Week 1: Your Story Starts Here
Four days straight. You're building something real. 📚
Every great story has a problem at its center. Without conflict there is no story — just a character wandering around with nothing at stake. Today we're going to look at what's driving your book forward.
Conflict comes in many forms:
Person vs. Person — a character is up against another person, a bully, a rival, an enemy
Person vs. Self — a character is fighting their own fears, doubts, mistakes, or identity
Person vs. Society — a character is up against rules, systems, expectations, or injustice
Person vs. Nature — a character is surviving something in the natural world
Person vs. the Unknown — a character facing something mysterious, supernatural, or beyond explanation
Most great stories have more than one type of conflict layered together. The outer problem and the inner problem are usually connected.
As you read today notice:
What is the main problem your character is facing?
Is there a bigger problem hiding underneath the obvious one?
How is your character responding — are they running from it, fighting it, or pretending it doesn't exist?
Today's Reading Prompt: Read for 10–20 minutes. Pay attention to the tension in the story. Where do you feel it pulling?
Today's Writing Prompt: Write 2–3 sentences describing the main conflict in your book. Then add one more sentence — what do you think your character needs to do or change to get through it?
Tip for parents — ask your child if the problem in the book reminds them of anything happening in real life, in the news, or in their own world. This is where books become conversations.
See you on Day 5! 📚 — Leah