In our stories, our characters can’t always get along. Even friends can’t always agree.
Why?
Well let me ask you this- do you always get along with everyone? Really? Really?
Not only do we all have bad days, moments of stress, and grumpy mornings- we’re also all human. We have different ideas, worldviews, plans, and goals.
Which means we’re going to disagree.
Not only do we disagree, but sometimes we actually disagree and fight with our friends more than with other people.
This is because we often view close family and friends as “safe targets:” our security in our relationship means we are more real and more confrontational than we would be otherwise. We aren’t putting up a front or playing nice, which leads to different dynamics in the relationship.
So that does that mean for our stories?
The relationships in our stories should mimic real life, which means they should include conflict.
Showing this conflict in our stories can have a variety of benefits.
5 Reasons Our Writing Should Include Friends Fighting
1- It shows differences
Every character should be different- which includes different personalities, beliefs, and motivations. These differences will naturally lead to some disagreements along the way.
In fact, having friends disagree can be a fantastic way to show different sides and complexities of an issue. In real life there are lots of shades of gray- having characters disagree is a good way to illustrate that.
As a bonus, this is a great way for the hero to clearly realize/state/show their own views and motivations!
2- It adds conflict to the story
Maybe our hero has figured out a plan to stop the villain, but now they have to convince their friends to follow and help them.
Or maybe they need to physically fight their own teammates in order to do what needs to be done.
As Albus Dumbledore said, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
Having friends disagree with one another adds a different and more emotional type of conflict to our stories and raises the stakes.
3- It creates antagonists with high stakes
Beyond friends having a minor disagreement or a one-time fight, there is the potential for a friend character to also be a villain or antagonist in the story.
The friend-antagonist would be working against the hero and and getting in their way. This could be accidental or intentional, a minor subplot or the big threat to be vanquished at the end.
Having a friend in the role of an antagonist immediately raises the stakes.
The friendship relationship is at stake, of course. There is broken trust, along with feelings of betrayal. And keep in mind that the friend-antagonist presumably knows the hero’s weaknesses and could exploit them.
4- It showcases growth
Having friends fight with one another can be an opportunity to show how characters grow and change over time.
Maybe the friends need to learn to overcome and work through their differences. Or maybe the sidekick was right all along and the hero needed to learn something.
Showing their conflict can showcase this growth and demonstrate change.
5- It’s honest
In real life people don’t always agree. Life isn’t simple and even the “good guys” don’t see eye-to-eye.
It’s important to acknowledge those complexities. And by showing these complexities and differing perspectives we can make our stories even more powerful.
So don’t be afraid of writing some arguments and fighting into your story! It can be a great tool to deepen the plot and characters.
For further reading on sidekicks check out my guest post at Fiction University: 5 Dos and Don’ts of a Good Sidekick
For further reading on fighting and tension in your story check out my pinterest writer’s resources board: Stakes/Conflict/Fighting
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