COMPLEX CONFLICT AND CHARACTERIZATION: BUILDING CHARACTERS AND RAISING THE STAKES FOR SUSTAINABLE ROMANTIC CONFLICT
What is a “flat” or “one-dimensional” HA character? • Complacent/don’t care/will not engage/only act on other’s orders • Clichéd/stereotype • Don’t do anything important • Have no reason to be in the story • Could be replaced by a piece of furniture • Have only one note/mode/emotion • Predictable/seen it before
extra so knight good fighter much armor strong very noble wow shiny hair
Is Chewbacca an “interesting” character? Is Chewbacca a “complex” character?
IDENTITY ASPECTS (A NON-EXHAUSTIVE LIST): HA • Race • Class • Commuter status • Ethnicity • Languages spoken • Sports teams • Nationality • Body type • Hobbies • Gender • Education level • Fandoms • Sexuality • Career/Job • “Niche” aspects • Disability • Relationship/family status • Toilet paper roll • Neurodiversity • Political bent over/under • Cilantro/no cilantro • Age/ Generation • Social circles • Star Trek/Star Wars • Religion • Place of residence
Identity Aspects • Society has different beliefs/ideas/values about different identity aspects. • Identity aspects influence the ways characters view and interact with the world. • This can feed into the kinds of conflicts they encounter, and how they react to them. • When an identity aspect is threatened or destroyed, it can be a catalyst for the great trauma that propels them on the path to change.
COMPLEX CHARACTERS: HA What makes characters “interesting”? What gives a character “Depth” or “Nuance”? • Flaws (beyond the physical): Positive and negative • Quirks : Outstanding personality traits • Proficiencies : What do they excel at (despite their flaws)?
COMPLEX CHARACTERS: HA What makes characters “interesting”? • Core beliefs : What is their most deeply held belief/faith rooted in? • Code : What is their one cardinal rule that they will not break?
COMPLEX CHARACTERS: HA What makes characters “interesting”? • Background/backstory/history : Where do they come from? Who are their people? • Lived experiences : What have they been through? • *Goals/Motivations: What are their goals and why do they need to achieve them? (More on this later…)
COMPLEX CHARACTERS: HA What makes characters “interesting”? Nature vs Nurture: • WHY are the characters the way they are? How did they get this way? • Is their behavior part of their DNA or is it learned behavior?
https://www.certifiedtraininginstitute.com/what-happens-during-fight-or- flight-or-freeze/
CONFLICT OR CHARACTER? WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT TO STORY? • Both! Symbiotic relationship • A character is only as interesting and compelling as the problems they are presented with STORY! Conflict Character
DRIVE CHARACTERS TO THE LIMIT • The author must drive the character toward conflicts that continually test their limits, forcing them to the edge of their comfort zone and beyond, until they are compelled to act and grow/change.
COMPLEX CONFLICT WITH CHARACTERIZATION SPRINKLED IN
“BACK POCKET” QUESTIONS • Why now? What is compelling your character to act/confront this conflict (leave the Ordinary World) • Why is this important? Why does the goal matter to them? • What’s at stake? What does the character stand to gain/lose that is important to them?
DEFINITION OF CONFLICT Definition by Debra Dixon, GMC 1. Conflict is a struggle against someone or something in which the outcome is in doubt. 2. Conflict is bad things happening to good people. 3. Conflict is bad things happening to bad people. 4. Conflict is friction, tension, opposition. 5. Conflict is two dogs and one bone.
The Principle of Antagonism “A protagonist and his story can only be as intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling as the forces of antagonism make them.” — Robert McKee, STORY • Interesting characters aren’t interesting unless they triumph over something. • Heroes are made when they go to extreme lengths to achieve their goals.
The Law of Conflict “Nothing moves forward in a story except through conflict.” —Robert McKee, STORY • We don’t tell a story through mundane everyday happenings: we tell a story through conflicts and triumphs.
