JH: Sending a character into an emotional spiral is a great way to add conflict to scene or build more tension in a novel. Angela Ackerman joins us today to share tips on how to stress out our characters to create better stories.

Take it away, Angela…

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If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that life is stressful. Each day, we’re bombarded with obstacles, challenges, and upsets. We navigate what we can, go to bed, and do it all again the next day.Do we like stress? No. But adversity builds resiliency. Problem-solving under pressure means we push onward, try new things, and learn on the go. Our trials help us gain new skills, competency, and confidence. In short, we grow!

Growth is a big deal when it comes to our characters, because at the start of the story, well, they just don’t have what it takes to succeed. Maybe they’re stuck in some way, or have some bad habits and dysfunction, or perhaps they need to stretch themselves to gain skills and knowledge so they can handle the road ahead.