As many writers already know, and I’ve mentioned it a number of times in the past myself, almost all story conflicts can be broken down into three different categories. Man versus man, man versus society, and man versus self. Each one can be very easy to decode once you’ve read enough stories of different varieties, and have taught yourself to recognize the ‘checklist’ that exists for each labeled category. Writing gay fiction, it’s very easy to approach all three. Whether it be a love rival, persecution or bullying from the world around the main character, or the simple fear of coming out of the closet to those closest to you. A writer can take either one of those roads and run with it until there’s simply no more road to travel upon. However, a lot of authors often choose one of these themes for their story and stick with it from beginning to end. Me? I tend to bounce around a little bit from theme to theme, chapter to chapter. It depends on what my focus for the story is.

But...the one theme that I can guarantee all readers will find in every story is the idea of ‘Man Versus Self’. I don’t think that I’ve ever written a story without that being a part of my hero’s journey. Why? Because, I personally feel like that is the most complex and compelling part of any character, and it greatly affects the way the story is told. So I’d really like to touch on that today, as I’ve found that to be a really good way to draw your audience in and keep them interested in the growth and personal story arcs of the very people that you’re using to tell your tale. It works. And I love playing around with it in a bunch of different ways whenever I’ve been given the opportunity.

So let’s talk about Man Versus Self, and how it’s going to add a little extra shine and polish to your fiction once you’ve gotten started.

The very first question that you, as an author, should be asking yourself is...what is drama? And how can I create it out of thin air? What do you need for the idea of drama to be present in your writing? If it were me, I would say a sense of urgency. Knowing what the stakes are. Suspicion. Tension. Hope. Fear. All of these are tools at your disposal when dealing with building up a memorable character, whether they be a hero or a villain. I’ve always been intrigued and fascinated by conflicted identities, no matter what it is that they might be involved in.

To be conflicted is human. Hypocrisy is natural. And, as they say...a clear conscience is often the sign of a flawed memory.

I’ve always felt that having a true and in depth search for self is a lot more difficult, but much more rewarding, than most people give it credit for. This is the angle that an experienced writer can use to create something truly special for their current audience. It doesn’t have to be the theme of the entire story as many would have you believe, but I do definitely use that as a part of every character that I’ve created from the very beginning. I think it can be a part of every character that you bring to life.

Going back to idea of teen angst in a lot of my stories, this is something that continues on into adulthood and further into old age. Why wouldn’t it. It’s the core idea behind the saying that we’re all our own worst enemy. Since I write in the first person a vast majority of the time, I’m able to zero in and share that conflicting inner dialogue with my readers throughout the entire story. Being of two minds creates conflict and confusion. A dilemma. And that dilemma increases reader investment in the story because that forces your audience to stop and think about what they would do in that situation. You place them at that fork in the road...and if they choose the same route as your protagonist, then they get to see if they made the right choice. If they choose a different road from the one your protagonist chooses, they’re now curious to see what rewards and consequences come with that decision. Either way, you captivate your audience and keep them glued to your story from chapter to chapter. Mission accomplished. It’s a win/win situation. You can’t lose...even if your character ends up falling flat on his face. At least it will be entertaining. Hehehe!

That’s why I add a Man Versus Self element into each character. They’re all just trying to do the very best that they can with whatever it is that they’ve got to work with. And, being human, the desire is to always win and come out on top. No matter what. Of course, that’s not how ‘life’ works...but it doesn’t stop us from trying. It’s one of the fundamental joys of writing fiction. You can create a world where you never lose and always get the cute boy in the end. Right?

But that’s not realistic, is it? It gets pretty tiresome, pretty fast.

When I create characters for the stories that I want to write, I always have some level of inner turmoil that has to be addressed before they can achieve the ultimate goal. Which, in my case...is love.

The teen angst aspect is all about fighting oneself to the point where the insecurity and fear involved and the craving and love stricken fantasies of being close to someone you care about, can no longer coexist. Again...this is a fork in the road. And you’ll be pulling your readers right up to those same crossroads and getting them to consider what their choice might be if placed in that same situation. The inner conflict of the main conflict is something that you can explain and explore in a creative way to get your audience to understand what your main character is going through. And you remind them of a time where they might have been forced to make a similar choice at some time in their lives. How fun is that? Hehehe!