Goal, Motivation and Conflict GMC by Debra Dixon External : the plot—the external forces that propel the character on their journey Internal : falls on the character’s emotional journey
GOAL Goal —what characters want. • Clearly define what the characters want. The more tangible and well-defined, the easier time you’ll have building on the conflict. • Goals can be big or small, but they must be important to the character.
MOTIVATION Motivation —the reasons driving the characters to pursue their goals. • This defines how important the goal is to the character. • A well-developed character supports the motivation • If an action seems out of character, it’s likely because the motivation isn’t strong enough, or runs counter to the character’s other actions up to now.
CONFLICT Conflict —the roadblock that keeps the character from attaining what they want.
Conflict in Romance and Romantic Conflict
INDICATIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ISSUES WITH CONFLICT: 1. Scene after scene where there is no tension or conflict. 2. Scene after scene of conflicts that are resolved by the end of the scene (episodic conflict) 3. MCs’ paths do not cross, or they cross by coincidence only. 4. Conflicts come only from external sources, and MCs are reactive, not proactive. 5. MCs’ goals are not well-defined or important enough for them to proactively pursue. 6. The main conflict is a misunderstanding between the MCs.
“TO LOVE IS TO LOSE.” “To love is to lose. Raising the stakes means that to love each other, they must lose something, but to not love each other means they’ll lose love and each other.” —Victoria Curran, senior editor Harlequin Superromance
“The goal in romance is NOT to fall in love and have a relationship that results in happily ever after.” • The MCs each have separate overarching goals with separate motivations. • The goals and motivations have internal (personal) and external (outward facing) components. • The goals must be important enough for the characters to actively pursue. • The MCs’ goals or paths must intersect.
Examples : b) a) c) d)
When it comes to GMC in romance, romance is part of the conflict , not the goal. Romance complicates matters for your characters and thwarts them from their goals.
Complexity, Characterization and Conflict
7 Types of Conflict man vs self (inner conflict) man vs nature (natural disasters, disease, animals) man vs supernatural (aliens, magic, mythical creatures) man vs machine/technology (robots, computers, computer viruses) man vs society (ideas, status quo) man vs fate/God (the inevitable) man vs man (antagonist vs protagonist)
CHARACTERIZATION AS A SOURCE OF CONFLICT • Man vs Man: US vs THEM • Man vs Self: Who I am vs Who I think I should be/want to be • Man vs Society: How your characters are perceived/judged by society can put stress on your character to live up to/defy those standards
Three levels of conflict Robert McKee, STORY: Inner Conflict —inner doubts, personality characteristics that run counter to a presented challenge • man vs self Personal Conflict —interpersonal conflicts, where an antagonist frustrates the goals of the character • man vs man, nature, supernatural, machine Extra-personal Conflict —environmental conflicts and frustrations; in romance, it’s often what throws characters together • man vs nature, society, fate, machine, supernatural
Complex conflict layers different levels and types of conflict. • Characters should face multiple obstacles at multiple levels. • Winning on one front results in losing on another. • In character-driven romance, engage MCs in personal and inner conflict.
How to Put Complex Conflict in Your Story 1. Choices create more conflict. 2. Story happens when choices have unexpected consequences that often (but not always) make things worse. 3. Every character is the hero in their own private story. A well-developed cast plays off each other to produce conflict.
SUBTLE CONFLICT INCLUDES TENSION CREATED BY… • Overt aggression and provocation • Passive-aggressive behavior • Ambiguity (doubt) • Word choice • Put a timer on it • Subliminal conflict • Foreshadowing
HELPFUL HINT: Your main characters should face conflict against every other character at some point in the story, even if it’s only a minor disagreement or tension.
RAISING THE STAKES Stakes : the negative consequences of failure. Raising the stakes: elevating and increasing the conflict (tension) to drive the characters toward the ultimate choice and their ultimate loss (dark moment of the soul).
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