on Live Write Thrive:

Do you struggle with crafting realistic, complex characters? Have others told you that your characters are flat, stereotypic, or lacking uniqueness?

It may be that you haven’t thought through your characters’ inner conflict or developed enough hurt or even trauma in their past to cause them to realistically struggle with decisions and feelings about themselves or others in their lives.

In our fictional stories, where emotions, ambitions, and fears collide, inner conflict takes center stage as one of the most important elements to inspire empathy for our characters. Characters who grapple with their own internal demons resonate deeply with readers, making conflict an indispensable element of storytelling.

We often send our characters on epic quests and high-octane adventures, exposing them to external challenges and adversities. However, it’s the internal battles that truly illuminate the depth and complexity of a character’s personality.