Conflict: BEING CHEATED ON

BEING CHEATED ON

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HELPFUL TIP:

Conflict is your story’s secret sauce, supplying tension, friction, and complications to a character’s journey. It comes in a million different forms, so identify the obstacles and problems that will hit your character the hardest by using the Character Builder to uncover their primary insecurities, fears , and desires. Don’t forget to include everyday conflict scenarios that will frustrate them and keep the pressure high.

Finding out a spouse has been fooling around with someone else
Discovering sexy text messages on a partner's phone
Starting a fledgling but promising relationship only to find out the other person is still sleeping with their ex
The character coming home to find their partner in bed with their best friend
Being dumped by a partner and realizing they've been involved with someone else for a while
The character discovering their significant other, who travels frequently for work, has another family in a different city

Fielding questions from the kids, who can see something's wrong
Friction around the home (if the couple is still living together)
Having to attend couple's counseling to try to work things out
Ending the relationship with the cheater
Contracting an inconvenient but treatable sexually transmitted disease due to a partner's infidelity
Seeking to gain the upper hand in a divorce and having to take actions to catch the cheater in the act (by hiring a detective, setting up hidden cameras, monitoring their phone, etc.)
Having to confront the cheating partner about their actions
Becoming the "bad cop" in the relationship (forcing the partner to find new work away from their lover, requiring transparency of financial statements, etc.) to move forward
The character hiding what they know (and the pain that comes with it), hoping the partner will come to their senses and the situation will resolve on its own
Broken relationships with people who knew about the affair and said nothing

BEING CHEATED ON

HELPFUL TIP:

CATEGORY:

EXAMPLES:

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:

POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS RESULTS:

RESULTING EMOTIONS:

POSSIBLE INTERNAL STRUGGLES:

PEOPLE WHO COULD BE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED:

NEGATIVE TRAITS THAT COULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE:

IMPACT ON BASIC NEEDS:

WOUNDS THIS COULD LEAD TO:

POSITIVE TRAITS TO HELP THE CHARACTER COPE:

POSITIVE OUTCOMES: