From Sharon... 8 Tips for a compelling conflict from ICL

1. Be certain your main character has a worthy, noble goal -- no one likes a shallow greedy protagonist.
2. Consider the tension of a ticking clock. Time limits for reaching a goal will create an urgency that readers find compelling.
3. A plot is one obstacle after another -- never make it too easy for your protagonist.
4. Your main character needs to solve his own problems. Readers like active protagonists who do something, not passive kids who are done to. Yes, parents solve problems in the real world. Guess what? Stories are not the real world.
5. Your main character must act consistent with the person you have created him to be.
6. The story outcome has to matter to the main character. Something must be at stake if he fails -- something big. Look at your story and ask yourself, what happens if my protag fails? Are the consequences great enough to create strong motivation to overcome?
7. Jump into the story at a moment of action, conflict, or excitement. Jump right into a scene where something is happening instead of backing into the story by explaining stuff to us. Even the best conflict won't help a story if your reader abandons you before he gets to the exciting part.
8. Resolution of the story must not leave reader with a lot of loose ends or questions. Readers expect to see the main character reach his goal, or abandon the goal in favor of a more desirable goal. Never give the reader the impression that you just got tired of the story and ended it -- the ending should be emotionally satisfying and logically drawn from the characterization and story details.

Challenging myself to 1k words/day - following sage advice of fellow writers - Promo is good. Keeping up with your WIPs? That's BETTER! Who's with me?! http://tinyurl.com/c4ybmd