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Conflict... ″I love you!″ ″I love you more!″ ″Unh unh! I love YOU more!″ ″No way! I love you more than ANYTHING in this world! I love you to infinity!″ ″M′kay! You win! Kiss me!″ Mwah mwah mwah mwah...blechhh! Hehehe! Honestly, how long can a story like this go on before folks get the point and grow weary of the content? There are only so many ways to say ′I love you′. Only so many ways to hang out and have a good time. Only so many holes to fill in a sexual encounter. Hehehe! It may seem sweet from chapter to chapter to see your protagonist and his special love interest get all warm and cozy, whispering sweet nothings into one another′s ear every time they get together...but even for a HUGE romantic like myself, I can honestly say that it doesn't take long before that schtick gets old. Maybe not right away, but over time...you might need something more than just a lovey-dovey situation where one hot guy compliments another hot guy on how hot they are and they go off somewhere to have sex while the readers watch. You HAVE to change things up sometimes. It′s just one of the rules in the game when it comes to keeping people interested in your characters and the story that you′re trying to tell. There are plenty of emails in my inbox right now, begging..."PLEASE don't let anything bad happen to these two! EVER! Keep it happy! I can't handle any drama in this story!" And...well...sorry. Like...how would that be any fun to read? I don't get it. There's got to be SOME sort of conflict on the horizon to keep people coming back for the next chapter. I mean...right? You wouldn't want to read the same marshmallow sweetness for ten chapters in a row. What would be the point? I'm not trying to anger or depress anybody...but a life without any struggle just isn't realistic in my opinion. Let them have a few snags in their fairy tale ever now and then. What's wrong with that? Come on! It'll be fun! I promise! Hehehe! Not every story has to be an overly dramatic soap opera. Everything doesn′t have to have moments of shock and awe and plot twists that drops your reader′s jaw by the end of the chapter. But...people in real life are different. We have different tastes, different views on life, different beliefs, different interests. And even if all of those things were, somehow, made out to be compatible...we still have mood swings. We have good and bad days. We deal with problems and misfortunes. It′s realistic. Why not make that a part of your story? Not to exploit your characters for the sake of drama...but to enhance those moments and create momentum by showing your readers how they deal with those differences. Who would your characters be if they were under the pressure of a highly emotional situation? Who would they be if confronted and forced to defend themselves in a physical fight or an argument? How would they react to some serious temptation? How would they react to the loss of a loved one or a best friend? Conflict in a story not only spices up your story, but it fills in the little corners of your characters′ personalities in ways that wouldn′t be evident in an ′oh so perfect′ storyline where all they do is kiss and giggle all day long. SO...today, let′s talk about the concept of ′conflict′! And how to effectively use it to up the ante on your writing in a way that will keep people coming back for more. The first rule of conflict is...don't put too much emphasis on the rules of conflict. Hehehe! I know that sounds backward, considering the theme of this article, but it's true. Conflict doesn't always have to be a Batman/Joker kind of confrontation. Never feel like you have to go over the top with the friction you create between your main characters. It's not always necessary. Conflict is simply a difference of opinion. It can be as big as someone cheating on their boyfriend with their older brother...or it can be as simple as one boy is out of the closet as being gay, and the other one isn't. Maybe the 'conflict' takes the form of a long distance relationship. Maybe the love interest has had bad experiences with sex and affection and doesn't want to jump back into that arena without some sort of a guarantee that they won't be hurt again. Whatever their differences are...use them in your story. There doesn't always have to be a 'black and white' kind of fight when it comes to conflict. Your characters don't have to be mortal enemies. In fact, they may not be enemies at all. They simply have an issue, an obstacle, or a belief, that creates a disconnect between them. The conflict is created by how much you focus on that disconnect and the level of intensity you want to apply to it. I've found that mild conflicts are a bit less dramatic, but a lot more realistic. It takes practice to find a balance that you're comfortable with as a writer. Anyone reading my earlier stories can see how major events sort of take place in almost every chapter. It's almost like watching reality TV shows, where something spicy has to happen in order to keep the ratings up. But once I began to relax a bit more and find my stride, I allowed those dramatic events to spread themselves out a bit more. I felt more comfortable being subtle by introducing a conflict between characters and playing with the intensity a little bit at a time...until it's time for the main event, and then I can crank it all the