Creating Tension, Conflict, and Stakes in Your Story

A good book is one that makes readers curious—and crafting that curiosity is all about knowing how to build tension, conflict, and stakes on the page. In WRITING TENSION, CeCe will break down how tension actually works in a story: how to establish it, how to escalate it into conflict, how to diagnose when it is missing, and how to ensure your story's stakes are making your pages compelling, urgent, and emotionally engaging. Students of the course will also take part in the inaugural edition of ACQUISITIONS PIPELINE, a one-of-a-kind simulation of how manuscripts are chosen by publishing professionals—with students invited to submit their own pages to top agents and acquiring editors. This is a 4-day course for writers who want to better understand why some pages pull readers in immediately—and why others, even when beautifully written, fail to create the pressure that keeps a reader turning pages. COURSE SCHEDULE Day One — Craft Class September 24 - 7pm ET Creating tension, conflict, and stakes in your story Day Two — Live Q&A September 28 - 7pm ET A cozy, interactive Q&A session with CeCe Day Three — Acquisitions Pipeline I October 24 - 11am ET Live review of select student submissions by acquiring editors  Day Four — Acquisitions Pipeline II October 25 - 11am ET Live review of select student submissions by acquiring editors  Head to the sections below for the full breakdown of what’s included in each Day, including the behind-the-scenes publishing experience that make this edition so special. Students will receive a link to watch all four sessions live but may also choose to watch the recording at their own pace. Recordings will be available to students for 60 days. We will make every effort to keep each session between 3–4 hours. Please note that CeCe’s courses are intense—jam-packed with heaps of actionable content to elevate your story—so we cannot guarantee we will not go over this estimate. The course materials include accompanying PDFs. Writers of all categories and genres are invited to attend. We reserve the right to reschedule or reorder classes/sessions due to unforeseen circumstances. If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected]

What the Craft class will cover

Day One will feature a jam-packed class with slides including: • clear definitions of tension, conflict, and stakes with formulas for each  • a list with compelling sources of tension and conflict • techniques on how to effectively establish tension and conflict that leads to stakes • common challenges and mistakes writers make that kill curiosity • tips on how to audit your manuscript for enough tension, conflict, and stakes • the role that conflict plays in the query letter • tons of examples from novels and memoirs … and more!

Live Q&A

Day Two will feature an interactive Q&A session. Turn your camera on if you’d like, bring your questions, and join CeCe for a cozy conversation about the craft challenges that come up when you are trying to make your story more compelling on the page. If you are unable to attend live, you will have the option to submit a question ahead of time.

Acquisitions Pipeline

The Acquisitions Pipeline is a behind-the-scenes look at how a book gets chosen by gatekeepers. Think about it: you already know that your favorite book was once a manuscript that had to stand out in a sea of submissions. But do you know what the review process that got it there looked like? After this course, you will. The Acquisitions Pipeline will feature: • 4 literary agents reviewing your submissions to select the ones with the most potential • 9 acquiring editors reading those selected submissions to choose the top two • Students joining a live panel to listen in on critiques …and you get to follow along with them! Here’s how it’ll work: Students will have the option to submit a short sample of their work for consideration. Every eligible submission will enter a review process led by 4 seasoned literary agents. Their job: to narrow down the field, selecting the works with the most potential. From there, the strongest selections will be passed along to a panel of 9 specialized acquiring editors from Big 5 publishing houses whose day job is to buy books. Each acquiring editor will choose two submissions in the genre they specialize in. Then, each acquiring editor will critique the selected submissions at a live panel moderated by CeCe. They’ll point out what’s working, what's not, and how to make the material more competitive. Does that sound both fun and maybe a little terrifying? It does to us, too! We are SCITED for this new feature! All students will receive copies of the selections made by literary agents to be read ahead of the live critique sessions. Will you be able to guess which works will be chosen by acquiring editors? All students will receive written copies of each acquiring editor's notes on the submissions selected for live critique.  No feedback will be given on the submissions that are not selected for the live critique. Maybe your work will be selected. Maybe it won’t. The true value lies in witnessing how experienced industry professionals read real pages across different genres. We want to make it clear that this is not a query/submission to any agent or editor for representation or acquisition. It is an educational opportunity within the course. Students must choose one of the following genre lanes for their work: • Romance & RomCom • Thriller / Mystery / Suspense / Horror • Memoir  • Book Club Fiction • Literary Fiction  • Historical Fiction • YA / MG  • Romantasy • Science Fiction / Fantasy We are mindful that some manuscripts may not fit perfectly into a single category, but for this opportunity, each submission must be routed to a specific genre lane. The deadline to submit is September 24, 2026, 11:59pm ET. 

