I’m having so much trouble thinking of philosophical conflicts. All I can seem to think of is Internal ones. Does anyone know how to think of them? I know it’s kind of a silly question, but it’s hard for me for some reason.
What I’ve got now for my Big World, is ‘free or slave’, I feel like there’s not enough there to wrap a story around. I don’t have anything for my little world yet.
LW Internal: trust vs. distrust
LW External: Aderyn against her kidnappers
LW Philosophical: ?
BW External: Aderyn’s unknown family against kidnappers
BW Philosophical: Free or slave?
I’m so lost! LOL
Hey Colleen. That’s OK! No need to be lost, you’re in the right place. 🙂
A good place to start is what do you believe? The philosophical conflicts are your place to inject your own beliefs into the story.
Remember that one side of the Philosophical conflict gets to win! So if you believe that “God is good,” as one side of your PC, then what would the other side be? What’s an argument against it that you’d like to knock down?
“Good is cruel” or “God is absent” or “God doesn’t exist”. Any of those options would work. Then you get to set up that idea so that your characters can knock it down, and so that your story can show which idea is true and which idea is false.
You’re close on your Big World PC. Rather than “slave” vs. “free,” I want you to turn each side of that into a statement that you can defend. Ask questions like what, why, and how? to flush that out into a real philosophical idea.
What about slavery? What bothers me about slavery? Even though they might have obvious answers, you still need it! 🙂
It doesn’t have to be fancy, either. One side could be “Everyone is a slave, get used to it” and the other side could be “Freedom is worth my life.”
Start with an idea that you believe, and state it as a simple sentence that you can defend. Then choose an argument that someone would make against your belief, and present that as a simple sentence.
Don’t worry too much yet about whether it “fits” the story. Just pick something and have fun with it! It might help to shape the story in an unexpected way.
Thank you soooo much Brad!! that is extremely helpful!!!!!!! 🙂