Uploads from Abbie Emmons

Currently Playing: What makes a character actually complex? Conflicting motivations.

Why does your character feel flat, even with a clear goal and a whole backstory? Nine times out of ten, it's because they only want ONE thing… and that goal is costing them nothing. In this video, we're breaking down the psychology behind characters who want two things at once — not "good vs. evil," but two things that are both genuinely good — and why that's exactly what makes a character feel real. Using Peter Parker as our example, I’ll show you the simple formula for building internal conflict that makes every choice your character makes actually matter. 📚 What you'll learn: - Why "flat" characters happen (and it's not about backstory) - Approach-approach conflict and why it matters - The simple formula: two goals + a cost to choosing either one - How to create this conflict in your own characters, step by step Standards covered: RL.9-10.3 (analyzing characters with conflicting motivations) 🏛️ If you want to go even deeper on building layered, magnetic characters, that's exactly what we dig into inside Story University: https://abbiesstoryuniversity.com/ ________________________________ CHAPTERS: 00:00 Does your character only want ONE thing? 01:18 Approach-Approach Conflict 02:21 The problem with single-goal characters 03:45 One goal vs two goals 05:25 Case study: Peter Parker from Spider-Man 07:33 Ask yourself these questions 08:28 Lesson recap 09:03 Subscribe for more writing vids :) ________________________________ *My NEW book, Make Your Story Matter, is now available for preorder!* 👉 https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/make-your-story-matter ✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨ 🏛️JOIN ABBIE’S STORY UNIVERSITY: https://abbiesstoryuniversity.com/ ❤️GET BONUS CONTENT + SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons 📚READ MY BOOKS: https://amzn.to/3Ivk0Gr 🖥️TAKE MY SCRIVENER MASTERCLASS: https://makeyourstorymatter.teachable.com/p/teachmescrivener ✏️TAKE MY EDITING MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/edit-your-book-like-a-pro 💬TAKE MY BOOK BLURB MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/how-to-craft-a-bestseller-book-blurb 📓GET MY FREE WRITING TEMPLATES: https://abbieemmons.ck.page/make-your-story-matter 💵GET 20% OFF SCRIVENER - USE CODE "ABBIE" → https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-affiliate.html?fpr=abbie26 🎤LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MY SISTER: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kate-and-abbie-show 🎥 MY GEAR + WRITING TOOLS: https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/my-gear 🎵 I GET ALL MY MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND… CLAIM YOUR 60-DAY FREE TRIAL HERE: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/v02bl3/ ✨F O L L O W ✨ blog: https://bit.ly/2Kl21m8 facebook: https://bit.ly/2FS2Ikh instagram: http://bit.ly/2Xr5hUI tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeyourstorymatter x/twitter: https://x.com/abbieemmonsx patreon: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons Business inquiries: abbie@abbieemmonsauthor.com Questions and support: help@abbieemmonsauthor.com ✨ A B O U T ✨ My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the psychology of storytelling and transform their ideas into a masterpiece. Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!