Speaking of how the plot “doesn’t matter” in light of the internal conflict, when you mentioned the Titanic hitting the iceberg, I thought of a good analogy: The story about a tree falling in the forest. If the tree falls and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? An action or “conflict” happened (the tree falling) but no one cares because it has no effect on someone’s feelings or desires or fears. Thanks again for making these immensely encouraging videos!!
lol that reminds me of that Dear Evan Hansen lyric, which is also a good analogy that's practically the same thing. "When you fall in a forest, and there's nobody around, do you ever really crash or even make a sound?"
Desire: Well loved published author able to support myself on my writing alone Fear: No one will like my series because it's not "typical" urban fantasy Conflict: UGH!
I think my villain thinks he's the hero. I LOVE THAT SO MUCH!! This is so great. I'm going to work on my character's arcs a little more and definitely use a lot of internal conflict. :D
I'm two years late but YES I'm so proud of myself for figuring this out about my character, to answer that question "what would it take for the character to finally reach their goal? (My answer) Michael's goal in life is to find who he truly is. The person he's living as now doesn't feel like his true self. To him, it's like he's playing a character in a movie. This, he has been doing his whole life, acting like someone he's not becuase he feels like his true self is not good enough for others. Because of this fear of rejection, he acted like someone he's not but now, he's lost touch with who he is deep down and that scares him. He has been trying to push away his past, becuase of all the trauma, guilt, sadness that comes with it. But he's at the same time pushing away who he is. He's trying to seperate his past and present as two different lives but he can't. Because, the things he's dealt with in the past is what shapes him as a person. It may be tragic, but when he accepts himself, his flaws, mistakes everything, that is when he'll find his true self.
I'm with you Liss. I'm INFJ. My whole life is thinking about how to bring abstracts out into the light. Or how to "abstractify" the seeming 'concreteness' of things. Except when writing - then, it's all about clarifying.
omg same!!! i am also an INFP and whenever i try to get an idea of my characters i always write their thought processes wayyyy too abstractly even tho ik i wont even be able to display half of them
You could make another Character mention it without knowing. For example one of my characters hates to think about the loss of his mother and that he needs to talk about it. So my other character asks who that lady on the portrait is and due to his cols reaction, it is introduced
@@naomiuchiha0906 It's like I could sense the tension in that scene. And if your character doesn’t want to talk about it, then you can show how their whole body freezes up, mind whirring as they come up with an answer. By this point, the reader is already wondering who this woman is, which mean they are hooked.
You explain abstract concepts so clear, Abbie. This, honestly, is way better than my Masters classes in Creative Writing. Many people are amazing writers, but not amazing teachers. Most writers struggle to communicate their writing process, masquerading it as something magical and happenstance. You just make things concrete. Thank you!
I was watching this to help me with my life and didn't know it was about writing. Turns out I did just have all of this happen and my fear kept me from my desire. I wasn't even that scared. It was just biology. It can literally hold you away from all you want and will make you physically sick to keep you from what you desire. Really sucks to lose. The best way to avoid fear is to move so quickly toward what you want it can't catch you. Just move fast! This won't stop it, but it will outrun it more than not, and also, when it does catch up; you'll have more of the journey completed toward your goal. Get strong for no reason! Stay strong and decent. Love yourself. If you can't find worth, pretend you have it.. And keep going! Don't miss out on your dream. It sucks. The dream never goes away. The opportunity does.
What do I desire most? Stability. And in breaking down what my fear is, I realize that my misbelief is that I need to have CONTROL in order to have stability. And when things outside of my control happen, I think react in fearful ways because I've been equating control with stability. 🤔 Aha?
Okay. Don’t hate me for this but I don’t think characters HAVE to have their internal conflict there right away. It can help the story if they do but it isn’t absolutely necessary. Say your characters having a great life then one day everything changes (the inciting incident) that could cause the internal conflict later in the story. For example: Once Upon A Time. Emma doesn’t know her parents are Snow White and Prince Charming. She has no idea. But a child (Henry) comes into her house and convinces her to go to Storybrooke. She realises he is her son and soon finds herself caring for him and the people of Storybrooke. She doesn’t start caring but she does eventually.
