Creative Media writing studies

ISMS 110
Who is a character?
2
Make your character 3-dimensional
3

Use adjectives

A tall, fearful man,

Dominic (40s)
What does the character want?
4

Who is she? What does she

want?
Why create conflict?

Conflict starts right from I. I

5
 How to create a conflict
6

Step 1: create a 3D character/Shine your light on

your protagonist
Step 2: Set-up your protagonist OR establish
normality /Establish his
WANT/MOTIVATION/GOAL
Step 3: Disrupt normality/introduce I.I
 Disruption of normalcy
7

Or disruption of normality is also

known as inciting incident
Inciting incidence is the first
introduction of conflict because it
goes against your protagonist’s
want
Create a conflict for your character
8
CONFLICTS IN DIFFERENT GENRE
9

Drama- disrupt normality

Documentary- introduce problem
Game show- introduce the rules
Comedy skit- introduce the problem
Tutorial – introduce barrier/huddle
Talk show- Introduce the topic in a controversial
way
 How can you create
Option 1: conflict for your character?

Create an antagonist
who either wants the
same thing badly or
who doesn’t want
protagonist to have
what (S)he wants.
-good game show
conflict

10
Option 2
Option 2: Create an
antagonist who is
more powerful and
can stop your
protagonist from
getting what he wants
Eg beat Bobby Flay

11
Option 3
Create a protagonist
whose attitude is
getting in his own
way/own worst
enemy. Eg. Proud
applicant, Snobbish
spinster, nasty
entrepreneur

12
Option 4
Create a protagonist
whose antagonist is a
system/Government/
community /
spiritual/
gang/cult/clique/part
y

13
 Option 5
14

Fish out of water scenario

Argument
Obstacle course
Harsh environment
Difficult questions/tasks
Disruption of normalcy
 Kinds of conflict
15

Inner conflict
Environmental
Community vs community
Athletes vs athletes
Individual vs state
Individual vs individual
Individual vs individual
16

Family

Superio Individual
r vs vs Class
inferior individual

Racial
Individual vs State
17

Police

Community
Individual Govt
vs State

Military
 How to raise the stakes
18

Make your characters have something to lose.

How to make your conflict very strong
19

The conflict is stronger if your central character

has something to lose.
Weak stories create characters with nothing to
lose.
Powerful stories create central character and
antagonist who both have something to lose,
hence making the conflict stronger.
 To raise the stakes means
20

To increase one’s commitment or involvement

To increase in importance of danger eg. Mary
Cynthia wants Abiola’s granola bar and she goes
for it. So what if she doesn’t get it and Ayonette
does? But what if Mary Cynthia doesn’t get the
granola bar then she won’t get a million dollar
cash attached to whoever presents the sachet at
the company store?
 Raising the stakes
21

The main character needs to have a lot at stake

Disturbance happens and you think, so what? Eg,
a wealthy woman’s airplane is delayed. It’s a
problem but so what? But let her child be sick on
the other side of the world – an airline strike is on
– she has to get there in time because she needs
to donate blood/kidney.
 You can raise the stakes by using…

22

Suffering/pain (illness, emotional stress, poverty

etc)
Sacrifice
Jeopardy
Cultural issues
Spiritual/religious issues
 Character Change
23

Conflict changes people so the writer have to

decide from get-go which flaw you want to deal
with and which potential you want to amplify.
You can also effect changes in environment eg. In
Beyonce’s hold up video: from under water to the
street
Visual changes eg from bland to colored, young
to old, old to new etc