Conflict is an important part of stories. Without conflict, stories are plain and don’t contain the excitement required to engage readers. But conflict isn’t always about fighting and can come in different forms. Conflict is anything that prevents characters from accomplishing their goals. So, it could be anything from a villain to procrastination.
The 6 common types of conflict are:
| Person vs Self | the internal struggle against feelings and desires |
| Person vs Person | a fight against another human |
| Person vs Nature | a battle with the elements such as storms, earthquakes |
| Person vs Technology | when technology creates a problem, like robots becoming evil |
| Person vs Supernatural | fighting ghosts and otherworldly entities |
| Person vs Society | going against tradition |
Whichever type of conflict is incorporated into the story, one critical consideration is that conflict has to get worse before things get better. For stories to be interesting, even short stories, characters should face more than one challenge in the pursuit of their goals.
On average, once the complication sets the conflict in motion, there should be two increases in intensity before the climax. That gives characters something to struggle against and readers something to root for so that the emotional investment would be strong. And when the climax comes, solutions are found, and goals accomplished, the relief will be satisfying.
Get your young writer thinking about conflict and how it increases before problems are solved. Help them see the connection between reactions and events. Show them how to realistically make challenges intense without making them impossible. One fun way to do this is to look at movies and television shows to see how other writers do it. Reading comics and other short stories works well too. And, of course, practice writing often to get it right.
