Plot Conflict: The Crush

By now it is obvious that every story has conflict.  The conflict develops into the story and defines the challenge which the protagonist must overcome to carry out the destiny of your book.

Commonly you think of the conflict as laid out between the incompatible interests of the villain and the hero.  But there is another powerful way to look at conflict.

If the story has no clear cut villain, the true antagonist may be an aspect of the protagonists personality.  Often a good story reveals a character at odds with herself.  She may be challenged by a desire of the heart versus the pragmatism of her head.  Similarly, your hero may be forced to resolve the conflict between saving the world and saving his children.  When a man is forced to battle his own brother, the conflicts of his mixed motivation can escalate into critical proportions.

Now, consider the power of an insidious villain who can use a characters best traits (like love or loyalty) against her.  When an antagonist can exploit circumstances to force the protagonist to sacrifice her love in order to preserve her ideals, the calamity of character destruction is imminent.  This is more than a clash.  This is a crush.  Even if the character can resolve the problem, they are chewed up inside.

Of course it is your job as the writer to either broker the calamity into a powerful and poignant tragedy or to pre-plan an escape from the seemingly inescapable crisis.  In the mean time,  the conflict provides a ideal opportunity for a sensitive author to characterize the crush.