Wow. I never realized that what I was missing was something I knew all along. The only problem is that I haven’t really touched on it at all. Time to do some revisions! Thank you so much for this.
That is so awesome! Filling out the1st questionary was a pain in the ass (for me personally) and I struggled so much. But, the more I began figuring out the characters, the easier it became. This part was a breeze compared to the first. I already know the characters on a so much deeper level. And it's only getting better. Thank you so much for this! It's soooo helpful!🤗💙
The good villain comment is so true! The toy story franchise does a great job with their villains believing they’re the good guy. Even Woody was the villain at some point in the first one. Great video, thanks for the advice!
I absolutely adore how you use movie/book examples after your instructions and tips! It really helps with the viewer clarity and understanding. THANK YOU
What a satisfying experience is to come back to these videos after reading "100 Days of Sunlight" and "Tessa and Weston: The Best Christmas Ever". Please, keep making these amazing works of arts.
Oh my... THANK YOU! You have no idea how helpful this one video has been! I was struggling with expressing these concepts in a game system I'm developing (tabletop rpg) and no amount of other videos about the same topics seemed to help in a concrete way (character arcs, motivations, change, not change, theme, etc). But you explained it all in a simple and actionable way... which really helped me do the same in the game. Just... THANK YOU :D
I saw some sources say there are more than two sides in an Internal Conflict than Desire and Fear. In fact, there are probably FIVE options that can help make it more nuanced. 1. DESIRE - Something the character wants. Clearly used the most. 2. NEED - Something the character needs to have or do for survival or progress. 3. DUTY - The obligation the character feels is right or necessary. 4. FEAR - A driving force that worries or scares the character. 5. EXPECTATION - Something a character feels obligated to do because of someone else. As shown in Tangled, Rapunzel WANTS to see the floating lanterns, but she NEEDS the selfish Flynn to help her get there, because she FEARS many things and is afraid of disappointing Gothel (EXPECTATION). For other situations, someone may clash with DESIRE and DUTY, like a king who wants fun but knows he can't afford that with a kingdom to run. Spider-Man 2 (2004) is a great example of that, because Peter DESIRES to be able to succeed in his normal life, but with supervillains appearing every week, he has to don the suit and fulfill his DUTY by dealing with them, even if it risks him missing out on time with friends; it weighs heavily on Peter's mind, and eventually he gives up the superhero life, going against what Uncle Ben would have wanted him to do (EXPECTATION) and Peter seems happy about being a normal civilian, but when he sees how much New York needs Spider-Man in the aftermath, he realizes he NEEDS to sacrifice some personal happiness to protect his home and he becomes Spider-Man once again. As for DESIRE vs. FEAR, obviously he wants to tell his friends the truth of his superhero life, but doesn't want to put them in danger because of them knowing. In Romeo & Juliet, the two titular lovers DESIRE to get married and live the rest of their lives together, but due to their families being enemies, neither of which would approve and they EXPECT them to hate each other too, and so the duo feels the NEED to keep it a secret, cementing their FEAR of being caught. In Turning Red by Pixar, Mei is a young girl who has personal DESIRES such as seeing an all-boy band with her friends, but she doesn't always do those things because she wants to live up to her strict mother's EXPECTATIONS and so she feels the NEED to hide those desires out of FEAR of disappointing her mother, especially after she can now transform into a giant red panda, continuing to hide her desires or mistakes at school.
Using Disney movies as examples is so helpful! Im more likely to have seen them and the inner conflicts tend to be a bit more obvious, so it's easier to understand!
