by Debra H. Goldstein
Writers are told conflict is essential to stories or novels. That conflict is the catalyst compelling movement of the plot or in the characters’ lives by pushing in unexpected directions, which leads to change, builds tension, and adds an element of doubt as to the outcome. Authors are also advised that in a short story there should be one central or dominant conflict, with many minor struggles, while novels have multiple interwoven conflicts.
But what is conflict?
Definitionally, there are two types of conflict: external and internal. External conflict reflects a struggle with a force outside oneself, while internal conflict deals with a struggle within oneself. Meeting the definition is not sufficient to produce an engaging work. Instead, writers must determine the kind of conflict being addressed.
Kinds of conflict fit into one of four categories:
- Man vs. Man
- Man vs. Circumstances—the classical struggle against fate or life occurrences
- Man vs. Society—a conflict with the ideas, practices, or customs of other people)
- Man vs. Himself: psychological—going against ideas of right or wrong or personal physical limitations
In Man vs. Man the leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
Man vs. Circumstances is the struggle against fate or the circumstances of life. It usually is a resolution of how the characters will reach an inevitable ending, which is often death. The twist is that the certainty of the character’s fate is predetermined, but not the means of getting there.
Man vs. Society examines ideas, practices, or customs of other people. Often a stance is taken against individuals whose ideas differ from those of the protagonist. This builds to a high point of societal conflict or tension that gives the reader a better understanding of what the various characters stand for.
Finally, in Man vs. Himself the leading character struggles within his own soul by internally balancing ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, or personal choices.
The four kinds of conflict are brought to life in novels and short stories by using character impact, plot, layering in surreal situations, introspection vs. action, dialogue, and format. Before applying any of these, the writer must first distinguish between crisis events and conflict.
Crisis is created by an event or action.
Some examples include murder, crime, accident, or serious illness. Conflict relates to the impact the crisis has on the characters, the creation of difficult moral choices or internal struggles. Conflict is the actual process by which decisions and actions are taken in reaction to the crisis and how the character and/or others are impacted by those decisions or actions.
Crisis often engages readers in exciting, suspenseful action or emergency, while conflict evokes reader empathy in the humanity of the character. Because conflict behaviors involve introspection, exploration of values, and the examination of choices, they invariably lead to a change in the character.
A story may have several small crises that bewilder a character’s mind, forcing the review and reevaluation of his or her position more than once during the story. This is shown through Conflict and Plot, Conflict and Layering or the Surreal in Openings, Introspection vs. Action, or through Dialogue.
Conflict and Plot:
Plot is where the story is going to go, and conflict is what gets it there. The entire plot doesn’t need to be revealed immediately, but there must be enough seeds of conflict for the plot to develop. This is done by introducing and developing the stimulus by which specific characters inhabit the roles the plot dictates.
Because of how closely they intertwine, the complexity of balancing these two things can be confusing. A good example that allows for separation of the two occurs in a piece of flash fiction often attributed to Hemingway. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” It’s simple, but we understand the plot of the story and can imagine the conflicts behind it.
Conflict and Layering or the Surreal in Openings:
Opening lines, which may be ghoulish, absurd, supernatural, magical, shocking, or mundane set the conflict in motion. Using exaggeration and invention against human emotions and interactions creates the story’s layering.
One way is to have a hot topic but use cool prose. The situation may be horrific, but by contrasting it with almost flat language that utilizes quick, simple, limited details without familiar cliches, the tension of the moment is heightened.
The use of restrained prose in the initial sentence or opening makes the scene clearer and more unsettling. The established conflict is built up by adding more action, sounds of voices, and sensations to create a ripple effect in the story.
Introspection vs. Action:
A story can be viewed from a character’s internal understanding of a key point or by looking at the action itself. Either can offer the tense moment to build the story on.
In introspection the character thinks, remembers, worries, or plans, but the reader eventually realizes the character is not going to do anything. Rather than engaging in kinetic activity or interacting with other people, the character dwells on past events. Problems and troubles aren’t faced, but are merely thought about. Conversely, action is positive movement.
Conflict in Dialogue:
Conflict in Dialogue doesn’t have to be expressed by straight dialogue. There can be descriptions of a character’s gestures, expressions, even landscape and setting. The words of the dialogue are heard, but are interpreted through the subtext of the dialogue and what is seen in the scene. Every word builds tension to a point of climax and down to a final resolution.
The way an author chooses to bring the four kinds of conflict to life can be reflected by a poetic, paragraph style, or long or short format. The key to a work’s success is utilizing and maintaining the elements of conflict in a way that keeps the reader engaged.
Judge Debra H. Goldstein is the author of Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (Five Belles Too Many, Four Cuts Too Many, Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, and One Taste Too Many) and two standalones: Maze in Blue and Should Have Played Poker. Her novels and short stories have been named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Claymore finalists and received Silver Falchion, IPPY, AWC, and BWR awards. Presently a national board member of Sisters in Crime, Debra previously was a national board member of SinC and MWA and was president of the Guppy and SEMWA chapters.
