Weekly Prompt: Character vs. Character

Take two people, add some fuel, and plenty of sparks.

Zane Dickens the Instigator
Microcosm

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Welcome to the first weekly challenge for August, where the theme is Rings of Conflict.

As we said in the Monthly Theme announcement, this month focuses on the interactions between the many forms of conflict. Each week we’ll look at a ring of conflict as they expand outwards and consider its effect on your stories.

Remember this months Serial collection challenge and contest.Only Serials are eligible for the Small Medium Contest Prize.This is very much a healthy nudge toward writing longer pieces. 

While writing this prompt, my mind went to one of my childhood favorites, the MAD Magazine’s Spy vs. Spy (that’s been running since 1961!) Their insane rivalry kept me amused for years.

But this is only one way to view a character conflict; romances also have their fair share of strife, especially those formula rom-coms. Both protagonists are usually each other’s antagonists, at least in the beginning.

I should know; I did my research last year while writing a pandemic medical romance. It’s far harder than it looks at first blush.

Character conflict can take many forms; it may not always involve a battle to the death, but a professional conflict, a lovers spat, a buddy road trip hitting a rough patch. The options are as endless as there are people and…

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Zane Dickens the Instigator
Microcosm

Top Writer. Chief Instigator at Microcosm. Creator of the 💯 Story Challenge. Level Up: from Hobbyist to Authorpreneur at zane.substack.com/about