Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "romeo-juliet"
Help! My Story Isn’t Working! – Is It the Conflict?
While it’s something most people prefer to avoid, Conflict is an essential ingredient in crafting a compelling story. Without it, a story can feel lifeless and aimless; the Main Character living a life free of problems or worries.
But that’s not why fictional stories exist!
Today, we’ll explore some problems and potential solutions you can apply to ensure your story has enough conflict to keep things moving.
Problem: There’s no place for conflict in my story.
Possible Solution #1: Let’s talk about scalable Conflict.
Often, when people think about conflict, they associate it with action movies, superhero movies, and horror movies. There’s an actual life-and-death threat to the Main Character that has to be stopped for things to go back to normal. While that’s one type of high-level conflict, you should also consider the smaller conflicts a character can encounter every day.
Let’s use a classic TV series as an example: The Andy Griffith Show. There’s an episode where Aunt Bee makes pickles that taste like kerosene, and no one has the heart to tell her that they are awful. Despite Andy, Barney, and Opie's attempts to care for the pickles and prevent Aunt Bee from making more, their efforts are futile.
Here, we have a minor conflict that isn’t life-or-death, but the boys are determined to do whatever they can not to hurt Aunt Bee’s feelings. Again, it’s scalable to the story being told.
Whatever your story, even if you have a character who’s beloved by everyone, there can still be conflict and opposition that they encounter and face that must be overcome to move the story forward. No problems or conflicts lead to a pretty dull and lifeless story.
Possible Solution #2: Conflict doesn’t equal violence.
While that may be how many perceive the word, there are conflicts in the world that don’t result in physical violence. As you think about the conflicts your Main Character will encounter on their way to achieving their goal, think about obstacles you can throw in their way – either human or otherwise – that can cause problems for the Main Character.
Think about arguments or conflicts you’ve had in your own life with family and friends. I would guess most of those didn’t end in a knock-down-drag-out battle to finish. These small conflicts resolve through dialogue or action that doesn’t involve violence, and that’s how you can incorporate conflict into your story without it becoming an action movie.
Possible Solution #3: Conflict = Drama
Audiences love conflict. They love heroes and villains. They want to see a winner and a loser by the end of the story. Conflict – especially when it remains unresolved and the tension builds – keeps readers engaged and turning the page. You can set things up and delay paying them off to keep readers wanting more.
If Romeo sees Juliet, asks her out, she says yes, and they go on a date with no issues, Romeo & Juliet would have been lost to history. The conflict between the families and the denial of Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other heightens the dramatic story and ultimately leads to the tragic conclusion.
Your. Story. Needs. Conflict.
Problem: I don’t think my story needs an Antagonist.
Possible Solution #1: Heck, yeah, you do! And they are as crucial as your Main Character.
A quintessential character in any story is the Antagonist. Also known as the villain, the bad guy, or the opposition, this character exists to prevent your Main Character from achieving their goal.
While many think of Darth Vader, Lex Luthor, or Pennywise the Clown as Antagonists, yours doesn’t have to be as big, bad, and scary as they are. In the film October Sky, the Antagonist is Homer’s father. Homer wants to build rockets, but his dad wants him to work in the coal mines like he does. Homer loves and respects his father, but he wants more out of his life than coal mining. Dad’s opposition to his son’s goal leads to the central conflict in the story.
Who in your story could be a major problem for your Main Character as they set out to achieve their goal? That might be the individual you need to consider naming your story’s Antagonist.
Possible Solution #2: The Antagonist should motivate your Main Character into action.
The Antagonist is preventing your Main Character from getting what they want, and that’s a big deal. In fact, they should be such a major obstacle in the life of your Main Character that it takes all their time, effort, energy, and motivation to stop them so they can reach their goal.
The Antagonist should be an ever-present oppositional force for the Main Character, even if they aren’t together the whole story. That’s why Bond villains have henchmen and beautiful women on hand to cause problems for James Bond as he attempts to complete his mission. The Antagonist drives the conflict and can send people in his place to cause problems for the Main Character.
The Antagonist’s antics should motivate your Main Character to actively pursue their goal and amp up their desire to defeat the Antagonist by the end of the story.
Possible Solution #3: Your Antagonist should be stronger than the Main Character.
The Antagonist should be a formidable opponent to your Main Character, challenging them to dig deep both internally and externally to overcome the most significant obstacle in the story and achieve their goal. Even if the audience knows in the back of their minds that good will triumph over bad, you always want to leave that sliver of doubt out there as the Main Character goes up against the Antagonist toward the end of the story.
Making them evenly matched shouldn’t be an option. You always want to find ways for the Antagonist to have the upper hand and be a true threat to the stability and normalcy that your Main Character strives to return to. Remember, the Antagonist’s existence in the life of the Main Character is throwing their life off-balance. The only way for them to get back to equilibrium is by defeating this frustrating foe.
As you develop this character, brainstorm ways they can be better than the Main Character and a true threat to their life and well-being. Then, brainstorm possible ways your Main Character and the Antagonist can be pitted against each other during the Climax of the story, and figure out ways that the Main Character can push themselves to their limit and eventually defeat their opposition despite the power imbalance.
Researching Antagonists
While we know some of the best villains by name, thousands of antagonists do their job on a smaller scale that still impact the lives of the Main Characters they taunt and block from their goals.
I encourage you to watch dramas, Hallmark Channel movies, and other films where the antagonist isn’t an evil entity or sci-fi force, but a normal human being with daggers out for the Main Character. How do they function within an everyday world setting? How do they prevent the Main Character from reaching their goal? What conflicts arise as these two primary characters interact and go toe-to-toe?
How can you apply this knowledge and insight to your Antagonist and your story’s Conflict?
