Letting your characters walk into the unknown is one of the most powerful tools in your writer’s toolbox. It’s what separates flat stories from unforgettable ones, and passive characters from legends.

Letting your characters walk into the unknown is one of the most powerful tools in your writer’s toolbox. It’s what separates flat stories from unforgettable ones, and passive characters from legends.

Some stories throw in arguments for drama, action for excitement, or misunderstandings for tension. But meaningful conflict? That’s what leaves a mark. It doesn’t just entertain—it transforms. In today’s Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re diving deep into how to create conflict that matters, resonates, and changes your characters—and your readers—for good.

Friendships in fiction should be multifaceted, just like they are in real life. They can be loyal yet complicated, nurturing yet competitive, comforting yet confrontational. And when they’re written well, these relationships elevate your characters, deepen your plot, and move your readers. Let’s talk about how to write friendships that feel real, raw, and unforgettable.

A strong female character is not strong because she’s emotionless or flawless or invincible. She’s strong because she’s real. Because she has agency. Because she struggles, grows, leads, fails, and fights to define herself in a world that often wants to do it for her.