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!

Writing Conflict: Readers Need to Feel Something

Conflict is uber important in any short story or novel. We've already covered why and how, but what makes it so important? Simple. Conflict makes people feel. Your readers should want to see your main character be successful. Or, in the case of a villian, they may...

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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...

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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:...

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