A couple of weeks ago, I shared ideas about stakes versus conflict and the importance of making stakes and conflict both high and riveting. I also shared examples of pretexts that no one would care to read. Here is one:

Reginald just bought a private jet; but the air traffic controllers have gone on strike, meaning he will have to delay his vacation in Paris.

 Believe it or not, after I wrote the post, I kept thinking about our dear Reginald. Surely he’s more exciting than he appears. So I thought it might be fun to make him more interesting.

What if:

This is all a front, and Reginald is on a secret mission?

The strike is fake?

The person Reginald is meeting under the guise of a vacation holds the key to everything?

Is that better? Are you more likely to want to know about Reginald now?

I also gave an example of Jane. She didn’t linger in my mind as much, but here she is:

Jane works for a congressman that her in-laws don’t care for, and they like to argue about it. She wishes for a better relationship. They live across the country, so she sees them once a year.

So here’s our fun for today. How would you make one or both of these characters interesting?

I can’t wait to see what all of you whip-smart authors write!