Conflict
Conflict in fiction is the struggle between the character(s) and some other opposing force in the story.
For the reader, the purpose in reading fiction is to become immersed in the world of the story and to anticipate and predict how the character(s) will overcome some issue or obstacle. This issue or obstacle is the conflict.
Conflict in a story can take one of several forms and have varying degrees of intensity or seriousness, but regardless, conflict must be present or there really is no story. Or at least, not a very good one. |
Conflict generally falls into one of the following broad categories:
1. Man against man (the obstacle is another character or society)
2. Man against himself (the obstacle is some internal/psychological struggle within a
character)
3. Man against nature (the obstacle is animal, weather, etc.)
(For our hypothetical mountain climber, the conflict is the mountain itself - man against nature.)
In some stories, the conflict may be stated, in others it may be implied through the character’s actions, the character’s interactions with other characters, or it may be described through the narration of the character's situation.
What type of conflict it is or how it is revealed is solely up to the writer and what she is trying to achieve; the crucial point is: conflict absolutely must be present to have a good story.
1. Man against man (the obstacle is another character or society)
2. Man against himself (the obstacle is some internal/psychological struggle within a
character)
3. Man against nature (the obstacle is animal, weather, etc.)
(For our hypothetical mountain climber, the conflict is the mountain itself - man against nature.)
In some stories, the conflict may be stated, in others it may be implied through the character’s actions, the character’s interactions with other characters, or it may be described through the narration of the character's situation.
What type of conflict it is or how it is revealed is solely up to the writer and what she is trying to achieve; the crucial point is: conflict absolutely must be present to have a good story.
Click the story title to review conflict in “Blessed Silence” before completing the section below.
Additional Resource:
- "The Secret of Creating Conflict" - A website that provides tips for creating conflict. This resource it helpful to understand how writers create conflict.