditional publisher, or that you don't have time to send on the submission rounds, should you simply shelve that book — or should you self-publish it?
Let me use my own experience as an example.
About seven years ago, I started to write a nonfiction book for ages 10-Up. It was the story of Jack Graney (left fielder for the Cleveland Major League team from 1910-22), and his bull terrier, Larry, who became the official team mascot, appearing in all team photos.
For a while, I struggled with how to tell this story. After stumbling through a few prose versions, I started to tell the story in free verse. Instantly I felt this was the best way to bring the story to life for the reader. The story came to me through old newspaper articles, and I gave it back to the reader through free verse, which seemed very fitting because both short articles and short poems often capture the essence of a moment: a sensation, a feeling, a conflict.
Once I had my story written, I began submitting it to editors at traditional publishing houses. In four or five years, I submitted it to maybe a dozen editors, most of whom said they liked it but, for one reason or another, turned it down.
The largest number of editors turned my story down because they felt the story had to be either Jack's story or Larry's story, but not the story of both. One turned it down because, she said, stories about a Cleveland team wouldn't sell a lot of books. Another turned it down because Jack Graney wasn't the star of the 1920 World Series.
As the rejects slowly came in and the manuscript went back out, the 100th anniversary of Larry joining the Cleveland team loomed nearer. And nearer. And then — an editor I knew of and highly respected appeared to be interested in the book. I thought she might even make an offer on it. She asked for a marketing plan and back-cover-testimonial suggestions from me, and I wrote these up and emailed them to her. I was hopeful, and I like to think that she was, too.
And then — the large publishing house that owned the imprint I had submitted to dropped the imprint. Also dropped the editors who worked there. Amongst the human casualties were manuscript casualties, Jack and Larry among them.
At this point it was impossible for a traditional publisher to buy my story and have it out in 2012, the 100th anniversary of Larry joining the team. I had tried my best. I had written and rewritten and rewritten, listened to editorial suggestions, listened to my critique group's comments, always rewriting, always honing the material. I believed I had a good story and I believed it was well-written. And time-sensitive. Let's not forget time-sensitive.
I wondered what to do. Should I self-publish, or should I keep trying for conventional publication, even though it would mean that, should one accept, Jack and Larry would come out after the 100th anniversary.
I called my agent and we discussed it thoroughly. Her parting words were: "What are you going to do, wait for the 125th anniversary? Go for it!" And so I did. I made plans to self-publish through CreateSpace, with Jack and Larry coming out in January 2012, one month before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
Was this the right decision?
The answer is a resounding Yes.
Not only am I thrilled to have a great-looking book that has already touched the hearts of those who have read it, but I'm excited that the book has already been reviewed by baseballreflections.com, and that review has been picked up by scores of other baseball sites. And it's now being picked up by dog-related sites.
In addition, the American Kennel Club's magazine, Family Dog, will carry a one-page feature on Jack and Larry, and that will also appear on their web site. The Canadian Review of Materials (Jack Graney was Canadian), which reviews literature that can be taught in elementary and high school, will review the book.
But there's more. Soon after my book was published, the Cleveland Indians announced that on August 11, 2011, Jack Graney (who was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986) would be inducted into the Cleveland Indians Distinguished Personnel Hall of Fame. My book in no way caused this well-deserved honor for Graney — but what a wonderful, fantastic, incredible example of serendipity.
You can bet that I've been calling Cleveland area bookstores and newspapers and lining up autographing events and announcements and interviews for August 11, 2012. It's 300 miles from Chicago to Cleveland, and I'm lining up autographings en route, too. I plan on doing everything I can to publicize the heart-warming story of Jack Graney and his bull terrier and the Cleveland team.
Do I wish that a traditional publisher had taken my book? Yes, I wish a traditional publisher had taken my book. A traditionally published books gets into the hands of more reviewers and it also gets into more bookstores. And traditionally published books qualify for more awards than do self-published ones.
Am I glad that all the self-publishing options of today exist and that I went ahead and self-published Jack and Larry: Jack Graney and Larry, the Cleveland Baseball Dog?
As Larry might say, Woof, Woof!
Absolutely!
Chris says: Thanks for stopping by, Barbara. As I said on my guest blog post for Darcy Pattison last week, Dodging Trends: Why I Turned to Self-Publishing, self-publishing can be a good option if you have a book that isn't "big" enough to attract a large publisher but still has an audience. This is a great example.
Barbara had a fresh product that wouldn't get buried among thousands of similar books (easier with nonfiction). She had niche markets (baseball fans, dog lovers, Cleveland) that were big enough to support the book, and she figured out how to reach them. Note that she's had several valuable reviews, despite the complaint that self-published books don't get reviews. She's not getting into the New York Times Book Review or Kirkus, but the smaller, focused publications are probably better for sales anyway.
She's running her business like a business, which doesn't stop when the writing is done. And perhaps most important of all, she knew she had a quality product, because she'd gotten positive professional feedback.
If you're considering self-publishing, stop by my website to download the "Indie Publishing Worksheet" I developed to help students decide whether or not self-publishing is right for them, and if so, what steps to take. 

