It's interesting how the author illustrates the differences between these two characters both in terms of class and religion. Yet despite these differences when it comes down to basic survival and need, these ideas of categorization fall away, and it simply becomes a matter of helping others. I feel it's also very telling how fixated Chika is with these categories and how important it seems to her to fit everyone she meets into these neat little boxes while the woman is just like "Hey maybe lets not die."

These aspects of the subject's life are significant because the narrator takes the effort to identify them. Not exclusively for that reason of course but the fact that these are identified first over other aspects of the subject's life can help readers understand the setting before we even get a physical description of the environment.

This is another excellent example of why I encourage every writer to read plays in order to help get a better understanding of how dialogue should flow. Particularly more contemporary works, as all plays are expressly written to be read aloud at some point.

I don't often consider avoiding thought verbs because at least for me personally in my writing I tend to fall into a descriptive barrel when it comes to physically describing a character thinking. However, all of these examples are extremely useful and with this list in hand I feel a bit more confident in my ability to avoid thought verbs in the future.

This is a useful and fairly passive activity a writer can do to help develop their own dialogue. But I would also suggest something a bit more active. I would encourage writers to read plays, even just short ones like one acts. Most plays are written purely as dialogue, and I've found that the exchanges in plays while not always perfect examples of how dialogue should be written in fiction does still help writers get in the mindset of how dialogue should sound and what fluidity in dialogue can look like. Even just reading a scene or two can be beneficial.

I feel this contradicts the above given definition of conflict. Character vs. Self does not seem to me to be a struggle between two entities. Character vs. Self could be represented by two separate entities I suppose but the actual struggle is internal is it not? I guess what I'm really asking is how one reconciles the protagonist and the antagonist being the same person from a writer's perspective. Because that's what it seems like is being communicated here.

I often struggle with this part of the think-write process. Not the first draft concept but more so the revision process. By the time my "first draft" is done I've put so much mental, and oftentimes emotional, energy into this initial draft that cutting or reshaping any part of it feels like pulling teeth. I often try to look to other writer friends to help me with the revision process so I can get a more objective perspective on what does and doesn't work. While first drafts often feel complete to me I know they never are.