The Insider Story
A protagonist’s relationship to the world in which their story takes place can have a profound effect on the story’s arc and main conflict. Protagonists who begin the story as outsiders must adapt significantly to their new world, while those who are insiders may already be familiar with and comfortable with it. Whichever type of insider you are writing about, it’s important to consider how their inner conflict might subvert the structures that define the world in which they live.
One of the most notable examples of an insider story is The Insider, a 1999 film based on the true story of tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand. The movie blends investigative journalism with corporate conspiracy and ethical drama, and features powerful performances from Russell Crowe and Al Pacino.
Wigand begins his career as a researcher for Brown & Williamson, but he soon realizes that the company is far more aware of nicotine’s addictive properties than it claims. When he tells 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman that the tobacco industry manipulated nicotine to make cigarettes more addictive, the two men find themselves locked in a battle of loyalty and power.
Depending on the Evil Foundation upon which your fictional world is built, your protagonist’s internal struggle might involve accepting or rejecting that evil. Ged, the protagonist in LeGuin’s first Earthsea novel, A Wizard of Earthsea, is an example of this kind of internal conflict. His proud disregard for the warnings of his elders leads to an ill-advised challenge that frees an evil creature to hunt him for the rest of the book.