8:04 You just hit me with my protagonist’s second favorite movie. I was NOT expecting that. Not only that, but the reason she loves Tangled is because her story throughout my book is similar to Rapunzel’s in the movie, all the way down to the freedom on her birthday and inciting incident becoming her love interest, so you’re basically giving me a cheat sheet.
This video is crazy helpful and it's the one I keep coming back to whenever I get stuck. It's gotten me through writer's block a countless number of times, and your other videos and blog posts are super helpful and inspirational! But I did have a couple of questions; how do you make a book meaningful, but still leave room in the character's development for a sequel or a series? And how can you do this with a cast of characters and switching POVs? Your switching POVs video was super helpful for part of this, but how is it different if one were to add a POV/main character a la The Lunar Chronicles? Thank you so much!
Not only am I learning about my character, but I am learning about myself. My desires, my fears, my "thing that will make me happy", and my flawed beliefs. Thank you for the free therapy. :)
This video just helped me SO MUCH! I have had my characters, theme, and general concept for so long but I didnt know how the story could be made into a cohesive plot with beats and points. These questions helped me lay it out in a format I can grasp!
I LOVE your videos. I always believed there was a book inside me and started to watch your videos with some characters and theme to them without much of a plot. Long story short, I have completely changed my story and discovered that I am a plantser - I do the outline before I do a first draft but just 5 or 6 scenes at a time and it just flows! I NEVER though that could happen with me. So. Just a HUGE thank you for making my writing life a LOT easier and so well organized. (I was already a Scrivener fan but you made it a whole new game with how you use it!) I've even joined your Patreon. Big thanks from Toronto, Easter
Brilliant, Abbie. I agree - add that word "fear" has kept them from taking action... such a GEM of info!!! I have been having so much trouble because I keep accidentally falling back on external conflict... I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH. You really helped answer ALL the issues I had with my manuscript.... in one day... thank you. I bow.
2 years late but I just wanted to tell you how much your videos changed my writing life. Before discovering your channel I was a full-on pantser, I literally just sat down and wrote whatever came to mind, and never finished any of my ideas because I never knew where I was going. After a year of following your channel I am now a plotter through and through! I can't get enough of outlining, and I am truly getting to know my characters for the first time.
I had to keep pausing this video so I could keep adding notes to my draft. My protagonist didn't quite feel right and watching your series, this video in particular, helped SOOOO much. I've been editing the aha moment and it didn't feel right. This video made everything click into place about why she hits rock bottom and how she pulls herself out of it. Thank you so much!!!!!
I have questions about motivation. Sometimes the motivation is tied to the misbelief and the story ends with them getting not what they wanted, but what actually makes them happy. But sometimes it's "pure" and the story ends with them getting their initial desire and it's what makes them happy. What about say Ratatouille, it's a fantastic movie but he isn't "wrong" for his desire to become a chef, he fights the people who say he can't do it, and in the end, being a chef is what he gets to do. It doesn't get subverted. So what's the difference?
I scrolled down specifically to find a comment like this, because I was confused too. If I made my character wrong about her goal, it wouldn't make sense-- the logical solution is the ACTUAL solution in her case. She hates how horrible and immoral the world is, and she wants to make a better world for her and everyone else. In the end, the satisfaction is in the moment that she finally achieves the goal she's been chasing all along, after all the sidetracks and downward spirals that made it seem like her effort was for naught and it was all coming to an end. If I made her WRONG about that goal and give it up, nothing external would actually be accomplished in the story, which makes the plot weak AND the rest of the internal conflict NULL, because that means that all the times she tried to give up her dream were RIGHT and she should've just given up from the start, which is a VERY unsatisfying ending in my opinion.. So this confused me too. I think this particular piece of writing advice really depends on what kind of story you're writing.
Abbie. I have to say thank you so much. I've spent the best part of a year trying to figure out why something just isn't gelling with my characters and plot. You have solved my issue in like, forty minutes of watching your videos. I'm so grateful - thank you for being so clever and generous by sharing this. You are AMAZING.
