The role of internal and external conflicts in story development

[crich70]

I've been toying around with an idea for a story line today and it occurred to me that the role of conflicts (both internal and external) can suggest elements of a possible plot that the author might not think of otherwise. I mean there is the hero, a average, working class college student and the beautiful & popular girl he wants to go out with for example. Internally he could have the conflict of wanting to date her but having low self-confidence while externally there could be her mother who doesn't approve of him because of his working class origins. And by doing the same thing for each main character you can really see the sparks start to fly as possible plot ideas build on each other from there.

[gmw]

This is why character development plays such a big role in many stories. Often it is the nature of the character (their flaws and their strengths) that effectively makes the story. If the protagonist was one that simply went to the cops when they saw trouble then the story might never happen (at least from that person's perspective).

It's also largely why I have so much trouble trying to plan a story in any detail. I pick my characters and explore them within the story. I see the possibilities when I pick the character, but understanding how they interact (with each other and the setting) only comes (for me) when I get into the story with them.

[Dngrsone]

I am heavy on characterization. Sometimes it will take me a few chapters to find out who they really are (then comes the editing...), but for me, each character takes on a life of their own, and what I want from them isn't necessarily what they will give me.

I feel it is also important to remember that each character is the hero of their own story-- that story might be the one you are writing about, but knowing that it keeps you from forcing them to do things they normally wouldn't do.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I am heavy on characterization. Sometimes it will take me a few chapters to find out who they really are (then comes the editing...), but for me, each character takes on a life of their own, and what I want from them isn't necessarily what they will give me.

I feel it is also important to remember that each character is the hero of their own story-- that story might be the one you are writing about, but knowing that it keeps you from forcing them to do things they normally wouldn't do.

A good point. In some writing books I've read it put as that the villain isn't the villain in his/her own eyes. They are just doing what they need in order to get what they want. I imagine the trickiest one to portray well is the anti-hero though. They aren't the classic white hat character but neither are they the classic villain.

[Dngrsone]

Well, there are no villians, really-- I mean, there are damn few people who decide, "Oh, think I will be evil today."

There are people who earn or are given a label as villian, but in their minds, they are still the hero of their own story.

Especially now, when classic villians are getting their own stories (Maleficent for example), it is necessary to treat them not as 'black hats' or 'evil villians' but as adversaries in the story currently being written.

I say it is necessary because you don't know when you will have to come back and look at the other side of the story. It is necessary so you know how that character will act as the plot advances; otherwise you are just checking boxes and the story suffers (any way I can convince script writers of this?).

[gmw]

There are stories/genres where the quintessential bad-guy can be just that ... but like most things in writing it should be chosen deliberately, not out of laziness. Otherwise, yes, I agree Dngrsone, it is better to treat your villain as another key character, and to know as much about them as you do your hero.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

Well, there are no villians, really-- I mean, there are damn few people who decide, "Oh, think I will be evil today."

There are people who earn or are given a label as villian, but in their minds, they are still the hero of their own story.

Especially now, when classic villians are getting their own stories (Maleficent for example), it is necessary to treat them not as 'black hats' or 'evil villians' but as adversaries in the story currently being written.

I say it is necessary because you don't know when you will have to come back and look at the other side of the story. It is necessary so you know how that character will act as the plot advances; otherwise you are just checking boxes and the story suffers (any way I can convince script writers of this?).

The novel of Frankenstein is a good example of not knowing who is the bad guy I think. Is it the creature or is it Victor Frankenstein? Or is it a bit of both? I wager if someone could sit them both down and interview them (ala talk show's) that both would claim they weren't the villain. That the other one was. Perhaps that's part of its enduring charm. It doesn't allow things to be totally black and white in the mind of the reader.