 

More Notes on Building Characters

Here are more notes on building realistic characters, adapted from my "Be Cruel to Your Characters" workshop.
•    Heroes should be realistic, complex and individual. Make sure your heroes have flaws.
•    Heroes should have universal traits (emotions and motives). Readers should identify/sympathize to some extent, so they'll forgive the main character for their mistakes.
•    Your hero should have the qualities needed to realistically overcome the challenge. Thus, the challenges should be hard enough to be dramatic (we must believe the hero could fail), yet not so great that no real person could solve them.
•    In general, the protagonist should grow and change in the course of the story. She should make errors, and learn something. Heroes need both inner and outer challenges.
•    Protagonists should be active, not passive. They should take risks and responsibility. They may be at least partly responsible for their own problems. They should have to sacrifice something in order to succeed (pride, safety, financial security).
•    Heroes may be willing or unwilling. They may be outcasts, cynics, loners, wounded or reluctant. But at some point they should commit to the challenge. (Harrison Ford often plays this kind of character.) In the The Ghost on the Stairs (Haunted (Aladdin)) Jon just wants to be an ordinary kid, but his sister keeps dragging him into trouble as she tries to help the ghosts. In each book, he has to find his reasons for supporting her.
•    Your hero's rewards should be proportionate to the challenges.
•    Villains should also be well-rounded. A villain with good qualities and understandable motives creates a more subtle and complex story. Why is the villain nasty? Are they actually evil, or ignorant, or do their goals just conflict with your hero's?
•    Other major characters also need strengths and weaknesses. Think about their motives, their good qualities and their flaws. All characters should have a mix of traits, good and bad, sometimes working against each other. (In The Well of Sacrifice the main character's brother is so dedicated and heroic that he doesn't question authority, leading to his betrayal by the high priest.). Even the people you love have flaws and irritating quirks. So should your characters.
•    Think of unusual/contradictory qualities. Maybe your tough bully loves animals. Twist the stereotypes. Instead of a sweet, white-haired grandmother who comforts her grandkids with home-baked cookies, how about a grandmother who plays racquetball, is running for mayor, and comforts her grandkids with giant ice cream sundaes at the local diner?
People your story with realistic characters, and you'll bring that world to life. So have fun getting to know the characters you create!

Why I Turned to Self-Publishing--and How It's Working

I'm on Darcy Pattison's blog today, discussing "Dodging Trends: Why I Turned to Self-Publishing." An excerpt:

"If a book is good enough, it will find a home." I've heard that a lot in the publishing industry, especially from editors and agents.
There's just one problem. It's not true.
Stop by to see the whole piece. While you're there, see her other guest posts on Alternate Publishing, including Joni Sensel on using POD to Finish a Series. Here's the basic blog link. Be sure to poke around—Darcy has lots of useful info!

And an update—I've now sold 51 copies of The Eyes of Pharaoh so far in February.
I've sold about 70 copies of Advanced Plotting so far, but since that book has a higher profit margin, I've made as much from Advanced Plotting as from The Eyes of Pharaoh.

I'm not getting rich (yet! I can always hope!) but I made over $200 in direct deposits in this month's Amazon POD and e-book sales. Of course, part of that is from my mother's new cozy mystery, Murder on the West Glacier Trail , which I set up on my account, but it shows that indie books can sell.



If Kate Foland had known how her bed and breakfast guest would change her life, she might have left her at the airport.
When Kate's guest is shot to death while hiking in the Alaskan woods, Kate feels compelled to investigate. Sandra Allison seemed like a perfectly nice young woman. So who would want her dead?
Murder on the West Glacier Trail is available in print or e-book, on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 

Plot/Character Exercises

We've been talking about how conflict comes from the interaction between character and plot. Let's look more closely at character.

Six basic human needs influence character:
Growth (working toward a personal goal)
Contribution (feeling needed, worthwhile)
Security (knowing the future)
Change (desire for variety, excitement)
Connection (feeling part of a group)
Independence (personal identity and freedom)

Which of these are most important to your main character? Create conflict by setting up situations which oppose that person's needs.

Exercise—Write a story, starting with plot.
Come up with a challenge – a difficult situation for someone. This can be anything from facing the first day of school to wanting to make a sports team to solving a crime to fighting zombies.

Then ask, What kind of person would have the most trouble in that situation? Plan or write a story about that character in that situation.

Exercise—Write a story, starting with character.
Write a brief character sketch, covering basics such as gender, age, personality characteristics – introvert/extrovert, optimist/pessimist, etc. – with a few likes and dislikes. You can base this on someone you know.
How would they define or describe themselves? ("I always…I never…I'm the kind of person who….")
•    If these statements are true, a situation that challenges the belief will create conflict. For example, if you have a character who is honest, put him in a situation where there is a good reason to lie.
•    If these statements are false, a situation that exposes the delusion will create conflict.  For example, if someone sees himself as courageous, but isn't really, a situation that requires courage will be especially painful because it shakes up his view of himself.

