Theme of The Week is a single element you critique in your assigned book. This way if paired with a member more than once, you get to give feedback on something different.

This week, we will give feedback on Conflict.

❝Conflict is the mental or moral struggle caused by incompatible desires and aims. That is the kind of conflict that makes stories vitally alive.❞ - Ben Bova.

❝In works of narrative, conflict is the challenge main characters need to solve to achieve their goals.

Traditionally, conflict is a major literary element that creates challenges in a story by adding uncertainty to if the goal would be achieved. A narrative is not limited to a single conflict. While conflicts may not always resolve in narrative, the resolution of a conflict creates closure or fulfillment, which may or may not occur at a story's end.❞

What to look for in Conflict?

- Is there an emotional conflict within the protagonist (eg: love vs. loyalty; greed vs. duty; fear vs. desire; revenge vs. self-doubt) or between different characters (eg: protagonist vs. antagonist)? P.S. emotional conflicts get readers interested.

- Are there too many or not enough conflicts?

❝The writer's job is to be a troublemaker! Stir up as many levels of conflict and problems for your protagonist (hero) as you can. Let one set of problems grow out of another. And never, never, never solve a problem until you've raised at least two more. It is the unsolved problems that form the chain of promises that keeps the reader interested.❞ - Ben Bova.

- Is there enough conflict? Is it well-expressed? Were the characters sufficiently contrasted? Or did they seem to be totally satisfied with their roles? Did they have the potential to transform each other?

P.S. Questions inspired from: http://www.crayne.com/howcrit.html