On Conflict in Writing

August 1, 2012

While you may not like conflict in your own life, conflict is essential in the life of your main character. Without conflict of some kind, there won’t be much of a story.

Conflict comes in many forms, though, and doesn’t mean you have to throw in dramatic arguments and accidents in every scene. Sometimes, conflict is more subtle; it can come from within: an internal struggle to make an important decision, for example.

Conflict keeps a story interesting and ever-changing, twisting and turning. Conflict causes obstacles that keep your protagonist from reaching his or her story goal, and this is a good thing, because once that goal is reached, the story is basically over.

Note: the above writing tip is taken from my Writing Tip of the Day page.