Hey, how’s it going? I’m Pat Marcello and I’ve written 10 books for publishers like ABC-Clio, Lucent, and Andrews-McMeel. I haven’t been writing for magazines or writing books for years, but I do write every day. I am a writer. And I have writerly thoughts all the time — some twisted, some normal. And so, I’d like to share a little of each with you. Enjoy!

Conflict: How to Create Trouble

So, we already know that conflict is trouble and that if you don't have that element early in your story, your readers won't be engaged. But how do you create trouble, and what comes first? Characters or creating the problem? Image via Wikipedia What I do is to create...

read more

Without Conflict… No Story

Yep, it's true. If you don't have a conflict, you don't have a story. You need a problem for your character(s) to solve, and if it doesn't exist, what you have is a long narrative that nobody wants to read. Image via Wikipedia Think about every story you've ever read:...

read more

Writing Fiction: What Is Conflict?

OMG... The toaster just caught on fire! What's worse is that Jack is working on his computer in his bedroom. He let the toaster do its work while he did something else, and so, he doesn't even know there's a fire.  The dog starts barking, but by the time Jack goes to...

read more