Our two greatest problems are gravity and paperwork. We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
— Wernher von Braun, Rocket Engineer
Conflict is the engine of every story, and there are two kinds: internal and external. Because we’re on the letter E, let’s examine the external type of conflict…
3 Tips for Writing External Conflict
– Most people talk about External Conflict as “pick one of the three types”, but I recommend using at least two to deepen your story.
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Person vs. Person (i.e. hero vs villain, be it human or monster or machine)
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Person vs. Nature (i.e. hero vs tornado or drought or space)
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Person vs. Society (i.e. hero vs government or cult or industry)
– External conflict must have consequences. If your heroine fights with the antagonist, she can’t just get up the next day as if nothing happened. Conflict has to affect the story.
– External Conflict exacerbates the protagonist’s Internal Conflict. The two may be different, but they are linked.
2 Examples
Dystopian tales are great examples of external conflict. Not only is the protagonist battling individual antagonists, she’s also at odds with society and/or the regime. In THE HUNGER GAMES, Katniss faces all three external conflicts:
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Katniss vs People – her opponents in the game
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Katniss vs Nature – trackerjacks, fires, drought, floods in the game
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Katniss vs Society – President Snow and his oppressive regime
Same thing with space stories, like STAR WARS:
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Luke Skywalker vs Person – Darth Vader is the main antagonist.
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Luke Skywalker vs Nature – Traveling through space is dangerous! Hello, asteroids! Not to mention they encounter some pretty inhospitable planets during their journey.
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Luke Skywalker vs Society – Then there’s the big baddy, the Galatic Empire.
These stories all have individual villains, a corrupt society, and nature working against the hero.
1 Link for more help
Conflict is one of the most important ingredients to an engaging story. In this post – 3 Things That Keep Your Story on the Road, Not the Goat Path – I talk about how Change, Conflict & Stakes are needed in every scene.
It’s kind of a good all-encompassing post for my first three letters, since I talked about Character Change last post, and will talk about Stakes, specifically False Stakes, tomorrow. See you then!
I remember learning about these! It’s amazing how much these can apply in daily life.
morgankatz505.blogspot.com
I’d forgotten about this bit… I think it was mentioned in “20 Master Plots”, a book I should revisit. Loving this theme! Your posts have been wonderful, and super succinct!
Not sure if my comment was eaten, but in short I noted that our stories will lack substance if there’s no conflict.
Good post and spot on.
We should keep these in mind especially if our stories lack that oomph.
J.L. Campbell – The Character Depot | A-Z Challenge Co-Host
Indeed! In fact, as I was writing this, I went over my own story and added a little more “oomph.” Thanks for the comment and co-hosting the A-Z Challenge!
Thanks for the awesome tips! Tweeted and shared on FB. Keep them coming! You are really prodding my thinking along with the new book I’m writing!
That’s great! And thanks very much for the shares!
This is an excellent post. just the kind of thing that makes me want to drop by here more in future. 🙂
Thanks! Your comment is just the kind of thing that makes me love blogging. 🙂 Much appreciated.
Fun fact: I read this during lunch, and I was having a bit of Sabina vs. Meatball Sub–they’re SO messy. Great post, and I agree that the most captivating stories have at least two of the three external conflicts 🙂
Haha! I’m glad you devoured the meatball sub and blog post at the same time! Thanks for reading. 🙂
Hi there – More great advice. And, we have plenty of real world examples to call upon and place in our fictional works. 🙂
Yes indeed! Feel free to leave more examples in the comments. 🙂
Very interesting, Heather! These are great writing pointers for developing characters in a story! I must read A to D 🙂
Happy A-Zing!
Vidya
http://vidyasury.com
Thanks, Vidya! And I’m going to try to follow your suggestions in your E post today and embrace everything! 🙂