Common Plot Problems: How We Avoid Conflict on the Page

Okay, let’s face it: writers don’t like conflict. Who does? But when we allow our characters to avoid their conflicts, we run into real problems, such as unclear story goals, passive protagonists and wandering storylines. These issues stem from a lack of thorough development, which can stand in the way of a book’s potential for success or even prevent it from being published. In this workshop, award-winning novelist and developmental editor Gail Anderson-Dargatz will point out where you’re likely avoiding conflict on the page and explore ways to build more active characters and a strong narrative drive.

About the instructor

GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s internationally bestselling novels The Cure for Death by Lightning and A Recipe for Bees were both short-listed for the Giller Prize. Her thrillers The Almost Wife and The Almost Widow were national bestsellers, and The Almost Widow was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada. HarperCollins just released her latest novel,The Atlas Keeper, this fall. Gail also writes hi-lo books for the educational market. She taught for nearly a decade in the CW MFA program at UBC and now works as a mentor and developmental editor. For more, visit her website: gailanderson-dargatz.ca

About TWS Community Workshops

The TWS Community Workshops are planned and developed, and often hosted, by alumni of the Writer’s Studio at SFU. The proceeds from the workshops support writing scholarships in the Studio’s year-long cohort program. If you would like to know more about the Writer’s Studio, please visit our website. If you would like to submit a workshop idea, please email us at write@sfu.ca.