CONFLICT THESAURUS

BEING IN OVER ONE'S HEAD



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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.
CATEGORY:
Increased pressure and ticking clocks, duty and responsibility, power struggles, ego-related conflict, no-win scenarios

EXAMPLES:
Being assigned a job that matches erroneous information provided by the character—about their skill level, knowledge, experience, or connections
Discovering a job or position is much harder than anticipated
Living a double life that raises the suspicions of others
The character being given a responsibility they're not ready for (becoming a parent, leading a team, etc.)
Taking on caregiving duties for someone the character isn't qualified to manage
Making promises that can't be kept
A past allegiance, scandal, or mistake going public that spells out sure disaster for the character
Dealing with a condition, tragedy, or situation alone and failing to cope
Making high-stake threats the character can't deliver on—e.g, promising to executive a hostage if demands aren't met
Being forced to help with something abhorrent (committing a crime, hiding a body, etc.)
Marrying someone despite knowing it's a mistake
Working for or answering to people with opposing goals or ideals (rivals, enemies, opposing governments, etc.)

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
The character having to pretend to be someone they're not
The character having to make excuses, lie, or maneuver to hide the fact that they're in over their head
Trying to remember which lies have been told to whom
Struggling to keep tasks, responsibilities, and obligations straight as they pile up
Becoming exhausted from juggling so much
Having no downtime to recuperate

POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS RESULTS:
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RESULTING EMOTIONS:
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POSSIBLE INTERNAL STRUGGLES:
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PEOPLE WHO COULD BE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED:
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NEGATIVE TRAITS THAT COULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE:
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IMPACT ON BASIC NEEDS:
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WOUNDS THIS COULD LEAD TO:
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POSITIVE TRAITS TO HELP THE CHARACTER COPE:
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POSITIVE OUTCOMES:
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