Character and Conflict: The Five Stages of Resolution
March 2003 HODRW Meeting Recap
by Maggi Landry
The March meeting presented Rogenna Brewer talking about Character and Conflict: The Five Stages of Resolution -- a natural progression of emotional stages through resolution. Harlequin superromance Author Rogenna Brewer has over half a million books in print. This best-selling author's awards and recognition include The Aspen Gold, The Blue Boa, Bookseller's Best, two Reviewer's Choice, and two Romantic Times Top Picks. The March HODRW meeting gave us a lot to think about, many pointers on character and conflict, and a very comprehensive list of reference books on writing.
Rogenna Brewer brought us her wonderful program on Character and conflict: The Five Stages of Resolution. To reach the core of our characters, she told us to ask the questions:
Our characters need to have the ability to care and become conflicted when they need or want something they are kept from having or achieving. Thus your conflict is someone or something standing in the way of your protagonist achieving their goal or goals. In her talk she told how she had come to recognize that the stages of resolution in a novel closely follow the five stages of grief.
All are to some degree, large or small, part of the resolution of our main character's conflicts.
Rogenna also provided us with a nicely detailed handout of her program and a list of some of the authors she recommends reading to help further your writing skills. Dwight Swain with his Techniques of the Selling Writer topped the list.
For anyone interested who was unable to make the March meeting, we will have a few of the handouts available at the April meeting.
Rogenna is a long time member of RWA, past President of CRW and founding President of HODRW. Rogenna is scheduled to speak at the CRW conference on Heroines/Heroes, and possibly Conflict at the conference in May. In July, you will find Rogenna in New York for nationals.