Writing Compelling
Literary Conflict
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
You probably don't need to be told that conflict is the backbone of a good story. Conflict and tension are the heart of your plot, the driving force behind your character objective, and the source of high stakes for your readers. You need to master the art of crafting a literary conflict if you want to keep your readers engaged from the first word to the last. Literary conflict also helps make readers care about your story. So, let's get started on the steps to creating appealing literary conflict.
What Is Literary Conflict?
First of all, let's define what literary conflict is. In literature, conflict is any source of struggle between opposing forces. This generally refers to the protagonist struggling against the antagonist. It is the element of the story that creates tension and suspense, that makes the reader want to keep reading to see how the conflict is going to be resolved. There are different types of literary conflict, such as man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, and man vs. self. These are broad strokes families of literary conflict that you can investigate as you decide the type of plot and theme you want to pursue.
To create literary conflict, you need some essential ingredients. The first ingredient is an objective for your main character. Your protagonist must have a clear want or character need that they are pursuing. This is the driving force behind their actions and choices, especially if you want them to be a proactive character, which is very appealing in storytelling.
The second ingredient is an obstacle that stands in the way of your main character's goal. The obstacle can represent an external conflict (another character, society, nature) or an internal conflict (doubts, fears, mental health). The third ingredient is the reason that the conflict matters, or the stakes: what your main character stands to lose if they fail to achieve their goal.
Teasing Out Your Literary Conflict
The intersection of character wants and needs with literary conflict is where the magic happens. A literary conflict must arise from a character's desire or need. For instance, if your main character wants to win a race, you can create conflict by having them face an opponent who is faster, stronger, or more experienced. The conflict arises from the collision of two opposing character desires—to win at all costs. Good literary conflict is underpinned by more subtle character need as well. Maybe their wants are threatened, but their subliminal needs can go unmet as well.
Character relationships are another great source of literary conflict. Conflicts between characters can stem from different values, beliefs, interests, motivations, and personalities. The conflicts can be subtle, like a disagreement about what to eat for dinner (though you’ll need to supply high stakes for that one … or maybe steaks?) or a major betrayal that changes the course of the story. In either case, the conflict must have emotional impact on the character, in order to have impact on the reader.
To execute literary conflict for maximum emotional impact, pay attention to character and action beats. Character beats are the moments of change and realization that occur for your main characters. Action beats are the physical moments of conflict, such as a fight, chase, or confrontation. By juxtaposing these moments, you can develop a rhythm that builds tension and keeps the reader hooked—the perceived speed at which the story moves is called pacing, and you want to aim for a tight, quick narrative (especially in certain genres, but less so if you’re writing literary fiction).
Avoiding Literary Conflict Issues
Common mistakes writers make with their literary conflict efforts include overreliance on external conflict, not making the stakes high enough, and not allowing characters to grow and change. To create an appealing literary conflict, you need to balance internal and external conflict, make the stakes personal and meaningful, and show how your characters evolve through the conflict, especially as they hit a turning point in the story, or hurtle toward the story climax.
It's important to note that each genre of novel or short story is different in terms of expectations for the climax and resolution. A romance story may require a happy ending, while a horror story may need an ambiguous or tragic ending. Whatever genre you're writing, make sure you know the conventions, tropes, and expectations before you start crafting your conflict.
Creating an appealing literary conflict is the key to a successful story. By understanding the essential ingredients of conflict, how it intersects with character wants and needs, how it arises from character relationships, and how to execute it for maximum emotional impact, you'll be able to write a plot that will keep your readers engaged from start to finish. Just remember to avoid common mistakes and be aware of genre expectations. With these tips, you'll be on your way to crafting a conflict that will captivate your readers and keep them turning pages.
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