Picture this:
You're writing a story, and everything is perfect so far. The girl gets the guy. The old man wins the lottery. The main character gets promoted. It's all sunshine and rainbows, but you're bored. What could spark the story up and add some drama? CONFLICT! It is needed in any story and encourages the story to move forward. Luckily, I will be covering 6 different types of conflict. Use these, and your story will be filled with drama and exciting plot points.
1. Person vs. Person
This conflict type is the most common. It appears in any form of literature such as books, movies, and TV-shows. Even the most famous rivalries present person vs. person conflict.
The Montagues vs. The Capulets in Romeo and Juliet
Batman vs. The Joker
Loki vs. Thor
The Sharks vs. The Jets in Westside Story
2. Person vs. Self
In this form, the conflict occurs in the mind of the character only. This is projected through issues such as low self-esteem, fear, self-doubt, or self-hatred. The most well-known piece in this form is Hamlet's emotional soliloquy, "To be or not to be".
3. Person vs. Nature
Conflicts within nature can waver between environmental issues being slight rain or a hurricane. It can also be a fight with a plant or an animal. The character may even be trying to utilize their "superiority" over nature.
4. Person vs. Society
When a society's standards, injustices, and traditions are challenged or confronted, person vs. society comes into play. This is relevant to the norms of society as well. Stories with this as the primary source of conflict are usually in the dystopian genre. An example of this is "The Hunger Games", which demonstrates the higher-ups being in control over the nation.
5. Person vs. Technology
Robots vs. humans? Cue science fiction. In similarity to person vs. nature, this can be used to put a character in a state of superiority to technology. It can also create obstacles between that character and their end goal.
6. Person vs. Supernatural
This conflict type is prevalent in horror films. It may seem very similar to person vs. self, in the sense where only one character is affected by the unknown, but if the "powers" are made to be accurate, then this type of conflict fits perfectly.
Whichever conflict type you decide to use, outlining one or more of these will create a clear understanding of what your story is and what its purpose is.
I hope that you found this week's post in good health. I wish the best of luck to you in your writing. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave it down below and please look forward to next week's post!
Comments