way up and create moments of true hostility that readers saw coming and were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The audience already knows where the disconnect is, and they know why it's there, but as the warm water heats up, the anticipation for this inevitable showdown between the two can come off as a lot more rewarding. I also believe that conflict works best when your readers can see the logic in both sides of the argument. That's an important part of the audience getting involved in the story. They're forced to ask themselves, "Well, if it were me...what would I do?" It's a lot fun to create a character that's just a pure evil antagonist to your perfect and well-meaning main character. It's entertaining to have a villain that people just love to hate. But, as the saying goes, every villain is the hero of their own story. I've known some people who are just...assholes. Let's be real. Those people exist. But I've also found that they aren't doing it just to be evil. There's a reason for it. There's an issue there, a thought process behind their actions, or some form of damage. And sometimes people are just il and water when they're in the same room together. So even when I have characters who pose a direct threat to my protagonist, I like to attempt to shine a light on who they are and what their motivations may be. Let your readers get a glimpse as to why they're doing the things they do, and maybe give your protagonist a few flawed moments when they're at fault as well. Maybe they'ree being paranoid, or jealous, or unfair, or just mean for the sake of being mean. Juggle back and forth between one flawed individual and the other so the conflict carries some nuance and complexity to their relationship. Nobody's perfect, but every unlikable character isn't a heartless psychopath either. Play around with that. Hehehe, Lord knows I have! And sometimes, the readers end up liking my villain even more than my protagonist! So...be careful. Sometimes it backfires! Anyway, that's my weekly babbling on conflict. Look at the characters in your story, and see if you can recognize the struggle in each of them. Conflict isn't just about right and wrong. Sometimes it's just about being 'different'. As always, I hope this helps! Have fun writing! And I'll see ya next weekend!

One thing that I can tell you about my own writing muse is this... It is a shy, introverted, creature, and it takes a lot of coaxing to get it to come out of hiding sometimes. Basically, if you don't want to write your story tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day, because you're waiting for the inspiration to hit you...you're going to end up wasting a LOT of writing time. In fact, you may lose that inspiration altogether. Sometimes you've got to find it on your own. You've got to hunt it down, put a leash around its neck, and physically pull it out of the shadows so you can get something done. Hehehe! So, this week, we're talking about writer inspiration and how to exercise it in a way to keep that creative flow going. Whether you're looking to tell a brand new story or simply want to add to something you're already working on, you can find the inspiration if you go looking for it. And the best way to chase it down is simple...go out and live life. You have to live life if you want to write about it, plain and simple. Writing can often be a very isolated process, and it's easy to lock yourself in a tiny room with a dim lamp and cup of 'miscellaneous', and never come out of there. My inspiration is almost always outside of my room. I've got to be able to go places and talk to people and see life happening all around me. It helps like you wouldn't believe. Now, when I say go live life, that doesn't mean that you have to go mountain climbing or skydiving or wrestle salt water crocs in a mud pit somewhere. it's just a matter of putting yourself in a different set of surroundings. Instead of typing on a keyboard in your bedroom, try taking a pen and a notebook and try going to a nearby park. Or maybe take your laptop to a local coffee shop or library. My place used to be the Lake, and I loved to write on Navy Pier. There's just something about getting out of my comfort zone that gets my creative juices flowing. Things are happening all around you. Maybe you see somebody that you find absolutely gorgeous while you're out, and decide to make him a character in your next story. Maybe you'll overhear an interesting conversation between two people walking by. Maybe the smell of fresh flowers, or the scent of freshly baked donuts will waft your way and bring back a pleasant memory from your past. Inspiration can be triggered by just about anything, but the unpredictability of being in an area with other people works wonders. You never know who or what you'll run into. An example...maybe I go out to buy milk and eggs for the kitchen, and while I'm at the register, there's a really cute college boy bagging my groceries. Those few minutes might inspire a whole new story. I would take that one moment in time, and stretch it out in both directions, past and future. What events brought him to this counter? Maybe he's working his way through school. Maybe his father owns the store and this is his first time having an actual job. Maybe he's saving up for a car, or a trip to Hollywood to take a shot at an acting career. Create a backstory for this