by Gurmeet Mattu

Created on: August 13, 2008

All drama relies on conflict. Conflict creates challenge and the process of the protagonist facing the challenge to resolve the conflict is the very basis of storytelling.

To the novice writer the concept of conflict means something physical, typically war, but war is only the ultimate conflict. Below it lie the many levels of difference and misunderstanding between peoples which drive drama. Even a romance, which one would imagine is the antithesis of conflict needs it or it fails to stand up. Boy meets girl, gets married, lives happily ever after, is not only wishful thinking, it also fails as drama.

So, at what level should you pitch your conflict? The answer is at as many levels as is possible and believable. Readers love complication and a protagonist, a soldier in a war, with a girlfriend who disapproves of his profession, a criminal past which is catching up with him, and a terminal disease, just about hits the limit of what readers will swallow.

Better perhaps to stick with a dual conflict scenario, always remembering that your conflict must be at such a scale that it cannot be easily solved. Remember too that your conflict need not necessarily be between humans. It can also be between man and a force of nature. Chief Brodie in Jaws battles not only against a great white shark, but also against the Mayor who does not want to close the beaches during a holiday period. Only by resolving one conflict can Brodie face the next.

Conflict can be created by any of the human failings. Greed, jealousy, intolerance, avarice, hate, lust, we are a seething mass of potential conflicts. But remember too that the more noble emotions can lead to conflict. A man who loves a woman may find that his love is unrequited and this in itself creates a conflict.

The other strength of conflict is that it creates tension, and this can be true between characters who are ostensibly friends. Resolving such conflict will lead to dialogue and dialogue again drives forward your narrative.

Remember too to base one of your conflicts at a human level. Rebels fighting against an evil Galactic Empire may be the headline, but it is the simmering tension between Luke, Solo and Princess Leia that audiences log on to. This conflict is resolved not by action on the part of any of the protagonists, but by received information in the form of the truth about the relationship between Leia and Luke. This relationship and its resolution had no particular part in the great tale Lucas was telling, but had a part to play in the development of his characters. It was essentially, a conflict within his subplot.

Conflict too can be used as a device when the narrative is running on empty to re-energise the story. A new conflict can bring fresh life to your story. This must be used sparingly however as it may become too obvious to the reader that the writer has been struggling.

Creating conflict is easy. Put two characters on the page and have them disagree about something.

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