Understanding the different types of conflict—both inside and outside a character—can make your writing much better. Here’s why:
Character Depth: Internal conflicts are about what a character feels inside. These could be their fears, struggles, or tough choices. When you show what a character is dealing with inside, they become deeper and more relatable. Readers like characters who face challenges they understand.
Building Tension: When you show a character’s inner struggles, it creates tension. It’s kind of like a pressure cooker—when you know what’s building up inside, you want to see how it all turns out.
Exploring Themes: Internal conflict can help you talk about bigger ideas. For example, if a character is trying to figure out who they are, it can lead to themes about love, acceptance, and personal growth. This connects with readers on a personal level.
Advancing the Plot: External conflicts happen outside of a character, like battles with other characters, society, or nature. These conflicts move the story along and can be very exciting, keeping readers eager to see what happens next.
Dynamic Interactions: External conflicts help characters interact in interesting ways. These moments can show different parts of their personalities and move the story forward.
Connecting with Reality: Readers often relate to external conflicts because they resemble real-life issues, like problems in society or conflicts between people. This connection makes your story feel more genuine.
Creating Complexity: Using both types of conflict adds richness to your story. For example, a character might be facing a big battle on the outside while also struggling with self-doubt inside. This makes their journey more interesting.
Tension and Release: Finding the right mix of internal and external conflict creates a nice flow in your writing. You can make things tense with external events while also slowing down to explore what’s happening inside a character, giving readers time to reflect and feel.
When you include both internal and external conflicts, your writing becomes more engaging and emotionally powerful. By allowing your characters to face their inner issues and outside challenges, you create a story that captures the complexities of being human.
Understanding the different types of conflict—both inside and outside a character—can make your writing much better. Here’s why:
Character Depth: Internal conflicts are about what a character feels inside. These could be their fears, struggles, or tough choices. When you show what a character is dealing with inside, they become deeper and more relatable. Readers like characters who face challenges they understand.
Building Tension: When you show a character’s inner struggles, it creates tension. It’s kind of like a pressure cooker—when you know what’s building up inside, you want to see how it all turns out.
Exploring Themes: Internal conflict can help you talk about bigger ideas. For example, if a character is trying to figure out who they are, it can lead to themes about love, acceptance, and personal growth. This connects with readers on a personal level.
Advancing the Plot: External conflicts happen outside of a character, like battles with other characters, society, or nature. These conflicts move the story along and can be very exciting, keeping readers eager to see what happens next.
Dynamic Interactions: External conflicts help characters interact in interesting ways. These moments can show different parts of their personalities and move the story forward.
Connecting with Reality: Readers often relate to external conflicts because they resemble real-life issues, like problems in society or conflicts between people. This connection makes your story feel more genuine.
Creating Complexity: Using both types of conflict adds richness to your story. For example, a character might be facing a big battle on the outside while also struggling with self-doubt inside. This makes their journey more interesting.
Tension and Release: Finding the right mix of internal and external conflict creates a nice flow in your writing. You can make things tense with external events while also slowing down to explore what’s happening inside a character, giving readers time to reflect and feel.
When you include both internal and external conflicts, your writing becomes more engaging and emotionally powerful. By allowing your characters to face their inner issues and outside challenges, you create a story that captures the complexities of being human.