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Quick Tips for Writing Subtle Internal Conflict

Internal conflict is a vital component of any compelling story. It’s the central axis of any good character arc and drives the narrative forward. However, writing internal struggles effectively without resorting to heavy-handed exposition can be challenging. Here are some quick tips on writing subtle internal conflict.

Show, don’t tell

  • Reveal a character’s emotions through actions, thoughts, and dialogue.
  • Use body language and gestures to convey inner turmoil, like fidgeting, clenched fists, or avoiding eye contact.
  • Write sensory details to immerse readers in the character’s emotional experience, like describing the taste of bitterness or the prickling of anxiety.
  • Incorporate changes in a character’s routine or habits that hint at inner changes, like a punctual character being late, or changing taste in music.
  • Use the character’s reactions to their environment as a reflection of their emotions. The same setting might appear grey and dark to one, but bright and vibrant to another.

Use subtext

  • Write subtext into dialogue, where characters say one thing but mean another.
  • Drop subtle hints at emotions that readers can infer rather than spelling everything out.
  • Experiment with non-verbal communication like meaningful glances, pauses, or hesitations.
  • Invoke subtext through characters’ internal thoughts and uncertainties, without the character fully acknowledging their deeper feelings.
  • Use dramatic irony, where the reader knows more than the character does about their own feelings or situation.

Develop complex characters

  • Give your characters conflicting desires, values, and goals to naturally generate internal conflict.
  • Create backstories that reveal past traumas or experiences that continue to haunt and influence their decisions.
  • Consider using character flaws and contradictions to highlight internal struggles.
  • Use relationships to create conflicting desires and expectations.
  • Give your characters both internal and external conflicts to build tension between dealing with personal struggles and outside problems.

Employ inner monologues

  • Incorporate introspective moments where characters wrestle with their inner demons, doubts, and fears.
  • Use first-person or close third-person perspectives to allow readers direct access to the character’s thoughts.
  • Balance inner monologues with external action to maintain pacing and engagement.
  • Use an unreliable narrator so readers try to distinguish between what is a misperception and what is the truth.
  • Create inner thoughts that highlight the difference between a character’s public persona and their private world.

Create moral dilemmas

  • Force characters to make difficult decisions that represent turning points in their arcs.
  • Explore the consequences of a character’s choices on their sense of self and their relationships.
  • Have your character confront a personal sacrifice where they must question their own motives and values.
  • Have a character balance loyalty and personal integrity, having to decide where their personal morality lies.
  • Force a choice between self-preservation and the greater good where their choice not only has personal stakes, but story-wide ones as well.
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