Conflict or Conflicted?

OK. Back at it. What can I say? Life’s been hectic — and I’ve been sick for the last week. Anyway, let’s tackle something adjacent to January’s post on plotting and pantsing – conflict.

Now I’ve talked about conflict in several posts, but I haven’t really discussed why and how to twine inner and outer conflict to make the conflict so germane that it drives the reader to turn page after page to see how the character resolves things. But it’s not enough to have arguments, and fights, but for the character to be conflicted.

What keeps a story moving forward is that a character has one or more problems, and they have set about trying to resolve things by setting short and long-term goals. The obstacles to achieving these things can be external — laws or or social rules, or physical obstacles like a rival for the object of their affection, or a raging river to cross.

External obstacles

External obstacles require preparation, training, learning, and adjustment of the physical body or place in society, the workplace, the family.

Example:

A law is unfairly stopping our protagonist from doing something. They have to learn a way to change the law. Will they need to call their representative? Will they need to stand up to a leader, or even depose them to have the law changed? What is already in place to challenge unjust laws? Will they need to start the movement, or join an established one? Where do they have to go to be able to do this? Every one of these questions is the root for building scene(s).

The character realizing of all these issues comes at the beginning, and every time they have to figure out what to do next. These are guidepost scenes, moments of planning, reflection, and growth, on the character’s journey through the rising action (some plot structures call this “act 2”) on the way to the climax or darkest moment. To be truly effective, the scenes should have the character wrestling with internal obstacles to the same external obstacle.

Internal obstacles

Internal obstacles are traits or flaws that the character must face, possibly overcome or work around, in order to accomplish a step in resolving the external conflict.

Example:

A person terrified of public speaking realizes that they have to speak up at a town meeting. A self-centered person realizes they are not the only one affected by this injustice. A loner realizes they need allies to get something done.

Writing the scene

No matter if you’re a plotter or pantser, or plantser, when you get to writing a scene, you should twine these two types of obstacles to move the whole story forward effectively through the character growth arc and the external situation they want to resolve.

Example:

So it’s not just that you have to set the external scene goal: make a speech at a rally to win supporters. It’s that you should also identify what will make that hard for the character internally.

Without internal difficulties, you’re moving forward only the external plot, not showing any character growth. Combining them in the scene, however, will lead to the outcome of “yes, but.” The character achieves their immediate goal, BUT there’s a change in themselves, a caveat, or a new problem or complication that they hadn’t foreseen that will affect their ability to achieve their overall goal.

Example:

So, what emotionally/internally makes giving the rallying speech difficult? Could the character be afraid of being identified as part of the movement by someone they aren’t ready to deal with? Standing up bare-faced might do that, or giving their real name. Or they might fear for a family member or friend still in the antagonist’s clutches. So, show them putting on a mask or signing in to the speaker list with a false name. Or ditch the live-in-person speaking entirely and call in to a radio show. Or hide in the shadows with a megaphone, where they don’t have to reveal their physicality at all.

Consequences:

Each option should carry different issues and choices for the character. Conveying these thoughts and actions keeps the conflict flowing. Leading to consequences they couldn’t predict, or manage, furthering the tension of whether or not they’ll manage to accomplish the bigger story goal.

Example:

If they call in to a show, will the people who need to hear it, actually hear it? If they go to the meeting in person though, could they be arrested and unmasked anyway? If they aren’t identified at all, will they be able to get people to take notice when they need allies?

Conflict and uncertainty sustain a plot’s tension. The old “will they, won’t they” adage isn’t just for the rom-com. It’s a tried and true question for every writer to ask — and answer — to keep readers interested in turning the pages in every genre.

~ Lara

Editor, LZ Edits