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The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Volume 2) (Writers Helping Writers Series Book 9) Kindle Edition

by Becca Puglisi (Author), Angela Ackerman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 366 ratings
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A story where the character gets exactly what they want doesn’t make for good reading. But add villainous clashes, lost advantages, power struggles, and menacing threats…well, now we have the makings of a page-turner. Conflict is the golden thread that binds plot to arc, providing the complications, setbacks, and derailments that make the character’s inner and outer journeys dynamic.

Inside Volume 2 of The Conflict Thesaurus, you’ll find:
  • A myriad of conflict options in the form of power struggles, ego-related stressors, dangers and threats, advantage and control losses, and other miscellaneous challenges
  • Information on how each scenario should hinder the character on the path to their goal so they'll learn valuable life lessons and gain insight into what's holding them back internally
  • Instruction about using the multiple levels of conflict to add pressure through immediate, scene-level challenges and looming problems that take time to solve
  • Guidance on keeping a story’s central conflict in the spotlight and utilizing subplots effectively so they work with—not against—the main plotline
  • An exploration of the climax and how to make this pinnacle event highly satisfying for readers
  • Ways to use conflict to deepen your story, facilitate epic adversarial showdowns, give your characters agency, and infuse every scene with tension
Meaningful conflict can be so much more than a series of roadblocks. Challenge your characters inside and out with over 100 tension-inducing scenarios in this second volume of The Conflict Thesaurus. And for more instruction on how to use this element to enhance your story (and an additional 100+ conflict scenarios), check out The Conflict Thesaurus, Volume 1.
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  1. Book 9 of 10
    Writers Helping Writers Series
  2. Print length
    314 pages
  3. Language
    English
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    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    August 31, 2022
  6. File size
    2494 KB
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BCR7J7LY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ JADD Publishing (August 31, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 31, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2494 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1736152319
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 366 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Becca Puglisi

    Becca Puglisi

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    Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and author of bestselling books for writers. Her books are available in multiple languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling. Her books are represented by foreign rights agent Marleen Seegers of 2 Seas Agency.

    During her free time (ha), Becca enjoys playing video games, watching movies with her family, baking, and adding to her stash of emergency supplies. She has always enjoyed contemplating the What if? scenario, which serves her well during hurricane season in south Florida.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Angela Ackerman

    Angela Ackerman

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    ANGELA ACKERMAN is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of 11 bestselling books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. Her books are available in 10 languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. Her home country is Canada.

    Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers®, as well as One Stop for Writers®, a portal to powerful tools and resources that help you think like a writing expert so you become a stronger storyteller. A strong believer in writers helping and supporting other writers, she tries to pay-it-forward however she is able to.

    http://writershelpingwriters.net

    http://onestopforwriters.com

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
366 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Carolyn R Fortney
5.0 out of 5 stars The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024
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Being a writer I use this book always to find various words to use.
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Jason Calhoun
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all writers to understand what must be at the core of all stories: Conflict!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
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In storytelling, conflict is king. Without conflict, there is no story. Conflict is what keeps readers captivated and wanting to turn the page. This guide will show you how to improve conflict in your writing and provide you with references on how to apply them in your scenes based on the scenario. One final word of advice, I would strongly recommend to all writers that they read all the books included in the Writers Helping Writers series. These books are invaluable sources of information for helping writers build their Writer's Toolkit.
One person found this helpful
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The Write Edge
5.0 out of 5 stars Just as amazing as the first one!
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2022
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Less than a year after the release of their ambitious guide The Conflict Thesaurus: Volume 1, writing experts Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have returned with the sequel in the silver-toned The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles, Volume 2. For writers wanting to deepen their understanding of how conflict operates within storytelling, this second book is just as essential as the first.

Right from the opening pages, it’s clear the follow-up will do its predecessor justice. Ackerman and Puglisi give writers nearly 50 pages of thoughtful writing instruction full of practical, actionable advice while keeping the tone light and accessible. The first volume dug into the essentials of conflict, notably how psychology affects people and the way they behave. The second volume builds on these foundational ideas, introducing writers to concepts like the “golden thread” that weaves plot and character arc into a tight chain of story.

