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'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 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
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!!
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.
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 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.
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?
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.
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.
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. :)
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
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!🤗💙
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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!
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
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!
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.
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!
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 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
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 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!!!!!
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.
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.) 😊
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.
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!
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.
"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).
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.
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.
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 think you just explained why i hate so many action movies. Cohld never quite put my finger on it. I like plenty of movies with awesome fight scenes and unrealistic action. But those cheesey action flix that my husband watches. I can never get into them. Its gotta be because they are just so plot driven, and there is no emotional investment in any of the characters for me.
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.
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.
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.
Im 12, writing down my fantasies on paper, and currently im thinking about writing a fantasy book kind of inspired by solo leveling (a manwha about a guy basically going from weakest to strongest. It also has a novel i didnt read) of course if i ever do publish it, i fear it may get called a cheap copy. Which ofc i dont want. So im here looking for inspo
My villain thinks he's the hero. Actually, my MC agrees with the very core of his views. But revenge and hatred have consumed him, he lost sight of his goal years ago and therefore, he tries to realize his visions in a horribly wrong way. (He murdered like 1500 people in two weeks)
What about other kinds of internal conflict? Does it have to be desire vs fear? What about a need vs inability? Like in a magical world,. the need to learn magic but knowing nothing about it, maybe not knowing where to start. That's not necessarily fear, is it?
Exactly. My main character has that internal conflict and I don't know what to do with the "How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?" He doesn't have a fear for it, he's just unable to do that.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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!!
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.
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 😊
Hey, Abbie! I subscribed last week! Out of so many on the web, I love your videos, and have made this one of my FEW go-to references. :D I love you energy and enthusiasm. I am working on my first novel, and every time I turn around, BAM! something new to learn and incorporate. I agree about character questionnaires. So much is not relevant. I think my life has been a little too sheltered. When I started the book a few years ago, it was really boring! So I looked around for writing advice. Found the problem: no conflict. And I personally shut down when there's an argument, so it's interesting having to build that all in. Still, I have high hopes for my book, and just a long-winded way to let you know that even in just this past week, I've noted a few changes that have to be made (during edit so I don't get stuck in a loop of going back and fixing), thanks to your vlog. Keep it up.
MMC1 has an internal struggle of being loveable, not worthy of love. He has a dark secret from his past that even his best friend doesn't know. It will come to light. He and his best friend MMC2 reunited after being apart for 5 years. He is developing some feelings, but would he ever love him back? Or would it end like all his other relationships. MMC2 has an internal struggle with his religion. He has a desire to be with a man, but his Catholic upbringing makes him feel that he can't. He has known MMC1 for twenty years, and has known since they were teenagers that he wanted to be with him, especially when MMC1 came out at 25.
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!!
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
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.
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!!
Abbies emmons. So is the first plan of the character to make their dream to a reality, is not supposed to work at first. Then boom! Inciting incident and then to plan B which is (in the characters mind) the safest plan. Is that how it goes?
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.
I loved your clarity of thought. Awesome content! Can you talk about external conflict? Not the types and other generic information, but maybe your take on it? I would like to understand it from your PoV as I love the deep understanding that you got in the subject. Thanks :).
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?"
Everybody: Watching the video normally.
Me: **Thinking how she opens blue drawers at the back, without getting them stuck to the lights.**
Plot Twist: they're empty.
I kinda thought about this myself
YOU
YOUUUUUUUUU
Wait- How? I was literally thinking that whilst watching this.
😂
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 felt this on a personal level-
Misbelief: that people aren't hungry for something new and well-written.
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 love your profile picture.
That sounds so cool!
what will cause him to change or make him accept his flaws
Very relatable
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 SO GLAD YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO, IVIE!! also, your villain sounds epic 😍✨
My villain is a self centered B. I'm a traditional kind of girl. 😉
@@Pluscelamemechose Being self centered and considering oneself to be in the right are in no way mutually exclusive.
Like Thanos lol
I love that you used Tangled as an example for these tips!
THE BEST MOVIE EVER RIGHT 💛✨
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!!
There's so much wisdom in here! I took soooo many notes!
WOO!! That's awesome Melissa, thank you for watching! 💛✨
I only took mental notes.
😂😂 I LITERALLY LOVE THE ENERGY in this slightly old videos. It is like more "punchy". Character driven video
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.
Probably the most underrated video when it comes to writing advice on youtube
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!
7:48 - That's something people often forget about villains. The best villains are ones that think they're doing the right thing.
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.
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?
4:39 "people don't get too abstract.."
me (INFP): guiltily shrinks down, "guess I'm not people"
Liss Kori same 😂
😂💕
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
Tangled was the perfect example, thanks for helping us.
How do you introduce an inner conflict when the character is deliberately avoiding thinking about what would make them happy?
Then that is the conflict, you have to write why they are afraid of thinking about it.
I was thinking that exact same thing!
Make the inner conflict the struggle of avoiding what makes them happy.
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.
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.
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. :)
Same 😂💀
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
This video has so many great tips! And I love how you referred to Tangled; I love that movie! 😄
TANGLED IS ONE OF THE BEST STORIES EVER, THE END. 💛✨ thank you so much for watching, Julia!
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!🤗💙
YOU GO GIRL 💛✨ I'm so glad the questionnaire helped to develop your characters!! That is so awesome *fist bump * this comment brightened my day
with me it’s the other way around
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.
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.
I can’t put in words how deep/advanced but yet simply put/easy to understand and therefore incredibly helpful your content is. Thank you!
best channel that ever existed?
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'm so glad this video helped you with developing the story in your game! That so awesome 😍 Thank you for watching! ✨
I thought I was the only one who come here to write something that will not be a novel/short story. I'm using for a comic.
