Day 9- Technical notes: landed on page 60/110. Currently diving off the deep end into the madness. Conflict vs tension. Tension sizzles, tension’s a slow leak. Conflict is clear, usually - it’s that same tension, manifested. In this story specifically, the tension shows itself in what the main characters want, what they think they want, and what their friends want for them. It’s also in how clear it is to the reader that something’s about to take a hard turn. Conflict is action - without giving the story away, just know it’s all interpersonal so... You know how that goes. There are layers of internal conflict from both of the main characters, even in that though, there's still this struggle for “right”. Both conflict and tension are crucial to the story, and both should be clear to you in Act 2. Here’s a breakdown of some of the other elements in Act 2:
All of the happenings in Act 2 circle around three big things: protagonist, objective, and obstacles.
Act Two is all about creating obstacles for the protagonist. It’s when you pick apart their character arc and change(s) at the heart of their story.
The idea is that these obstacles build on each other and start to look too big for them to get through. This also helps to develop the world they exist in.
As the reader or audience, the external obstacles are visible and are something you can easily point out.
Inner obstacles tend to come out by way of conversation with the protagonist’s closest people.
At this point, it’s all about crafting the worst way a situation can go, and then guiding the protagonist down that path.
B plot. Those characters that pop up exist for a reason and if it wasn’t clear already, now it’s time to make it known. This supports the main plot and should seamlessly set up Act 3.
As much as there’s a formula and a process to telling a good story, having a deep understanding of the elements truly just lets you get to a point where you know when and how to break certain rules to create your own thing.
Day 10 tomorrow - until then, I’ll catch you at the movies. ✌🏾