‘It was a well thought-out, engaging look at the creation of story,’ said participant Amy Parker.
Through detailing the eight steps for generating compelling conflict, A. R. Levett emphasised that conflict is the core, driving force of storytelling and highlighted its importance in creating character growth.
‘I found this workshop really useful for making me think in more detail about the drivers of my story - the main character and his motivations, the conflicts he has, and how they are key to the story,’ said Anne Forbes. ‘It even helped me fix in some plot points and give me better direction.’
‘The workshop made me think about my character goals and potential themes to be included in the narrative,’ said Garry Winterton. ‘I feel I have a deeper insight into the writing process.’
As well as theory and examples of these methods in popular stories, A. R. Levett led participants through a series of nine exercises that helped them implement the techniques in their own stories.
‘The writing exercises were very practical for story development,’ said Alia Bath.
Amy agreed. ‘The writing exercises were very helpful.’
Overall, participants were satisfied with the workshop and the material they produced in it, feeling they had a better insight of how stories work and a better understanding of their own narratives.
‘The workshop was engaging, easy to understand, and Mr Levett is a kind teacher,’ said Amy. ‘It was everything my English class wasn’t: genuinely fun!’
‘Like the last workshop, it really helped me order my thinking about what a story needs and where my story is going,’ concluded Anne.
Generating Compelling Conflict marks the second stage of these writers’ journey towards building and understanding their novels. In the next workshop, Creating Believable Characters, they will delve deeper into character types, motivations, and oppositions. For more information on the course and each workshop, please see the Mapping Your Novel course information.