In fiction, characters experience struggles, or conflicts, that they must deal with and attempt to overcome. Some conflict is internal, between the character and his or her own conscience. Some is external, occurring between the character and someone else, or with an outside force such as nature, society, technology, or the supernatural.
The plot depends on conflict to hold the readers’ interest and to move the story forward. As the conflict builds, the story escalates in tension and eventually reaches the climax. The events after the climax decrease in tension, and resolve the story’s main conflict.
Without conflict of some kind, the plot will be flat and uninteresting. No matter the genre, there won’t be a climax without the rising tension that conflict creates. Whether it’s a romance, a thriller, a literary work, or science fiction, readers want to experience the thrill of the struggle, either internal or external, and see how the characters overcome it.
(Encarta dictionary): Conflict
LITERATURE plot tension: opposition between or among characters or forces in a literary work that shapes or motivates the action of the plot
Edit November 17, 2009: Agent Nathan Bransford has a helpful blog post about conflict: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/03/on-conflict.html
Do you prefer stories that focus on internal conflicts or do you prefer those that deal mainly with external conflicts?
Conflict is central to all good stories. If I’m writing, and the story starts to drag, you can bet there’s not much conflict going on.
Internal or external? I’d say that depends on the story, but I tend to gravitate to external I suppose.
~jon
Jon, I guess I’m in the middle when it comes to conflict. I like enough external conflict to keep the story moving, but not enough of it to get overwhelmed. I hate it when the characters never get a break. I also like to watch them deal with internal struggles, but I don’t want them to suffer. Maybe that’s why I’ve always liked fairy tales and romances–they are guaranteed a Happily Ever After.
Carol
I’m kind of a sucker for a happy ending too, though sometimes my flash fiction doesn’t show that.
~jon
[...] one scene, with very little backstory. There isn’t room for much character development, and the tension must build quickly. Since there isn’t time to gradually build up to a climax, twist endings [...]
[...] that would interest a casual observer. Just like a novel that has a plot with poor pacing, little conflict, or a weak story line, watching the toms court their hens can be pretty [...]
[...] narrative? How does the author speed up or slow down the pace to build tension? When does the first conflict appear, and is it believable? In nonfiction, how is the material [...]
[...] a brother who is involved in illegal activities that she is unaware of but which eventually cause conflict she must deal [...]
[...] most scenes follow a pattern similar to the typical story arc, beginning with a hook, building conflict or tension in the middle, and ending with a change in time/place, or a suspenseful moment [...]