Thanks Abbie. This was an extremely helpful video... not many mentors talking about "irresistible" internal conflict. You are so good at pinpointing the techniques. You... make...it... all....so... uncomplicated. Thank you. Thank you.
OMG! I want you … as my co-author. But, given that isn’t going to happen I want to thank you. I have watched all of Brandon Sanderson’s videos on writing, many of Shaelin’s, as well as a host of other ‘contentors’. They all taught me a lot, but your advice, herein, is #1. Thank you so very much. Good luck in life! - author of the future series: Endo’s Deity Invents/Changes Time’s Substructure.
I'm watching this on a Wednesday 3 years later. Thank you, Abbie! You always give amazing advice. I always find myself coming back to your videos and I feel like writing 1 MILLION novels every single time.
I couldn't answer what my character is afraid of that's keeping her from taking action toward being happy because she's already taking action toward it when the story starts. It isn't what will actually make her happy, it's actually compensating for what she really lacks so she doesn't have to even acknowledge it (which would mean facing her fear).
I’m so glad someone said this! I’m literally having the same problem! Also in tangled it’s confusing because rapunzel already took the actionable step by asking her mother, she didn’t have fear until her mother gave it to her? Like , I’m struggling so hard!
Same.Maybe this qiestion dosen't apply to the story we are trying to tell. Im stuck on "How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?" It's really confusing me because I know my Mc's fear, and I know what actionable steps he could take, so that 'their dream' becomes reality. The rapunzle example didn't really clear my confusion...
I have the same problem right now. My character thinks that being a knight will bring him happiness, so he's training hard for it. But he can't, he has a magic problem so he's not accepted. I don't know where to go, since the story starts when he's not accepted into the academy and he's kicked out of his house. He's stopped by the situation, not by his fear. I guess this tip is not for my story, or I should change my story.
This reminds me of Simon Sinek's excellent book "Start with Why," which is about success in business, but (as I'm now seeing) apparently has some implications to success at writing, as well. Our Why (and for whom) is what inspires people. Losing focus on our Why can lose our customers---or our audience.
I like that you said to complete this for the Mc and the villain, but as I'm writing an ensemble, I don't have a clear main character in the traditional sense. Because there are so many characters in play, I had to apply this to all the characters I believed had a transformational arc that was pivotal to the inciting incident, midpoint and pinch-points. It turned out, that as I went down the list, some of the characters I believed had a flat arc, actually did end up having an arc of their own. It wasn't as huge as some of the major players, but still gave those characters a reason to exist in the story and add to the story as a whole. Something to think about if any of you are also writing ensembles. Don't exclude characters you think may be inconsequential, because they're in the story for a reason!
Your videos are not only informative, your delivery is smart, fun, and encouraging! I just decovered your channel and subscribed. Bravo!!! (On my first non-graphic novel.) 😊
My MC wants his little sister to get well. Does he need another desire? (he's 15-17) He doesn't want to be a farmer (like his father), but is already apprenticed as a traveling merchant.
I have so many comments to make on this wonderful video. I did it with the villain, which is one of the MC"s mother, who believes she's doing what's best for him by manipulating him into believing he is better off with his family and church, and anyone outside the church is not a friend.
"Run with the wind" is a novel about relay marathon running. Seemingly, the deuteragonist knows what he wants and effortlessly does it, until the camera shifts and you find out he has a lot "bubbling under the surface". Dude once went through physical trauma but decided that no matter the pain, he would train a team and take it to victory. Every time someone fought him or something went in the way, the reader learns his optimism was a mask, him seeming unaffected was a persona. Dude wasn't just passionate, it was on a fanatical level. The conclusion is textbook, in the sense that he won, but at a steep cost, and it also created potential future conflict (though I don't think there was a sequel).
can you make a video about examples of movies/novels with examples of desire and fear = conflict or just example of their desire and fear?! kinda like you did in Thrillers VS Romance: How to Twist ANY Plot
I would love that. And for other videos too. I love how she uses examples to illustrate what she says and making videos exclusively on examples from various media and genres would be awesome.
