What is conflict’s role in plot? In a plot, conflict creates untenable situations that make resolution vital. It moves events in a direction. Learn more.
Category: Story conflict
What is the central conflict in a story? We define central or primary conflict and explore ways to use common types of conflict in fiction to propel your story along.
Learning how to write fight scenes or battle scenes is crucial if there are important, action-packed conflicts in your story. Whether it’s a historical war story set in the trenches or a story of epic clashes between good and evil, these tips will help:
External conflict is conflict a character faces that is outside themselves, rather than inner struggle. For example, a sibling rivalry, an oppressive society versus its lone challenger, or the conflict between a town battling for survival and a freak weather event. How do you make external conflict as compelling as the inner struggles your characters face? Here are 6 ideas:
External conflicts in fiction – conflicts between characters and outside sources rather than inner battles – are an important part of storytelling. ‘Man vs society’ (or, rather, person vs society) is a conflict authors often use to explore society and culture. It explores the ways individual people’s deeds, beliefs and desires contradict the social mores surrounding them.
Conflict in fiction is a crucial ingredient of tension and suspense. Whether it involves character vs character or character vs environment, conflict makes plots tick onward. Read tips for creating man vs nature (or person vs nature) conflict that shows characters struggling with their environments:
One of the oldest and most compelling types of conflict we encounter in stories is man vs self. Man vs self – or person vs self – is a staple of tragedy in particular. In tragedy, a character’s ignorance, arrogance or other trait often leads to downfall. Read a definition of this type of story conflict, along with man vs self examples from books:
What are conflicts in a story? Why do they matter and what purposes do they serve? Read six examples of story conflicts from books and why they work. This will help you create your own interesting, dramatic oppositions:
Sometimes you get half way through a story or novel before you realize that your plot is missing something. Maybe it plods and meanders, or there is a sameness of tension and pace. These 7 strategies will help you make a plot more captivating: