Conflicted About Conflicts

The GFWG has spoken. My story needs more conflict. I will need to find a way to add some spark or spice, or I risk sinking my main characters into a saccharine puddle of mush.

Easier said than done—I struggled to grasp even their suggestions and see how they could fit into the light-hearted read I created. Wrestling with how to involve more issues or stress into the story. What should it look like?

Fortunately, I got my next class post from Writer’s Digest from their Script Classics. The topic: conflict.

According to the blog post, there are four types of conflict which provide the punch to make a story more exciting.

Conflict with self – the internal battle…good and bad, right and wrong,…fears…who you are vs what others expect of you.

Conflict with others – there can be numerous conflicts with others in a story. Romantic or life threatening.

Conflict with environment/society – weather, landscape, nature (bears, mountains, etc), or society’s expectations, rules, money

Conflict with supernatural –can be real or imagined. Dinosaurs in the current world or ghosts from the beyond.

Their description and examples helped to clarify the options. I find it interesting that many stories have different threads or sub-tales utilizing these types. Some of the best may involve all four types.

Now, I have to apply the lesson…. 

                                                                                                —Sandy Buxton