One of the biggest advantages is how the two volumes deal with conflict in the broader realm of writing. Volume 1 digs into mostly outer conflicts: those arising due to life responsibilities, for example, or the ticking clock phenomenon in which a character comes under the pressure of some sort of deadline. Volume 2 touches on inner conflicts: ego issues and power struggles, among others. While there is definitely overlap between the two—Volume 1 digs into the inner psyche with its section on moral dilemmas; Volume 2 tackles conflicts from physical dangers and threats—this concentration of each thesaurus mirrors the way writers should approach conflict in their work.

The most well-developed stories deal with outer conflicts as well as inner ones and intertwine both to show a character’s dilemmas and solutions. In some genres, the focus is on either the outer conflict or the inner. Taken together, readers come away with a richer experience. Likewise, writers will find a richer sense of writing instruction by using both Volume 1 and Volume 2 together.

This volume of The Conflict Thesaurus also offers writers the opportunity to see both positive and negative effects a particular conflict might have on a character. Starting with the conflict listing, the resource delves into inner and outer markers of that conflict and then those positive and negative effects. Armed with both, it’s easy to thumb through Volume 2 and build a character arc as well as a plot progression that will keep readers glued to the pages or their devices.

A follow-up to be heralded by writers everywhere!
19 people found this helpful
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Zoltar Paradox
5.0 out of 5 stars My wife calls me a Conflict Thesaurus
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2023
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I’m a writer working on a new novel, so got this to double check/upgrade conflicts. I like it I already often have tensions in the story but use this to tweak and evolve them. Or just wild brainstorming.

So for the usage of what I need it to be it works great.
One person found this helpful
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Tracy Perkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Good resource for warming up the creative writing juices
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2022
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I have been a fan of Ackerman and Puglisi’s writer’s reference guides since they wrote the Emotion Thesaurus. This latest installment, the Conflict Thesaurus, Vol. 2, is more than just a thesaurus. It starts with solid writing advice for writers that will help writers who are early in their career and need help with plot or character development.

I like the way the book is laid out. The bread and butter conflict of the book breaks down into six categories of conflict with multiple individual scenarios. Each individual scenario, for example, Being Trapped, spans two pages starting with examples—different ways a character can be trapped, minor complications, potentially disastrous results, resulting emotions, negative traits that may worsen the situation, impact on basic needs, positive traits to help the character cope, and positive outcomes. Each conflict entry in the book uses the same easy-to-follow format for character arc.

I also appreciated the samples and suggestions in the appendices, the snippet from the Conflict Thesaurus, Vol. 1, and especially the recommendations of books by other authors.
2 people found this helpful
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Tammy K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Thesaurus from this Company!
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023
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These writer's Thesaurus are a super-duper tool to use as a writer of fiction. This new one makes number 9 of the 9 book set. All are different and all are very useful. If you're a fiction writer, this is a must have book to make your scenes better! I highly recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
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Betsey Emm
5.0 out of 5 stars This book gave me lots of inspiration
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2023
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I was mid-edit on a book I am working on, but I needed a little more external conflict for my MFC in a romance novel. I flipped through some of the pages of this book and found the perfect situation to put my character through.
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Shai
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have resource!
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
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I had to have the Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2 to add to my collection. This must have resource offers a wealth of information for authors. No good story can exist without strong conflict and this book provides reliable, meaningful, and essential options. I love the depth of information included in the Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2! It’s great for brainstorming, diving deeper into a character or a plot, and strengthening the storyline.
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Top reviews from other countries

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martina lebrun
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in Canada on December 11, 2023
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great addition to collection
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Richard
5.0 out of 5 stars A storytelling factory
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2024
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As mathematics is to science, so conflict is to storytelling. The two conflict thesaurus books give many splendid instances of why and how conflict is vital.
But use them as a guide or a factory of ideas, adapting them to your own needs and experience. Pretty well everyone can relate to conflict- did we win, give up, avoid, face or attack? How did we emerge- stronger or weaker? Very useful books indeed.
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Luise
5.0 out of 5 stars Wie immer super
Reviewed in Germany on October 18, 2022
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Ein Muss für jeden, der am Schreiben oder menschlichen Beweggründen interessiert ist.
Definitiv zu empfehlen!
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The Mom Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for any writers arsenal.
Reviewed in Canada on March 15, 2023
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As writer's we are often told that conflict drives and story and my editors has told this often enough too. This thesaurus is the perfect tool to assist a writer in creating an interesting story that will hold readers from beginning to end.
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Wendy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent content.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2024
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I have found this book extremely useful whilst writing my first novel. I feel it is better and more comprehensive for my purpose than Volume 1. I have purchased both and find they do complement each other.
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