Activity

One word:

Family.

Or, alternately, siblings.

Because even the closest family members will have disagreements and conflicts sometimes, and when you have family members who aren’t super close, or who get along but have radically different views on life/happiness/the enemy/the best way to deal with the situation at hand/pizza toppings/whether or not certain people are evil/whether or not 6 AM is the best time to start a quest/whether or not jumping off a flying dragon and trying to grab a tree on the way down/literally anything else is an excellent way to create both external and internal conflict. External, because now your character gets to argue with his or her family members about all of the above things. Internal, because now your character gets to stress about why his or her family never listens/how to keep them safe/whether or not certain family members are going crazy/etc.

Also, nosy younger siblings. Especially nosy younger siblings who ask awkward questions at the world possible time. For example: “Why was that guy who you said you’ve never met before talking to you and flirting with you like you two have known each other for years?” Or “Are you and him dating?” Or “But— you’re the best ever! You said you always have a plan! Why don’t you have one now?”

Yeah . . . there’s a reason why almost all my major novels feature families, especially large and complicated families. They’re fun. 😀