random person that you've never met before. Now imagine stretching things out into the future. What would happen if I talked to him? What if I joked around a little bit and he responded with a few giggles and a joke of his own? What if I came back for the next two or three days in a row, buying stuff I didn't need just so I could see him again? What would happen if after a few meetings we decided to go get lunch somewhere when he got a break? I could build an entire ten to fifteen page story off of just that one glance a cute guy bagging groceries. I wouldn't get that being trapped in my room all day. So whenever you leave the house, become an observer. Hehehe, DON'T be the creep who's staring at people or purposely butting into their conversations! But pay attention to everything that's going on around you. You're surrounded by a million different stories every single day. Pick one that you like, put your unique spin on it, and tell that story. Tell the story of that brand new family restaurant that's opening up on the corner, or that teen couple having an argument outside the mall, or that homeless guy asking for change outside the convenience store. There's so much inspiration out there that it can be overwhelming at times. You just have to teach yourself to recognize it. As far as my experience is concerned...the really is no such thing as fiction. There's just my personal truth being expressed with fictional details. Everything that I've ever written for the Shack is simply 'me' speaking through a bunch of different characters. My thoughts, my feelings, my sense of humor, my hobbies and interests...they are the life's blood of everything I type out on this screen. So I can enhance my inspiration by enhancing my life. My experiences. We're constantly telling ourselves stories all day long. We're living a story right now. Picture yourself reading this article. Now think about why you chose to click on this link and what you brought you to this very moment. Now think about what you're going to do after you finish reading, and what it might lead to further down the road. There's a story there. Choose a specific moment, add a foundation, and put your personal brand of whipped cream on top. Voila! You've got a new potential idea to work with. Now...once you find that inspiration that you were looking for, no matter how big or how small...chase it down. Write while the fire is in you. Don't wait. Procrastination is the number one enemy of creativity. Trust me, I'm a master at putting things off until later. Hehehe, like that old joke, "I bought a book on how to prevent procrastination. I haven't read it yet, though. Maybe tomorrow." I do realize that everyone has their own life responsibilities, and you might not have the chance to race to your laptop and get the time, energy, and focus, to write every time a new idea pops into your head. Some of you guys have school and exams, some of you have heavy work schedules and weird hours, some of you have family commitments that need to be your number one priority. But...when you get that tug on your creative strings, immediately make a 'plan' to sit down and write it out. As soon as you can get some time to breathe. I find that my writing never feels more natural, more potent, then when I feel like I'm right there in the moment. Be passionate! Get your head, your heart, and your typing fingers, in sync with one another and bleed on the page for our enjoyment! I also recommend that you write what you're feeling whenever your emotions are running on high. That's a whole other kind of inspiration. Use that. Even if it doesn't fit into the current story you're working on...write it into something else. Or just write your feelings out in a standalone story all its own. I know that I usually get a lot of flak for writing so many stories at once, but I channel my emotions into what I write. I use the inspiration I have at that particular moment. I want people to feel it the way I feel it, and I can describe it best when I'm currently going through it. I think one of the biggest mistakes that an author can make is thinking, "I'm miserable right now...I just want to write something happy to get out of this funk." It'll show. If you're miserable, why not write something miserable? If you're heartbroken, write about heartbreak. Not only will your writing come off as more genuine and relatable to your readers who have been there...but it can be sooooo theraputic to get it out of your system and on to the page where it might do some good. Let it be a sigh of relief. Don't write against your own emotional state. It's there to help season the main course, not poison it. Anyway, short recap... Get out and about. Take some 'me' time and live life. Then come home and write about what you've observed. Inspiration is everywhere. Go find it. And when you do, make plans to tackle it as SOON as you get a chance. Passion doesn't last forever. You'd be surprised how many potentially great stories I've lost simply because I didn't jump on my muse when I had the chance. And be sure to use your deepest emotions to your benefit. Don't try to swim upstream. Some of your best work may be hiding within those painful feelings that you don't want to talk about. I hope this helps inspire a few of you to start writing! And KEEP writing! Go out there and make Gay Authors proud! Hehehe! Take care! And happy writing!