Writing True Conflict

The other day I was talking to one of my writer friends and we got on the subject of food (which shouldn’t be too much of a shock to you). I asked her what her favorite ice cream was and said she doesn’t like ice cream. And I was like what???? And then she told me she didn’t like chocolate either. And then I told her I didn’t think we could be friends anymore.

So I was kidding…kind of.

But it got me thinking about an aspect of writing.

As a writer I have to think about all facets of my story, from character, to plot, to voice. But one of the most important items that propels the story forward is the conflict.

And there are multiple types of conflict like external, whether between the main characters  like the hero and heroine, or the conflict faced by bad vs good (or somewhere in the middle).  Or even more fascinating, internal conflict that the character has to face themselves. Aren’t we often our own worse enemy?

That’s why it’s important to create real conflict. So as ridiculous as it would seem that I would stop being friends with someone who doesn’t like chocolate (and ice cream!), the same can be said for weak conflicts as well.

You don’t want the conflict to be something that could be resolved with honest conversation over a cup of coffee. It needs to come from the foundation of the characters (and often a result of their past) and they need to change and grow from it.

So there you go.  Time to grab a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce… nuts… sprinkles… ohh whipped cream