How the Pipeline works:

We reserve the right to make changes to the list of faculty members (literary agents and editors) above due to unforeseen circumstances 

Meet CeCe

CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates and co-host of the popular podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. CeCe draws on years of publishing experience to help writers develop compelling hooks, sharpen their craft, and position their stories for succes

Curriculum

5 Chapters · 7 Lessons

  1. 1
    1. (Included in full purchase)

      What to expect from the course

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Acquisitions Pipeline

  2. 2
    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Instructions

  3. 3
    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Instructions

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Live, cozy Q&A session: bring snacks and let's hang out to answer your questions

  4. 4
    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Instructions

  5. 5
    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Instructions

Student Testimonials

______________________________________________

”
As an agented kidlit writer, I’ve taken numerous online writing workshops and courses over the years, but CeCe's are absolutely at the top of the list. Three courses in, I remain amazed by her generosity and knowledge.
Kiley A.

Columbus, OH

”
CeCe's courses are phenomenal! I have taken every single one of them at least once, most of them twice, and I will keep taking them as long as she teaches them. Not only is she an exceptional and engaging teacher but every minute of her courses is jam-packed with invaluable information. I recommend them to every writer I know!
Melissa H.

Boston, MA

”
As an editor, writer, learning junkie, and director of online education, I’ve observed hundreds of lectures. Nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to CeCe’s webinars. She’s crafted them to provide as much publishing insights as a semester-long course. Simply invaluable!
Jeanne B.

Senior Executive Pipeline Media Group, former Senior Editor Writer’s Digest

”
Text-only testimonials are quick to scan and can highlight the value of your product at a glance.
Megan G.

Ontario, Canada

”
I've signed up for more writing courses than I can safely share without feeling bad about my finances. Hands down, Cece's courses are the best ones out there. The content is so incredible that it's borderline overwhelming – you'll feel your brain swelling and about to explode in the best possible sense. Regardless of the genre you're writing in, I recommend you learn with Cece. I teach storytelling for a living, and the first thing I tell my mentees is: go follow Cece and take one of her courses. My favourite so far has been Hacking Writing on a Line Level – it's just mind-blowingly superb with heaps of practical tips. Writing Emotion and Writing Tension will 100% transform your novel and will even make you read books with a different (more critical) mindset.
Nadia H.

Perth, Western Australia

”
Cece is an incredibly thorough and generous teacher. With theory, formulas, and plenty of interaction, her course had everything I wanted and more to take my writing to the next level. If you’re serious about your craft, sign up with eyes closed!
Stephane V.

Marseille, France

Refund policy

Since the course has limited seating/availability (as well as other peculiarities, such as preparatory work required), we are unable to offer refunds. All sales are final. By enrolling, you acknowledge and agree to this policy.

Scholarship & Financial Access

We care deeply about supporting writers who are truly ready to do the work—but for whom finances might otherwise stand in the way. For that reason, we offer a select number of scholarships for our courses. These scholarships are intended for writers who are experiencing real financial constraints and who feel a genuine, timely pull toward the course—writers who plan to show up, engage fully, and see the work through. HOW SCHOLARSHIPS WORK • Availability varies by course and enrollment period • Scholarships are not guaranteed WHO SHOULD APPLY We welcome applications from writers who: • Are navigating genuine financial challenges • Feel this course would meaningfully support them at this point in their writing life • Intend to participate actively and complete the program If you’re able to enroll at the standard rate, we kindly ask that you leave scholarship consideration for those who truly need it. We’re a very small team, and because we approach this process with care and integrity, each request requires time and thoughtful review. HOW TO REQUEST CONSIDERATION If you’d like to be considered for a scholarship, please email the following address no later than September 1st: [email protected] Please include: • The course you’re applying for • A short note on why this course feels important to you right now We do not expect your note to include information on your current financial circumstances as we understand that this is a delicate subject. If you would prefer to share those details, please feel free (we would never censor writers), but kindly note that it is not expected. The deadline to submit scholarship requests for Writing Tension is September 1st. Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis, subject to availability. While we’re not able to accommodate every request, each one is read carefully and considered with respect. We’ll let you know that your request was received, but only those chosen for a scholarship will hear back regarding the outcome.

Ready to take your writing to the next level?

Join our course today!

$299.00

Enroll now