Friday, February 10, 2012

[ScreenwritingU] Article: Beef Up Your Main Conflict

 

In this issue:

  • ARTICLE: Beef Up Your Main Conflict
  • UPCOMING CLASSES : Pushing the Envelope Writing
  • TELECONFERENCE: "How To Get an Agent ", February 18, 2012

ARTICLE: Beef Up Your Main Conflict

What's the main conflict of your story? Is it a powerful force that engages the emotions of your reader or does it leave them feeling flat and let down?

The main conflict is one of those areas where a minor improvement can often make a huge difference in the quality of the read. So it is well worth reconsidering that conflict.

Let's see if we can make this easy. First, a definition.

CONFLICT:

  1. Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.
  2. A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.

Basically, whatever your main character wants or needs most is opposed by some "incompatible person or interest" and your main character is motivated to action to fight for their goal/need.

In the movie JOHN Q, John's son needs a heart transplant, but their HMO won't pay for it. John's need is to save his son's life. The opposition is an insurance company with a loop hole.

That is the main conflict.

First, notice how it is already a strong conflict. It has "opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot" in that John must take action or watch his son die. Second, notice the stakes -- not John's life, but his son's life. Third, notice the injustice that sets up "disharmony between incompatible interests," an insurance company that John has been paying who refuses to cover this important operation.

Finally, I won't tell you how the movie ends, but in the 2nd Act, John takes a hospital hostage and demands that they do the transplant. They took this to an interesting extreme that was born in the original conflict, but took it to a new level.

WHAT TO DO:

Since your main conflict is so important, you may want to try a variety of different ways to elevate it.

Here are a few techniques you could use to turn an average conflict into an amazing one

Read more  
       

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Teleconference: "How To Get An Agent " - February 18th at 6pm PST

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  • 8 Strategies for Landing a Manager or Agent.
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