Conflict & resolution

We all have a mental model for how the world works.

Every day, we get up and do A, expecting B, then we do C, expecting D. For example, we turn on a tap, expecting water, then we give someone a compliment, expecting them to be pleased.

Those expectations form part of our mental model of the world, and most of the time the world conforms to our model.

But when we do A and then get K—for instance, we work hard, but then we're punished—we become confused: what's going on?

Sometimes we learn something new and adjust our mental model of the world. But sometimes we can't figure out what's going on, and we experience two things:

• An internal struggle as we process our confusion (often also experiencing sadness or anger).
• Additional confrontations as we stumble about making mistakes because we don't understand how the world works.

• She thought she should help her dad get back to normal after her death.
• So she's been helping her dad (who's a detective) work on a case, thinking her ghostly presence will help him get back to normal.
• But actually her help has isolated her dad from the rest of their family.

So now Beth doesn't know what to do, and she's struggling.

How does the definition of conflict as 'a sustained struggle between opposing forces' apply in this situation?

We could express it as 'character's mental model vs reality'. (You could substitute the word model for expectations, concept, theory, or whatever you prefer.)

• Imagine something your character could want.
• Then imagine how their own ignorance or faulty model of the world could lead them to fail.
• What kind of conversation might they have with themselves when they begin to realise their model doesn't work?