Welcome to the new home of Author & Professional Speaker, L. Diane Wolfe (AKA "Spunk on a Stick") and The Circle of Friends!

The Circle of Friends series follows a group of young adults as they face different challenges and learn to overcome. The emotionally gripping stories focus on love, friendships and the pursuit of dreams. Aimed at adults/young adults, these books defy the growing trend of salacious titles, especially for teenagers. Positive and uplifting, this series will leave readers determined to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals.

This blog is now the home of the original The Circle of Friends website.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Conflict and Drive in Characters

Every book needs conflict and something to drive the story forward.

Often this is found within our characters. Their past haunts them. They suffer from shortcomings. They struggle to achieve a dream. All of these things not only add depth to a story, they can be the core plotline. Internal conflict is my favorite and I’ve used it in all five of my books:

Book I - Lori dreams of winning an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming and is driven by this goal.

Book II - Sarah suffers from a poor self-image and struggles to find her value and place in life.

Book III - James is haunted by a past of abuse and fights to rise above the damage and be a better person.

Book IV - Mike is consumed by guilt over two incidents and strains to learn to forgive himself.

Book V - Heather battles a selfish attitude, floundering in her attempts to form meaningful relationships.

What internal conflicts do your characters face?

5 comments:

randi lee said...

I like your conflicts. I'm going to have to check out your books--are they available for Nook by any chance?

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Hi Randi. Yes, they are all available on the Nook.

Anonymous said...

I like you list of conflicts too.
It's a good question. Mine is standing up to a manipulative parent in the face of other external conflicts...

Stephanie said...

I love these conflicts. Your descriptions have convinced me to check out your books.

My current character is currently struggling with prejudice and overcoming his own insecurities about the burden he fears he puts on his family.

Unknown said...

Excellent examples of conflict - James particularly resounds with me. Your books sound compelling...must check them out.

My own characters always seem to be struggling against injustice.