Muse & the Marketplace 2018

Can't we all just get along? No. Not in fiction. Many of us go out of our way to minimize or avoid conflict in our lives, but this can be lethal when plotting a work of fiction. If you feel your story grinding to a halt, reenergize it by putting your characters in uncomfortable conversations that they'd rather avoid. In this session, we'll analyze (and even act out) scenes of characters in awkward or painful or even angry confrontations, comparing them to drafts where conflict was avoided. We'll identify common phrases or scenarios that might signal conflict-avoidance, and build strategies for putting characters into confrontation. Writers may come away with fresh ideas for a story, or solutions to problems in a current work-in-progress. If your characters are frequently making hasty retreats, resisting the urge, biting back words, restraining their impulses, and belatedly thinking of snappy comebacks or what they really wanted to say, this workshop is for you!