Options for Conflict in a Scene

 

CONFLICT IS WHAT story is all about. Without it, the character would achieve his goal in minutes, all the loose ends would be tied off, and the story would be happily ever over. Conflict keeps your story moving forward. When the character’s initial goal is stymied by conflict, it causes him to react with a new goal, which is stymied by further conflict, which causes him to again modify his goal—and on and on, until finally he reaches the goal and the story ends.

 

Exercise #1: Don’t be afraid of socking it to your characters. Without conflict and its associated suffering, characters have no reason to exist. Use the following questions to analyze your scenes to ensure each one erects obstacles between your character and his goal.

 

Question #1: Which of the following obstacles comes between your protagonist and what he wants in this scene? Specify what it is.

 

• Direct opposition (another character, weather, etc., which interferes with and prevents the protagonist from achieving his goal).

 

• Inner opposition (the character learns something that changes his mind about his goal).

 

• Circumstantial difficulties (no flour to bake a cake, no partners to dance with, etc.).

 

• Active conflict (argument, fistfight, etc.).

 

• Passive conflict (being ignored, being kept in the dark, being avoided, etc.).

 

• Other.

 

Question #2: How does this scene’s obstacle manifest? Specify how.

 

• Physical altercation.

 

• Verbal altercation.

 

• Physical obstacle (weather, roadblock, personal injury, etc.).

 

• Mental obstacle (fear, amnesia, etc.).

 

• Physical lack (no flour to bake a cake).

 

• Mental lack (no information).

 

• Passive aggression (intentional or unintentional).

 

• Indirect interference (long-distance or unintentional opposition by another character).

 

• Other.

 

Exercise #2: Once you’ve identified your scene’s conflict, ask yourself the following questions.

 

Question #1: Why does the opposition to the character’s goal matter to him?

 

Question #2: How does the conflict evolve organically from the goal?

 

Question #3: Why is the opposition’s motivation logical within the overall story?

 

Question #4: How does the conflict lead to a logical outcome (resolution or disaster) for the scene?

 

Question #5: How does the conflict directly interfere with or threaten the protagonist’s goal?

 

Reference: Structuring Your Novel, chapter 16, pages 203-213.