: Re: Why/when should character conflict happen and how do I write it? I've come to the recent conclusion that my writing lacks conflict. This problem is especially hard for me because I don't like

conflict is always created when 2 people have a difference of opinions. There is no magical formula or "trick". It's a natural part of life and society. To be without conflict means nothing grows, nothing improves. Everything stays status quo because no one has an issue with the way things are. Conflict is easy to generate.... 2 girls like the same guy, 2 guys like the same girl. 10 people are trying to get accepted for a job that has 1 opening. Competition brings out conflict. A teenager has to choose between sneaking out to go to a friend's party or staying home as their parents instructed. Again conflict within 1 person is created. Do you choose pasta or chow mein? again an internal conflict is created. It is hard to give advice without knowing your story.

You need to think about what is the overall goal of the story. I hate watching sitcoms/tv because they lack a broad story but rather each episode is a story separate from each other (for the most part) without an ending until the producers decide to take them off air. Is your goal that the MC get's accepted into a top college? Then maybe MC struggles in a critical class needed to be accepted or they don't have enough life experiences like in the movie 21.

Conflict doesn't always mean a fight but rather a road block that hinders MC from getting to the main goal. Maybe MC wants to play basketball but is not good enough to make the team. They have to practice to be good enough. Maybe along the way in that story, they get a BF or GF who distracts them from their practicing which creates a side conflict and they have to choose between them or practice.

Get creative, think of the goal or objective of the story and then think about all the things that could prevent the MC from achieving that goal. These conflicts can still easily fit into your "no fighting" mentality. You just have to approach from a different definition of conflict.

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: Re: Why/when should character conflict happen and how do I write it? I've come to the recent conclusion that my writing lacks conflict. This problem is especially hard for me because I don't like

More posts by @BetL639

: Is including a large number of twists a bad thing? I've been doing some research into twists, and after not knowing how to create one, I'm starting to get a handle on them. Unfortunately,

: What is better for prose: symmetry or simplicity? Here's an example: Mary had never concealed Marcos as though he were an (ugly) scar. No, far from that. She'd always exhibited him around

: How can I set top and bottom margins to ZERO in Scrivenings mode between documents? Is it possible to set top and bottom margins to ZERO in Scrivenings mode so that I do not have big spaces

: Which program should I use to write the first draft of my novel? I'm working on outlining a novel and would like to start a first draft but I can't decide on any of the endless amounts

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