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33 WAYS TO CREATE INNER CONFLICT

October 30, 2017

By Ian Irvine    www.ianirvine.com

 

  • Why inner conflict is a vital part of great storytelling;
  • What an inner conflict is and how it works to captivate your readers;
  • Key ways to create powerful inner conflicts, including use of a prior wound, and by finding compelling reasons for the hero to not pursue his story goal;
  • 31 other ways to create inner conflict;
  • How to heighten inner conflict;
  • How to satisfyingly resolve inner conflict; and
  • How best to show inner conflict on the page.

Why is inner conflict such a vital aspect of storytelling?

One of the best ways to create memorable and compelling characters, and an unputdownable story, is by giving them powerful inner conflicts.

Whenever a reader experiences profound empathy for a character, it is because the character is in the throes of intense inner conflict (Frey, How to Write a Damn Good Novel). Inner conflict bonds the reader to the hero because the torment arising from his conflict confirms that he has a lot to lose (Bell, Conflict and Suspense). For example, the hero knows a secret that could win the war for his country, but if he reveals it, enemy agents will kill his family. What does he do? See More . . . 

Filed Under: Literary Elements, Writing

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