One of the hardest things to do when writing is crafting a character that feels real; one that feels alive. How do we make sure our characters don’t end up feeling flat and boring? Well, how do we make sure our food doesn’t feel flat and boring? We add a little spice. Spice in this context refers to realism, and realism comes from deep, internal conflict. To understand what deep, internal conflict is, I’ll pose a question: do your characters want one thing but consistently do the opposite?
What is internal conflict?
Like implied above, internal conflict refers to the gap between what a character wants, and what holds them back from achieving what they want - their flaw. They are the obstacle to their own goals. The power of internal conflict is that it helps push the character forward in their own arc, and also helps them be more relatable. How many times do we aim for something, but never achieve it, or make life hard for ourselves because of our own faults? Going a step further, powerful internal conflict could come in the gap between what a character says they want, and what they truly want.
For example, if I were to take creative liberties with Cinderella, let’s say what she wants is to go to the ball. She has no way to get there, no dress, no carriage, nothing. But her core flaw is she is too proud to admit she wants help, and will rather miss the ball than accept help from anyone. Her flaw works against her achieving her goal. She can only go to the ball if she accepts help…something she doesn't want to do. She is, in effect, working against herself.
This adds intrigue to her character because not only does she have to overcome external obstacles (her step-mother and step-sisters), but she also has to overcome herself, and grow to be better…or worse, depending on how the story proceeds!
Case study
As a case study, let us look at Nola, who is the main character in my African fantasy novel, Pariah Princess. She is the princess of the land, though she is scorned by the people for her aversion to the Gainan Way (the foundational philosophy of their kingdom). All Nola wants is to fight for justice, and stand for the weak and the poor. But her flaw is her immaturity, self-righteousness, and pride. She thinks she knows it all, that she is the only one who wants the kingdom to thrive, and she acts first and thinks later. As a result, she ends up putting people in worse positions than they were before, and alienating herself even more from the kingdom and her father, forcing her to go to extreme lengths to get back in her father’s good graces. The book starts with her being where she shouldn’t be (an act of rebellion), and she gets in trouble as a result. She is saved, but someone else pays the price, opening her eyes to the idea that maybe there are much deeper problems to worry about than rebelling against public festivals. She truly is her worst enemy, her biggest obstacle, and we can’t help but root for her while still wanting to knock her over the head at the same time.
Put it into practice
Try this out on your own character. It can be a character you’ve already created, or you can create one specifically for this exercise. Ask yourself these questions (feel free to tweak them how you please):
- What is the one thing your character is terrified of?
- How does that fear force them to make a bad decision?
- How does that bad decision drive the plot forward?
Try out the exercise and see how it adds some layering to your characters. Nuance is always key to creating a character that feels real and exciting to follow. If you’d like to read the full story of Nola and see how her goals clash with her flaws, Pariah Princess is available here: Pariah Princess (Payhip) and here: Pariah Princess (Selar). And for a deep dive into her character, follow this link: Meet Nola: The Pariah Princess Herself to see what she’s all about.
Until the next time, happy writing!
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