Hey fellow writers,
I delivered a script assignment yesterday, so I'm giving myself a rare day off. Perfect time to post here.
In my newsletter recently I wrote about conflict, and my own personal technique - the three rings of conflict.
The biggest misunderstanding I see in most scripts is that the conflict doesn't cost the protagonist anything.
Conflict is dynamic, not static. It's two characters with opposing goals smashing into each other - with unexpected outcomes.
In life, it's rare that any one party gets exactly what they want out of this kind of scenario. Drama is the same. In order move past an obstacle, your protagonist must sacrifice something.
Without this toll being paid, conflict doesn't feel meaningful, or earned. Almost all conflict should throw a new complication or obstacle in your protagonist's path.
I personally break conflict down into three categories (or rings):
EXTERNAL CONFLICT - anything that CAN'T be reasoned with.
PERSONAL CONFLICT - anything that CAN be reasoned with.
INTERNAL CONFLICT - two opposing goals WITHIN the protagonist
Well-constructed screenplays tend to include all three at some point or other.
I go into much more detail in the article, check it out.
https://robshayeswriter.beehiiv.com/
Thanks for reading.
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Must-read post and article, Rob Hayes! I work out the conflicts in the outline. Sometimes I come up with different conflicts so I'll have opinions to pick from when I work on the script, and sometimes I add more when I write or rewrite the script.
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Character development = change over time. I always break down the character changes every story needs into 3 rings as well. The first change should be internal. Who they are at the start should be different than who they are at the end via that internal conflict you mention of having opposing goals within themselves. The second change should be interpersonal (the protagonist's relationship with friends/family/a villain perhaps). The third change is external - the basic plot from start to finish.
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A recent supreme example of this is Ozark. I loved the show when it came out originally but as I have been working on this project I try to watch superlative examples of TV shows and Ozark now absolutely mesmerizes me. There was very little faltering or 'jumping the shark' storylines until the end. S3E6 is still my favorite episode of TV all-time.
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At a few eps into season two, I'm on my second go-round of OZARK.
Mesmerizing is an apt description.