@@0OB08O I know this comment is pretty old but I'm here for a manga!
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.
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!
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!
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
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!
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.
this is the best channel on here I just got addicted 💀
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!
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
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
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 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!!!!!
Again, I have to say, you put things in a way no one else has for me. You've explained concepts clearly to me, for the first time. Thanks so much.
i cant believe 3 years after i originally watched this video, i'm now using it as a reference for my essay :)
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.
I just put in my own internal conflict. Boom, relatable! 😃
Love it! You are wise beyond your years.
WOW THANK YOU
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.) 😊
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.
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!
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.
I am SO GLAD I found you in the beginning of my book! You get me pumped up!!
"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).
This channel has been so helpful
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.
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.
The Infernal Devices is me FAVORITE example of well written internal conflict, especially in Will🥰
I also love Tangled! Favorite Disney movie!!
I literally just stumbled upon these videos and they are the exact thing I needed to help me write my stories!!
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
omg we are the same person
I think you just explained why i hate so many action movies. Cohld never quite put my finger on it. I like plenty of movies with awesome fight scenes and unrealistic action. But those cheesey action flix that my husband watches. I can never get into them. Its gotta be because they are just so plot driven, and there is no emotional investment in any of the characters for me.
This is so brilliant. Lucky day, stumbling upon your videos!!!
I want to thank you for all of the great advice you give concerning writing. It's very helpful to people who want to be authors.
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 have had a writers block for so long but i have an idea completely sketched in my head. i needed this fresh air, thank u so much for ur videos!
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.
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.
My goal is to write a book and my mind goes "but what if it's bad". There goes conflict
Just got a note from an editor telling me to work on my internal conflicts so this is super helpful. Thank you!
NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE HOW USEFUL THIS WAS
THANK YOU!!!
You are awesome!!! I'd still be lost if I hadn't found these AMAZING Outline videos!
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.
I literally just discovered your channel and your videos are soooo helpful!
Im 12, writing down my fantasies on paper, and currently im thinking about writing a fantasy book kind of inspired by solo leveling (a manwha about a guy basically going from weakest to strongest. It also has a novel i didnt read) of course if i ever do publish it, i fear it may get called a cheap copy. Which ofc i dont want. So im here looking for inspo
My villain thinks he's the hero.
Actually, my MC agrees with the very core of his views. But revenge and hatred have consumed him, he lost sight of his goal years ago and therefore, he tries to realize his visions in a horribly wrong way. (He murdered like 1500 people in two weeks)
WOWZA
What about other kinds of internal conflict? Does it have to be desire vs fear? What about a need vs inability? Like in a magical world,. the need to learn magic but knowing nothing about it, maybe not knowing where to start. That's not necessarily fear, is it?
Exactly. My main character has that internal conflict and I don't know what to do with the "How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?" He doesn't have a fear for it, he's just unable to do that.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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!!
The things you talk about are really helpful! Thanks for sharing them
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.
I’m making a cup of tea, so it’s okay :)
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 😊
Lady! You're life! I was struggleling so much with internal conflict and you enlighted everything! Thank you :')
Hey, Abbie! I subscribed last week! Out of so many on the web, I love your videos, and have made this one of my FEW go-to references. :D I love you energy and enthusiasm. I am working on my first novel, and every time I turn around, BAM! something new to learn and incorporate. I agree about character questionnaires. So much is not relevant. I think my life has been a little too sheltered. When I started the book a few years ago, it was really boring! So I looked around for writing advice. Found the problem: no conflict. And I personally shut down when there's an argument, so it's interesting having to build that all in. Still, I have high hopes for my book, and just a long-winded way to let you know that even in just this past week, I've noted a few changes that have to be made (during edit so I don't get stuck in a loop of going back and fixing), thanks to your vlog. Keep it up.
MMC1 has an internal struggle of being loveable, not worthy of love. He has a dark secret from his past that even his best friend doesn't know. It will come to light. He and his best friend MMC2 reunited after being apart for 5 years. He is developing some feelings, but would he ever love him back? Or would it end like all his other relationships.
MMC2 has an internal struggle with his religion. He has a desire to be with a man, but his Catholic upbringing makes him feel that he can't. He has known MMC1 for twenty years, and has known since they were teenagers that he wanted to be with him, especially when MMC1 came out at 25.
Love your videos, they are very helpful. I guess I am in the 1% of males here. More men should listen to your advice. Thanks.
I feel like this is mostly life advice tbh
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!!
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
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
ill literally wait till i hear that notification
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.
Your advice has been invaluable to me.
After watching this, I FINALLY understand why my book sucks. Thank you! ❤
I have a question: how many main characters should a novel have?
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!!
@@ink5069 this is really informative, thanks! ❤📚
This video is just absolutely amazing. This is pure gold. Sharing.
Abbies emmons. So is the first plan of the character to make their dream to a reality, is not supposed to work at first. Then boom! Inciting incident and then to plan B which is (in the characters mind) the safest plan. Is that how it goes?
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.
@@whiskeyblack806 I think it truly depends on what sort of character you have created. Does she have a reason to go about it the wrong way?
ur such a beautiful and bright person ! cant wait for ur channel to blow up ♡
aw thank you!
And it did :3
This is literally free gold... thanks abbie
I loved your clarity of thought. Awesome content! Can you talk about external conflict? Not the types and other generic information, but maybe your take on it? I would like to understand it from your PoV as I love the deep understanding that you got in the subject. Thanks :).
does anybody else understand what she is saying but cant find a actual way to put it into your story?
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!!
Great example!
@Audrey Lavenski Lol I'm glad I'm not the only one
That is a great analogy!
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?"
Good example
One of my all time favorites, Roxanne with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah. Love it!