Conflict For Your Characters

I was talking to one of my writers a couple of days ago and we were talking about a book we had both read. We were really frustrated that this author really did not seem to have any significant conflict for the characters. The result was that the story seemed to go no where.

Let me explain what I mean.

I romance, when we create our heroes and heroines, we want to have a reason that might get in the way of the two of them getting together. This might be opposing perspectives on something, or maybe a prior relationship they had. Maybe this is an issue that they are competing against each other for a contract in a company. But, here is what I see far too many authors doing. They create characters that simply would never get together in the first place!

Now, I know what the authors are thinking. They see this as big conflict that will have to be overcome. Yes, it will be, but the reality of the situation is that this relationship simply would never happen.

A good example is a project I remember reading many years ago. The author had a rich socialite (think Paris Hilton) who is going to get paired up with an ex-military guy, homeless (or at least borderline homeless) with PTSD. This author was going for a story that showed how people had to learn to look past the outside and see the real person inside. This author was also trying to layer in the trope of the rich girl who needs to see "the real world." While these two story themes are great, the issue came down to the two characters. NEVER, and I mean NEVER would the two of them ever be in the same room together. The result is that this storyline would never happen.

As you think about your character, there has to be some reason for them to actually be together and really interact with each other. In the case if the prior story, the socialite would never talk to the guy, but would like be in the board room of the charity. Getting her hands dirty? I think not.

Please, take the time to see if your characters really do fit together. This might be part of the reason your stories are struggling.