The Desert Nights, Rising Stars
Writers Conference

Home / Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference / Schedule / 2019 / Conference Schedule Friday, February 22, 2019 / Conflict as Story with Achy Obejas

Conference Schedule 2019

Conference Schedule 2019

Friday, February 22, 2019, 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Conflict as Heart and Engine of Story with Achy Obejas

Date(s): Friday, February 22, 2019, 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Location: Heritage, University Club (view map)
Type(s): Presentation, Workshop
Genre and Form(s): Fiction, Mixed Genre, Novels, Short Stories
Tags: Conflict, Plot, Cliché, Story

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Meet our Faculty

About the Session

In this workshop, we will have a laser-like focus on one thing: conflict. Without conflict, stories are flat or meandering. Conflict is the engine, the heart, ground zero of a story, whether it’s a blaster or a 900 page novel. But what is conflict, exactly? How do we set it up? How do we set it up so it’s not terribly obvious or cliché? And how do we use conflict to advance our story?  Participants will be guided through a quick checklist approach to building conflict in stories. 

Meet the Presenter(s)

Desert Nights Rising Stars Writers Conference Faculty 2019 Achy Obejas


Achy Obejas

Achy Obejas is the critically acclaimed author of The Tower of the Antilles, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN Open Book Award and the Aspen Word Prize. Her previous books include Days of Awe and Ruins. As a translator, she's worked with Junot Díaz, Wendy Guerra and Rita Indiana, among others. Born in Havana, she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area.


Learn more about Achy Obejas