Conflicted characters can truly make for iconic characters in your work. It’s done wonders for me over the years, as well as for many others. Take a look at the video below. Darth Vader is one of the greatest conflicted characters in cinematic history. AMAZING, the things they’ve done with him over the years! I’ve always been in awe. Maybe even somewhat jealous that I couldn’t come up with something like that myself, hehehe! I can only dream of creating such a template for the perfect villain. Someone who is forever cursed with the eternal struggle between good and evil, light and dark. How frightening would it be to find yourself leveraged to the point where you become completely consumed by your own anger and hatred? To have lived your life trying to do the right thing, but never receiving any rewards for your efforts until you’ve crossed the line beyond the point of no return? They never paid attention before...but they’re listening NOW, aren’t they?

Ask yourself, could you ever find yourself in that position? That line you once drew in the sand might be a lot thinner than you thought it was.

Like I said, it’s that Man Versus Self conflict within that truly embodies the character of Darth Vader. On one hand, it inspires fear and dread and introduces the possibility of losing yourself to your own devices if given the power and influence to do pretty much anything you want without consequence. And yet, at the same time...it inspires feelings of hope, and potential, and possible redemption if the struggle is finally one by the character who is most cursed by it. You could go either way with it, or you could switch back and forth between both extremes to keep your audience just as off balance as the character himself. The ideas are limitless here, and I’ve always been a big admirer of the duality that exists in someone like this. It’s fascinating.

Another one of these character conflicts can also come from an outside source...triggering the inner turmoil by causing the main character to question his or her own actions and beliefs. One of the best examples of this would be Batman’s greatest villain, The Joker. This is the greatest challenge to Batman’s sense of honor and sanity, and I live for the many conversations that they’ve had throughout the years. Both in the comic books and in the movies. The Joker has dedicated his life to trying to show Batman the pointlessness of his efforts and his very existence. He ends up actually inspiring the villains that he ultimately gets enlisted to put down. His entire cause is a big joke. He has to stop the bad guys because they operate outside the law...but he’s a vigilante, so he is also operating outside of the law. He’s already crossed the line, claiming to be the hero. But if you cross one line, why not two lines? Why not ten? Why have a line at all? And eventually...when he’s pressured enough, when the stakes are too high for him to ignore who and what he really is...the world will finally see him as he was meant to be. A criminal. Just like the rest of them.

This triggers an existential crisis, because you can’t really say that he’s wrong. And so Batman is eternally caught up in this swirling storm of wondering whether he’s doing the right thing or if he’s just a time bomb waiting to explode.

So...whenever I’m writing a story, no matter what the overall arching theme of the narrative may be, I almost always add an inner conflict to my major characters, and often to many of the side characters as well, depending on how they’re connected to the plot. The idea of being completely corrupted by power and opportunity is a theme that I definitely play with in my stories like “Gone From Daylight” and “Savage Moon”...but it doesn’t always have to be quite that dramatic. Not at all.

I also explore these conflicts in stories like “The Secret Life Of Billy Chase”, “On The Outside”, “My Only Escape”, “Jesse-101”, and many others. Whether to come out to family and friends, or whether to give in to temptation. Whether to struggle your way past that inner voice and abusive thoughts, or fight the insecurities that come with approaching a celebrity presence. It’s basically a conflict between what you really want and what you truly believe that you can have. Not to mention what you’re willing to do to get it. It’s all about attempting to achieve the best outcome for your main character’s number one goal despite the determined obstacles that they might be putting in their own path. We’re our own worst enemy sometimes...and the character can either let the fear and doubt conquer him, or he can fight his way towards his main objective and grow past it.

It creates a serious dilemma that will both frustrate your readers, but also bring them hope as your protagonist begins taking small steps to grow and evolve beyond their problems. It makes for a compelling story in my opinion. Give it a try some time if it feels natural to the rest of the story. It’s a tool that you may have some fun using from time to time.

Anyway, I hope this helps you guys out with your own writing. We’re all complex beings, and as writers...shouldn’t your characters reflect that in some way? None of us are saints all the time. But none of us are demons either. Don’t get in the habit of creating one note characters. Explore them a little bit from time to time. The internal struggle for your cast to make the right choices, even when done for the wrong reasons, can end up being the most interesting part of your project. So explore and experience these things, and build a story that will live in the hearts and minds of everyone who can relate to feeling the same way from time to time. It’s a big win!

Take care, you guys! Happy writing! And stay beautiful! MWAH!!!