So, what situation will most challenge this character? Summarize or write a story about that character in that situation.

You know you need both an interesting character and a strong plot to make a good story. As you develop an idea, think about how your character and plot interact, and design your character for your plot. As you write the story, work back and forth between plot and character.

One more exercise:
Look at your work in progress. What is the problem? Why is it important? Why is it difficult? (See the post From Idea to Story Part 2: Setting up Conflict.)

Given those answers, is your character the right character for that situation? Could you give your character different needs or desires, to make the situation more difficult for him or her?

Selling Books with a Loss Leader

Last week I talked about the importance of having multiple books available, if you are an indie author. This gives potential readers several "entry points" to your work, and can also mean every successful act of publicity leads to multiple sales to one customer. Having several books available also provides special publicity opportunities.
I can also make use of publicity tactics such as a "loss leader" title. This means you offer one book at a deep discount, or even free. People are much more likely to try a free book. If they like it, they are more likely to pay several dollars for other books by that author.
Many writers trying self-publishing offer their first book for free, trying to gain fans. But how much does it help you to have a new fan, if you don't have anything else for them to buy? Will they remember you in six months or a year when you get another book out? Will they even recognize your name if Amazon recommends your next book? The whole point of a "loss leader" is to drive sales to your regularly-priced books. It's pointless if you only have one title out.
One note – many indie authors offer all their books for free hoping to build readership. Many readers have gotten burned by books that are mediocre or worse. Some readers now refuse to buy $.99 e-books and won't even "waste their time" trying free books. However, if you have a normal price of $3-6 and offering that book for free for a limited time, you can bypass some of the stigma associated with free books.
So that's why I'm focusing first on getting two more books published. Once I have four on the market, I may take a few months off to do a major publicity push. That's not to say I'm doing nothing now – of course I'm telling friends about my books, mentioning them in context on blog posts here or in guest blog posts, sharing news on Facebook, and so forth. But I can resist the pressure to spend dozens of hours a week just focused on publicity. Writing the next book is more important.   "Hey, this book is available now!"This also gives me time to learn more about what seems to work and what doesn't with publicity. I can explore some new social networks, test out a few things in small ways, and in general prepare now so I won't be overwhelmed later. I can even tweak cover art, description blurbs, tag words and so forth to find the best combination for selling my work.
And I don't have to feel bad if I only sell 10 copies of a title in a month. 10 copies is a drop in the pool, and maybe the ripples will start reaching out now. In the meantime, I can focus on writing the next book.

Write a Strong Plot: Be Cruel to Your Characters

For a strong plot, you need plenty of dramatic action. (This doesn't necessarily mean fights and car chases. The drama can come from interpersonal relationships or even a person's own thoughts. But dramatic things should happen.) But it's not enough just to have dramatic things happening. It's not just What but also Who.

Your main character needs to be able to overcome the challenge you set for him – but just barely. We don't want to watch superheroes fight weaklings. We want to watch superheroes fight supervillains – or even better, weaklings fight supervillains, and barely win, through courage and ingenuity that overcome the stronger foe.

Conflict comes from the interaction between character and plot. You can create conflict by setting up situations which force a person to confront their fears. If someone is afraid of heights, make them go someplace high. If they're afraid of taking responsibility, force them to be in charge.

You can also create conflict by setting up situations which oppose a person's desires. If they crave safety, put them in danger. But if they crave danger, keep them out of it.

In The Well of Sacrifice, Eveningstar never dreams of being a leader or a rebel. But when her family, the government, and even the gods fail to stop the evil high priest, she's forced to act. In the Haunted series, Jon would like to be an ordinary kid and stay out of trouble. But his sister is determined to help ghosts without letting the grown-ups know what she and Jon are doing, and is constantly getting him into trouble. The reluctant hero is a staple of books and movies because it's fun to watch someone forced into a heroic role when they don't want it. (Think of Harrison Ford as Han Solo.)

Even with nonfiction, you can create tension by focusing on the challenges that make a person's accomplishments more impressive. In my book Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker, written under the name M.M. Eboch, I made this incredible athlete's story more powerful by focusing on all the things he had to overcome – childhood health problems, poverty, a poor education. In Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier (also written as M.M. Eboch) the story of the man who founded Hershey's chocolate is more dramatic because he started with little business experience, and had an unfortunate habit of trusting his overzealous father.

Exercise:  Ask yourself these questions. They may lead to new story ideas, or you can use them to further develop characters in your current work.

What are you afraid of?

What's the hardest thing you have had to do or overcome?

What's the hardest thing you've done by choice?

Ask other people the same questions, for more ideas.