Writing Tools: Conflict!

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If everyone is happy throughout a book, readers will quickly drop it. Readers want to see how characters struggle through conflict to attain happiness at the end. There are seven main forms of conflict in literature.

Character against SelfCharacter against CharacterCharacter against SocietyCharacter against NatureCharacter against SupernaturalCharacter against TechnologyCharacter against Fate

An example of Character against Self would be Fahrenheit 451. Montag, the main character, is always torn inwardly that he may be doing the wrong thing. He’s a fireman, and firemen burn books in this book of an oppressive future. Characters versus self are plagued by feelings of self-doubt, indecision, guilt, and fear of change. Even when they take a risk and change, they are afraid of letting themselves and others down.

Character against Character is one form of conflict that is very recognizable. It is the classic good guy fighting the bad guy. The bad guy starts it usually with insults or small skirmishes, prodding and goading the good guy until they reach the Big Fight. I immediately think of the classic tale of Robin Hood. The Sheriff of Nottingham is always after him and his Merry Men. Even though Robin and his men are thieves, they steal from the rich and give to the poor, to compensate for Prince John’s heavy taxation of the people.

Character against Society is demonstrated by the character standing up to some wrong, such as discrimination on the basis of race, religion, segregation, unjust persecution, or environmental issues. Some examples are Hidden Figures, Hunger Games, and The Scarlet Letter. Each of these books demonstrates conflicts the main character(s) face against an unjust society.

Character against Nature is seemingly easy but isn’t. An example: the movie Dante’s Peak. A volcanologist goes to a little town with a volcano. Signs start showing that it may erupt. The business owners want a definite yes or no. I don’t want to give it away the ending. Check out the movie. It is not an easy choice for conflict because you have to research to get the science right. Movies sometimes get away with it. Books? Never. People will write you, email you, or ask you when you’re speaking in public. Not all the science is correct in Dante’s Peak.

Characters vs. the Supernatural is the conflict in most horror books and monsters/ghosts/etc. movies. A classic book example is Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus aka Ulysses goes to fight the war in Troy. He manages to offend the Greek gods and his homeward sea voyage is overwhelmed with constant supernatural foes.

Character vs. Technology can be found in the classic science fiction book & movie 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke. The AI (artificial intelligence) computer that runs the spaceship is called HAL 9000. Obviously, with the new push in science into creating AI machines, the warning regarding AI is being ignored. I Robot by Issac Asimov is another classic showing character vs. technology.

Character against Fate means when the main character is struggling to fulfill his or her destiny. Lord of the Rings is classic with Frodo trying to get to Mount Doom to destroy the one ring. A modern-day example of character vs. fate is the Godfather movies. The character has to cope with or live with what fate has handed him or her.

I’ve given you a lot to think about in writing conflict. Have fun!

Truly,

Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley
https://susanhannifordcrowley.com
https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Hanniford-Crowley/e/B004YXOGXG

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Now we wait
for the return of the princess.