Characters Must Have Conflict!

Conflict is not just an externalized event. Rather, good characters struggle with inner conflict. This conflict is the result of two divergent interests. In the Kamitic system this was symbolized by Heru battling his evil brother Set. Heru is the will and Set is the emotional aspect of our being. An example of this would be to have a character want to do the right thing but cannot because he or she has a conditioned response motivated by an intense emotion. This friction creates energy and is dynamic. If a character were to do exactly what they say it would be boring. But what keeps the audience engaged is that contradiction between what the character wants and the action the character takes to achieve that goal. Put simply - no conflict, no drama. I encourage you to dive into your character to explore what is it that your character wants and what inside them is preventing him or her from achieving it. Once that is done project that struggle so we can see it. A good movie to watch which gives a perfect example of this is the film "Sideways." The story is nothing big but the characters are so interesting that you cannot stop watching it not even for a minute. This is how our ancient ancestors wrote stories. It started with the understanding that we are our own worst enemy. So keep this in mind guys. Hetep!