External Conflict
As all good stories give the protagonist an external goal, so must he/she also have external conflicts.
The external conflict is the force or the situation that tries to keep the protag from reaching his/her desired goal. There can more than one. In fact, the presence of many can make the story more riveting and can cause the reader to wonder how the protagonist will ever survive.
The strength of the the external conflict may depend on the genre you're writing. I would think in a thriller that the conflict and goal would loom throughout the entire story, whereas in a romance it might be overshadowed by the internal conflict.
Ironically, the external conflict for your protagonist might be the antagonist's external goal. Or in a romance, what the hero wants is what the heroine is fighting against.
For example, in my WIP my tattooed ex-bartender wants to buy land for a non-profit project. She finds the perfect piece owned by a fellow churchmember who happens to disapprove of her in every way.
Is that a strong enough external conflict? I'm not sure yet. I have to write it out and see where it takes me.
What kind of external conflicts have you come up with in your writing? Do you feel that this is a strong or weak point for you?
The external conflict is the force or the situation that tries to keep the protag from reaching his/her desired goal. There can more than one. In fact, the presence of many can make the story more riveting and can cause the reader to wonder how the protagonist will ever survive.
The strength of the the external conflict may depend on the genre you're writing. I would think in a thriller that the conflict and goal would loom throughout the entire story, whereas in a romance it might be overshadowed by the internal conflict.
Ironically, the external conflict for your protagonist might be the antagonist's external goal. Or in a romance, what the hero wants is what the heroine is fighting against.
For example, in my WIP my tattooed ex-bartender wants to buy land for a non-profit project. She finds the perfect piece owned by a fellow churchmember who happens to disapprove of her in every way.
Is that a strong enough external conflict? I'm not sure yet. I have to write it out and see where it takes me.
What kind of external conflicts have you come up with in your writing? Do you feel that this is a strong or weak point for you?
Comments
I saw that your husband is a Realtor still! However do you do it??
Oh no, I have to talk about it in person? LOL There's going to be quite a bit of stumbling, I think. :-) Conflict makes the writing more fun, imo. I hope you'll tell us about your WIP too!
I love your idea for a book. It is so today and speaks to God's work on the inside of a person. It sounds like something I would definitely want to read!
I'm so excited to hear that you write medievals because I think there's room in the market for them. I always enjoyed Julie Garwood and Lyn Kurland. I also like girl-disguised-as-boy plots a lot! I was actually just thinking of a plot like that yesterday. :-) Your books sounds exciting!
I love your story line! Can't wait to hear more about it!
I think I heard you say you liked Lyn Kurland before. I have two books and think she does a great job with sexual tension and yet keeps it clean. I have two of her books.
I've seen some CBA authors do time travel. You should go ahead and do it. :-)
I LOVE tension. :-)
Interesting comments about balancing them. I really think genre would play into that. What do you think?
(Translation: I pray when I'm stuck. God gives me the answer. I write it.)
Word choice is the thing that tries to send me over the edge.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Word choice...ah, thank goodness for a thesaurus. What I would really like is one of those huge ones that I could keep right next to my laptop. How about you?
I once owned one of those mammoth thesauruses. It sat on the edge of my desk. I used it so much over the years that the binding broke and the pages fell out.
Internal and External conflict. Strike the right balance where the two play a tug-o-war with your characters. That's what makes good storytelling.
One of my favorite novels is Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte certainly struck a balance. Both Jane and Rochester had so much inner turmoil, due to their pasts, their stations in life, English rules of classes, and the drive to find true love, that the book is so filled with tension that it made it a classic.
Historical writers are told the classics are not to be models for how we write today. I disagree strongly. Perhaps the style is old fashioned, but the fact they have endured all these years says something. We can learn from writers like Bronte, Austen, and Dickens how to masterfully blend internal and external conflict in order to show the human condition.
I think we can learn tons from those writers. I just picked up Huckleberry Finn the other day and was amazed at how quickly I was drawn into the story.
Balance is key. Now to find it...LOL
I have troubles, actually, with external conflict. My first manuscript didn't have much at all. LOL
Thanks for saying mine sounds good. I actually had to stop and think about what the external conflict will be to my heroine. And it's actually not that at first. Hopefully this one works out. It's all in the brain still. LOL
That's a great tip! I struggle too. The internal always comes naturally, but the external *shudder* That takes brain power. I'll have to remember to think about the character's backstory. What a great idea.
LOL No, it doesn't.
For example, my MC is half Japanese and half American living in Japan. Also, she was born out of wedlock. Talk about two major taboos in both cultures at that time! So one of the major external conflicts comes from the fact she is never accepted in either society because of her background. This is something that I can often use as both external and internal (since she has the desire to belong and be accepted).
The other external conflict comes from the antagonist trying to find her and use her as a bargaining chip against her father.
Now if only I could figure out how to end it!
It sounds like you have some excellent conflicts in place! Sometimes you can't end it with the external one resolved, but maybe internally she comes to a place of peace?