Give Me MORE Conflict!

For the past month I have been working on the second book in my new series. Or should I be honest and tell you that I have been struggling with the second book in my series…well, I have. It was not exciting me as I was writing it. And for a writer this is a bad, bad sign, my friends.

So I wracked my brain trying to decide what was lacking with the story and it finally came to me like a smack to the head. Conflict! The story was suffering from a lack of conflict. If there isn’t anything to work through or get over, then why read it (or write it for that matter)?

So back to the drawing board I went, since my hero and heroine were having it too easy. Adding conflict is not as simple as inserting a fight between the characters. Instead, the hero and heroine need angst and the ability to change and grow because of what they face. And as they develop individually, hopefully that changing and growing will bring them closer together as a couple, right?

Even though my stories usually have external conflict, like a mystery to solve, romance is also smack dab in the middle of the conflict. Take two damaged people, throw in conflict, and find a way to bring them together. Not as easy as all that, but you get the idea!

So back to my conflict I go…