Dramatic Conflict

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'Is there a good argument going on? It all starts with a fight . . . a disagreement.'

-- John Guare

Well . . . he's right, but he's also crammed half the craft of playwriting into that word, good.

Argument Is Not Conflict.

At least not the special kind of conflict that drives plays, the gas that fuels the dramatic engine. Arguments in real life are usually circular -- nobody gets anywhere, except a little steam's been blown off. And they're boring for everyone except the folks doing the yelling.

Dramatic Conflict draws from a much deeper vein, rooted in the Subtext of your central characters. It's driven by fundamentally opposing desires.

Marsha Norman may have Mama argue with Jesse about Snowballs and her nails, but what drives 'NIGHT, MOTHER is Jesse's desire to commit suicide that evening and Mama's desire to prevent her from doing it. That's the stuff of Dramatic Conflict.

It won't happen if . . .

Your characters agree about everything.
They keep Turning-the-Other-Cheek.
You let them speak all their Subtext.

Dramatic Conflict only happens when each character has a stake in the outcome. And that leads to . . .

The Problem of Triangular Conflict

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