Self-quarantine or social distancing could possibly vie for 2020’s Words of the Year. This is a sad time for people where socializing plays an important part in their lifestyle or career. On a positive note, staying home has given us the opportunity to spend time with the people that matter to us as we reconnect with our families and ourselves. For those of you living independently, you are probably used to the solitary life especially if you’re a writer spending most of your time typing your thoughts. You have your basic necessities prepared, and you are pumped to write more in a time where everyone is forced to stay at home.

You can use your mandatory self-quarantine to maximize your productivity as a writer by making the most out of your storyline. There will be no distractions and you can solely focus on your story whether it’s a novel or a memoir. Consider using these guidelines to make the most out of your writing.

Build greater conflict

It’s the conflict that drives the story, right? The bigger the conflict, the more driven your story becomes. One of my EFL students asked me to take a look at a story he was writing that he intends to self-publish. Before telling him to send me a soft copy, I asked him about the conflict. What is the connection between the conflict and the character? Is the conflict tied directly to your character? Will there be missed opportunities if he cannot solve the conflict?

To keep your readers turning the page, you must build a conflict worthy of your character’s abilities. I tried not to give him advice that is purely theoretical. Since he was a non-native speaker, the best way for him to better understand the essence of conflict are examples and a solid guide on how to do it.

For example, your character must have clear objectives. Your character should know what he wants and will do anything to get it. In Ocean’s Eleven, Daniel Ocean’s objective is to pull a heist on Terry Benedict’s hotel casinos. Of all the hotel casinos in Vegas, he chose to target those owned by Benedict. This is because another underlying goal that Ocean has is to get even with Benedict for stealing his girl.

With no solid objective, your character will just wander around the page. Ask yourself what problems you can throw at your characters to make them more human and relatable. Begin by putting your character in a difficult situation. What could he do to get out of his predicament? What are the possible problems that he might encounter in pursuing his goal?

Build a formidable villain or antagonist

Your villain or antagonist often serves as the measuring stick on your protagonist’s competence. Just like your hero, treat your villain as your child—perhaps the black sheep of the family. Give him an equal sense of guts and determination in pursuing his goal diametric to that of your hero. Remember that fiction is not about a battle between good and evil, but more of good versus good. That’s what you should aim for. Would Sherlock Holmes become the brilliant detective we know today if Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t provide him with a formidable nemesis in Professor Moriarty?

No matter how brilliant or gifted your hero is, at some point he needs to fail. Readers want to see their hero fail from time to time, to remind them that all of us are fallible creatures. Even superheroes fail. It’s important to note that these days, readers’ perception of characters is shifting into a more open-minded assessment. We used to worship heroes and loathe villains in the past. We now admire heroes and understand villains.