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Plotting a novel before writing it isn’t a part of everyone’s process. However, determining the structure of a story is vital for every author, whether a plotter or a “pantser.” Without a solid structure, a story will lose a reader, no matter how compelling the characters. Author John Wilkerson’s rule is to include conflict in every single chapter. He puts it in one of three places: the beginning, three-quarters of the way through, or the end. Where he puts it depends on the type of conflict. Some types of conflict set up the next chapter well. Some conflicts cannot be placed at the beginning of a chapter because it will slow down the story arc of the chapter. This type of continual conflict, whether externally imposed on a character or internally imposed, will keep a reader moving through the story, falling from one event into the next. Learn more about storytelling techniques as Wilkerson shares the types of conflicts he utilizes and where he places them in the structure of a larger story.