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Q&A How to focus on external conflict rather than inner/interpersonal conflict?

I would suggest that rather than thinking in terms of external conflict rather than internal conflict, you should think in terms of internal conflict caused by external conflict. In a romance, th...

posted 7y ago by Mark Baker‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2020-01-03T20:41:54Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/28387
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:32:52Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/28387
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:32:52Z (almost 5 years ago)
I would suggest that rather than thinking in terms of external conflict rather than internal conflict, you should think in terms of internal conflict caused by external conflict.

In a romance, the story tends to focus caused by the internal conflict between the desire for a romantic relationship and all of the other things each party wants from live. (One must give up their pride, another their prejudice.)

In an adventure there is still internal conflict but it is caused by external forces. Do I risk my life to fight the dragon or abandon my village to be destroyed by the dragon? The dragon is the source of the external conflict, but the conflict that makes the story interesting is the internal struggle between fight and flight. The actual fight with the dragon is just hacking and hewing. It is not interesting in itself. It is the hero's conquest of their fear of facing the dragon that is interesting, and it is in seeing the battle through to the end that the hero proves the transformation that has taken place in them that gave them the courage to face the dragon.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-05-31T18:06:17Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 4