Drama: Why your writing needs it.

Ever hear the saying, "You don't have a story without conflict"? Well, it's true! Every good piece of writing has mastered the art of internal and external conflict. 

External conflict involves a problem between your character and something or someone outside of themselves. For example, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy butt heads with each other in Pride and Prejudice. She finds him rude, and also the cause of separating Mr. Bingley and her sister, Jane. And that damn man keeps showing up in her social circle!

Internal conflict is when your character struggles with their own emotions, desires, or conscience. For example, Elizabeth begins to like Mr. Darcy despite formerly thinking him a jerk. This internal conflict affects the way she interacts with him throughout the story. So, you might say there is no external conflict without internal conflict. 

Having both types of conflict in your story helps you layer tension between characters and their setting. The tension between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet influences subplots in the book, like the relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley, or the scandal between Lydia and Mr. Wickham. 

Tension helps move the plot and pacing of your story along. Without it, your prose will read like a book report. So, how can you turn up the dial on the conflict in your story? Put your characters in tight spots. Make their car break down on the way to a job interview. Have them pocket dial their crush. Make them feel messy, human emotions and struggle toward processing them. When in doubt, ask yourself, "Am I being too nice to my characters?" If the answer is yes, your story line might not contain enough drama yet.