Masterclass: The Idea of Conflict
One of a series of ten intensive, impactful masterclasses from Faber Academy's Director of Fiction.
Level
What do these levels mean?
Location
Length
After eleven years directing our flagship Writing a Novel course, helping over a hundred students gain publication deals, Richard Skinner has developed our new series of ten masterclasses. Covering the essential elements of fiction in his fullest, most impactful workshops, this series is perfect if you’re looking to sharpen your skills, improve particular elements of your writing, or aren’t able to commit to one of our longer courses.
If drama is the heart of a story, the idea of conflict is its heartbeat. Without conflict, there is no drama, and without drama there is no story. In this session, you will do a ‘stress-test’ on your plot.
Masterclass Tutor
Richard Skinner
Richard Skinner is a novelist, poet and critic. His most recent book, The Mirror, was described as ‘beautifully written . . . immersive . . . captivating’ by the Guardian. As Director of the Fiction Programme at Faber Academy, he created the flagship ‘Writing a Novel’ six-month course in 2009 and since then has helped hundreds of writers find their voice.
Schedule
The course will take place on Zoom, using a mix of teaching and discussion time with practical exercises to get you writing.
18.30–18.45
Welcome and introductions
18.45–19.45
Finding conflict
We will look at the cyclical nature of all stories and the levels of conflict in them. We will see that characters must pay some kind of price for what they want.
19.45–20.00
Break
20.00–21.00
Pushing your plot
In this half of the evening, you will ’stress-test’ the plot of your story to check how well it's working.
Richard Skinner is a great teacher [...] After every one of his classes, I return to my writing feeling inspired
Browse the Reading Room
From author interviews and writing tips to creative writing exercises and reading lists, we've got everything you need to get started – and to keep going.
Recommendations from Faber
Founded in 1929 in London, Faber is one of the world's great publishing houses. Our list of authors includes thirteen Nobel Laureates and six Booker Prize-winners.
Visit Faber