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Inner struggle is not plot

April 16, 2009 QandA, Story and Plot

questionmarkIt seems a lot of my scripts revolve around a character’s inner struggle and their inner demons creating destructive physical reactions (acting out). My question is: What if the main character’s motivation is finding their way because they are lost? Isn’t this a purely mental obstacle?

I know you say to make these obstacles physical and simple but this is the complete opposite. Any help would be appreciated.

— Dallas
Staten Island, NY

Write a book. Or a song. Or a poem.

Sure, many great movies feature characters struggling against their demons, or attempting to find themselves. But it’s invariably played as subtext against a more external conflict — the one that actually drives the plot. You need to be able to point the camera at something.

There’s nothing wrong with internal struggle. Just pick a medium that can handle it.

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