Gotta stop this video after 5 minutes in because inspiration struck by just listenting to Abbie. I finally know the missing part of my current novel. Although it's fully drafted there was something missing. I don't even have to change the plot itself to spice the whole story up, because characters > plot. edit: I'll come back for the rest of the video
I am so honored to be part of your journey Abbie, you and your sister are amazing and I can't wait for every single video you guys upload. I am back in my writing game because of you, and I can't thank you enough
I tend to write stories with a very flawed character who is addicted to something. Some people probably hate that kind of character, but it might strike a chord with a lot of people. The movie "Leaving Los Vegas" is this kind of story. It is about an alcoholic who pretty much gives up and cashes in his chips, but it goes deeper than that. It is also about people who have sold their souls for momentary pleasure, and the price they pay for doing that.
I would sacrifice some of my own plot bunnies to let you write them just so I can enjoy reading it in your style. You’ve taught me so much Abbie. Thank you!!
HI Abbie, just dropped in to see what your views are on conflict and character, and find that some of the questions you pose are actually very well thought out. Thank you for sharing. Love your spunk and positivity. Keep up the awesomeness. That kind of internal conflict was what drew me into the Sword of Truth saga. Richard's father had just died, but something weird happened that wanted his attention.
Great video. I don't completely agree with your take on external vs internal conflict, but I do agree with a need for internal conflict even if the backbone of the story is external (I'm thinking of like an adventure story). You make great videos and are very insightful.
could you show us an example with one of your books? I fined it hard to understand when we learned what repunzels internal conflict was through song. thank you so much for all you've done though! even though I just recently found your channel you have helped me so much with my dream of becoming an author ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Tip, put each of these points down and leave them on the screen even as you move on to the next one. Shift yourself to the left or the right of the frame and leave the points up on the screen on the other side.
hi!! I know this is a bit old but in case you're still looking for an answer, in my experience there's not really a limit on main characters. the limit mostly comes from how you write and how well you can juggle a full cast of MCs. like it's possible to have like ten main characters, but you run a big risk of making them all muddied together and not very memorable in your reader's head and should just be done if you have quite a bit of experience with bigger casts. and if you do have more than one or two main characters, I highly recommend introducing them at different parts of the story, as throwing them in at once makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between them. one last thing is also to make sure they have very diverse and distinct personalities, and if you have more than one character with very similar traits it's often more beneficial to just merge them into one character. I hope this helped you even just a little!!
What is really crazy was that I actually thought that you were talking about throughout the WHOLE STORY this is the thing to do so I was plotting my entire story based on this and it actually worked for the most part. But I'll try to make it on a smaller scale for the beginning too. LOL
Abbie you a life saver! I’m not writing a novel but I want to make a comic. Your video have been helping me a lot. You’re probably not going to notice this on an old video but You’re awesome and your content is Amazing. Thank you 😊
YOUR VIDEOS ARE SMASHING GIRL!! I MEAN THEY ARE VERY AMAZING!! content and technique and THE QUALITY OF YOUR VIDEOS ARE REALLY CAPTIVATING!! am I repeating myself?I love you!! very good luck in everything you create my dear!!
What kept me from creating great characters all these days? Well, I haven't seen this video all these days. Thanks for sharing this Abbie, there's so much of "Aaha" moments in this one video, This is the first time I have come to know of your channel. Initially when I started watching this video you just appeared like some other regular youtubers, But at the end of this video, I felt you are Awesome,
I know this video was made a while ago, but I have a question: Should my protagonist know that she's going about her desire in the wrong ways or should she think that it's just the right thing to do?
I think that she should think it's the right way to do it & then at the end she can discover she's been doing it wrong which will give her the chance to grow & change
She tells herself one thing is the right thing to do, inside she knows it’s not! She has to dig deep inside herself and realize the right thing to do is hard but she must do it.
