WRITE-BYTES

WRITE-BYTES this week’s blog for developing writers. So
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June 23, 2023 - #41 – Deep Dive on Writing Internal Conflict

For a great story, both internal and external conflict are desirable, and without one or the other the writing can feel one-dimensional or flat for the reader. 

External conflict is all about threats coming from outside the character and affecting her/him.

Internal conflict comes from inside the character’s own mind. S/he struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs. Crafting a character who is experiencing internal conflict can be an adventure for a writer. You’re sitting there at your laptop and thinking about your protagonist, debating with yourself what traits, characteristics, quirks and internal thoughts might trigger internal conflict. It must be something the reader can relate to, perceive as believable and cause them to sympathize with the character, and want to turn the page.

In my second novel, Endangered Witness, my female protagonist, veterinarian Jessi Salazar wants to be excited about her new love interest but her heart is pulling her to her ex-fiancée, who broke her heart but suddenly wants her back. She’s conflicted and then she’s thrown into a surreal scenario while on a date with the new guy. He leaves the table in the restaurant for the restroom. Jessi gazes out the window, feeling guilty and overwhelmed, on top of everything, she’s been drinking too much. Out on the quiet street below she sees a violent abduction and realizes that the nemesis may have seen her face through the restaurant window. But she’s half drunk, confused, and not sure about anything. 

What we’ve got so far in this story, in just the first ten pages, is an internal conflict for the protagonist compounded by a potentially serious external threat. As the writer of this suspense novel, I was off and running at that point.  A delightful place to be! From there I could go anywhere with this story, wherever my protagonist and my imagination take me.

So, what triggers internal conflict for a character? It’s usually when two of the following are happening in the character’s head at the same time:

- Need – something the character requires for survival, for basic living
- Desire – something the character personally really wants (their bottom-line motivation)
- Obligation – something the character feels a duty to do because it’s the “right” thing
- Fear – a size-able worry or safety concern experienced by the character
- Expectation from another person or group – something the character feels s/he must do because of someone else they respect or want to please

When two or more of these things occur simultaneously, a compelling internal conflict results, and the story gets juicier. The character feels fear, confusion, distress, doubt, or an array of emotions, and maybe is actually stuck between those conflicting thoughts and feelings. 

A riveting internal conflict also has clear consequences.  So, the writer must be clear on what those consequences might be for that character depending on what decisions they make.

To use internal conflict effectively in writing, here are some tips I’ve found to be helpful:

Create your character with care (values, preferences, desires, dreams, aversions, fears, etc.). Write a detailed character description and have it in front of you as you write.

Specifically identify the character’s goals and yearnings (what do they want).
Introduce the internal conflict and external conflict close to one another (turn up the heat).

Up the stakes for the character and strengthen the conflict; add more obstacles (complicate the situation for the protagonist).
Create a turning point (include a decision time and put a clock on it).

Show the character weighing the choices they have (don’t make it easy). Hesitation is your friend as a writer. Showing a character’s reluctance ratchets up the tension in your story and just how difficult it is for the character to make a final decision.

Resolve the conflict (maybe have a false start and then an actual resolution which may not be all sweet and cozy).
 
The other valuable nugget I mined from reading about this topic is that external conflict can arise in many ways, shapes and forms, and revealed as the story moves along. BUT the protagonist’s internal conflict is something that probably sticks around throughout the story, usually until the end of the book.

Stay tuned for next week. Look for this BLOG every FRIDAY which will l be posted at 9 a.m.

Next week’s WRITE-BYTES post will be titled BOOK COVER DESIGN IN A MULTI-MEDIA WORLD