Though women have been starved of creative opportunities over the centuries of patriarchal bullying, they have proved in one important field that they are not creatively inferior to men—in writing. Adelphiasophists are keen that all people should be creative and that their efforts should be appreciated. If you have been intending to start that novel or screenplay but felt short of ideas, here is the Wise Women's synopsis of plot to give you a few ideas. May the Goddess inspire you. Saviour Shirlie.
Every dramatic situation, Polti says, springs from a conflict (one might modify this to "struggle")between two principle directions of effort—explicit or concealed.
Almost every story ever told has at its heart a conflict—a clash of interests or beliefs; one person wants to do one thing, another wants to stop them, explicitly or otherwise but both sides must be seen by readers to be, in some sense, justified for them to accept the situation. The conflict can be:
At least two elements are implied, usually but not necessarily characters, and there are two beginnings depending on which of the two principals pre-exists. The appearance of the second then signals the start of the conflict and so is associated with the cause of it. The first is the protagonist, the second the antagonist. According to the writer's desire one or other will dominate the drama depending on who has the more power, the greater chance of victory or whose character and motives the author wishes to analyse.
In all cases, though, the conflict must be valid to the audience if it is accept the situation, and both sides must be seen to have a case. We tend to dread the victor and pity the vanquished, but both antagonist and protagonist are aspects of ourselves, so both must exist in their own right. It is impossible to love or hate a cartoon character or a stage prop unless we are immature. To be believable, the villain cannot be entirely bad. There has to be room for sympathy for him. Equally, the best heroes have to be flawed, because no one is perfect. Black and white is rarely as interesting as tone and colour, and the same is true of characters.