What Do You Mean My Hero Needed More Conflict? ©
By Mary Beth Lee

The ultimate "ugh! Rejection" starts with the words 'While I enjoyed your story and the writing is strong, the hero’s (heroine’s) conflict isn’t strong enough to sustain a work of this length.' I mean, honestly, what is that supposed to mean?

To tell the truth, the first time I read those words, I was crushed. A new writer with barely a year of romance writing under my belt, I’d sent in what I considered to be a great story of ever-lasting love. Those words left me baffled.

The hero’s conflict wasn’t strong enough? How could I possibly fix it?

The answer today is a whole lot easier than it was then. And even though that book is not yet published, I believe it has a chance when I get back to it because now I understand what was missing: GMC, the nemesis or lifesaver of all writers.

An easier way of saying it: What does your character think they want? Why do they want it? And why can’t they have it?

To answer those questions you have to delve deep into your character’s minds and lives. You have to know what makes them tick. And while the fact that your hero’s grandmother helped raise him while his father fought in Vietnam might not ever make it into a sentence in your light hearted romantic comedy, knowing it will help you understand him. And understanding him will help develop his conflicts.

Conflicts are important to the story. Not FIGHTS. Fights are external. They serve a purpose to a point, but the romance reader needs and wants more than one squabble after another. They want to know and love the characters in a book. They want to root for the man and woman involved in the story. They want to laugh and cry with them. And even though it might seem like it, they DO NOT want the road to everlasting love to be easy.

So you have to dig deep to be able to answer the question of why your character can’t have what he wants. What is standing in his way? What lesson must he learn? And once he learns it, how will it possibly push him into the arms of the woman he loves?

There are a million books on conflict out there. Check out the favorites in your writer’s group or go on line and ask which books other writers enjoy.

And take heart in the ultimate "ugh rejection." It could be so much worse. Chances are, the hero’s conflict is there, and you just didn’t know it. Chances are, after you spend some time with him, his reasons for not committing will be quite apparent and rewriting and resubmitting that manuscript won’t be a problem at all. And remember - a rejection with reasons stated is never a bad thing.

Good luck and happy writing!

Please be aware that these articles are all Copyrighted to their respective owners, all rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from Copyright holders.