Next Time…
You can’t have Conflicts and Antagonists without Stakes, and we’ll explore ways to make those better in the next post!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
But that’s not why fictional stories exist!
Today, we’ll explore some problems and potential solutions you can apply to ensure your story has enough conflict to keep things moving.
Problem: There’s no place for conflict in my story.
Possible Solution #1: Let’s talk about scalable Conflict.
Often, when people think about conflict, they associate it with action movies, superhero movies, and horror movies. There’s an actual life-and-death threat to the Main Character that has to be stopped for things to go back to normal. While that’s one type of high-level conflict, you should also consider the smaller conflicts a character can encounter every day.
Let’s use a classic TV series as an example: The Andy Griffith Show. There’s an episode where Aunt Bee makes pickles that taste like kerosene, and no one has the heart to tell her that they are awful. Despite Andy, Barney, and Opie's attempts to care for the pickles and prevent Aunt Bee from making more, their efforts are futile.
Here, we have a minor conflict that isn’t life-or-death, but the boys are determined to do whatever they can not to hurt Aunt Bee’s feelings. Again, it’s scalable to the story being told.
Whatever your story, even if you have a character who’s beloved by everyone, there can still be conflict and opposition that they encounter and face that must be overcome to move the story forward. No problems or conflicts lead to a pretty dull and lifeless story.
Possible Solution #2: Conflict doesn’t equal violence.
While that may be how many perceive the word, there are conflicts in the world that don’t result in physical violence. As you think about the conflicts your Main Character will encounter on their way to achieving their goal, think about obstacles you can throw in their way – either human or otherwise – that can cause problems for the Main Character.
Think about arguments or conflicts you’ve had in your own life with family and friends. I would guess most of those didn’t end in a knock-down-drag-out battle to finish. These small conflicts resolve through dialogue or action that doesn’t involve violence, and that’s how you can incorporate conflict into your story without it becoming an action movie.
Possible Solution #3: Conflict = Drama
Audiences love conflict. They love heroes and villains. They want to see a winner and a loser by the end of the story. Conflict – especially when it remains unresolved and the tension builds – keeps readers engaged and turning the page. You can set things up and delay paying them off to keep readers wanting more.
If Romeo sees Juliet, asks her out, she says yes, and they go on a date with no issues, Romeo & Juliet would have been lost to history. The conflict between the families and the denial of Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other heightens the dramatic story and ultimately leads to the tragic conclusion.
Your. Story. Needs. Conflict.
Problem: I don’t think my story needs an Antagonist.
Possible Solution #1: Heck, yeah, you do! And they are as crucial as your Main Character.
A quintessential character in any story is the Antagonist. Also known as the villain, the bad guy, or the opposition, this character exists to prevent your Main Character from achieving their goal.
While many think of Darth Vader, Lex Luthor, or Pennywise the Clown as Antagonists, yours doesn’t have to be as big, bad, and scary as they are. In the film October Sky, the Antagonist is Homer’s father. Homer wants to build rockets, but his dad wants him to work in the coal mines like he does. Homer loves and respects his father, but he wants more out of his life than coal mining. Dad’s opposition to his son’s goal leads to the central conflict in the story.
Who in your story could be a major problem for your Main Character as they set out to achieve their goal? That might be the individual you need to consider naming your story’s Antagonist.
Possible Solution #2: The Antagonist should motivate your Main Character into action.
The Antagonist is preventing your Main Character from getting what they want, and that’s a big deal. In fact, they should be such a major obstacle in the life of your Main Character that it takes all their time, effort, energy, and motivation to stop them so they can reach their goal.
The Antagonist should be an ever-present oppositional force for the Main Character, even if they aren’t together the whole story. That’s why Bond villains have henchmen and beautiful women on hand to cause problems for James Bond as he attempts to complete his mission. The Antagonist drives the conflict and can send people in his place to cause problems for the Main Character.
The Antagonist’s antics should motivate your Main Character to actively pursue their goal and amp up their desire to defeat the Antagonist by the end of the story.
Possible Solution #3: Your Antagonist should be stronger than the Main Character.
The Antagonist should be a formidable opponent to your Main Character, challenging them to dig deep both internally and externally to overcome the most significant obstacle in the story and achieve their goal. Even if the audience knows in the back of their minds that good will triumph over bad, you always want to leave that sliver of doubt out there as the Main Character goes up against the Antagonist toward the end of the story.
Making them evenly matched shouldn’t be an option. You always want to find ways for the Antagonist to have the upper hand and be a true threat to the stability and normalcy that your Main Character strives to return to. Remember, the Antagonist’s existence in the life of the Main Character is throwing their life off-balance. The only way for them to get back to equilibrium is by defeating this frustrating foe.
As you develop this character, brainstorm ways they can be better than the Main Character and a true threat to their life and well-being. Then, brainstorm possible ways your Main Character and the Antagonist can be pitted against each other during the Climax of the story, and figure out ways that the Main Character can push themselves to their limit and eventually defeat their opposition despite the power imbalance.
Researching Antagonists
While we know some of the best villains by name, thousands of antagonists do their job on a smaller scale that still impact the lives of the Main Characters they taunt and block from their goals.
I encourage you to watch dramas, Hallmark Channel movies, and other films where the antagonist isn’t an evil entity or sci-fi force, but a normal human being with daggers out for the Main Character. How do they function within an everyday world setting? How do they prevent the Main Character from reaching their goal? What conflicts arise as these two primary characters interact and go toe-to-toe?
How can you apply this knowledge and insight to your Antagonist and your story’s Conflict?
Next Time…
You can’t have Conflicts and Antagonists without Stakes, and we’ll explore ways to make those better in the next post!
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
