I have a hard truth for you – Many manuscripts are rejected quickly due to lack of conflict.
You may receive polite reasons such as “your characters weren’t fully developed” or “the plot wasn’t big enough” – however, these issues can be traced back to your conflict not being strong enough to drive the plot of your manuscript forward.
In case you didn’t know, readers don’t like stories where everyone is happy and conflicts are resolved with simple conversations!
BORING!
Interesting conflict will keep your readers turning the pages.
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There are 2 types of conflict – internal and external.
The external conflict should force internal change for your main character over the course of your novel. This is sometimes called “Internal Character Growth). Without the external conflict (the “tests” the “trials” the “struggles”) your character will not change internally.
Internal conflict will in turn help your characters grow and change, which is what readers want and will keep them reading until the end.
SO, it stands to reason that the bigger the conflict, the stronger the story!
Take some time to look at your story’s outline or plot and make sure your conflicts are as strong as they can be.
I’m always here if you need a sounding board or beta reader! Let’s talk about your conflict.
