Conflict is the foundation of every story. Usually, the protagonist has a goal, and then something prevents them from reaching it. That’s the conflict. The best and the worst stories have conflict. What determines if your conflict is good depends on the way you build it before the story begins.
If you want to write a great story, you need to get your conflict right. Admittedly, writing a great conflict is tricky. The thing is, there’s no right answer. There are so many approaches and variants, and they’re all great in their own ways.
However, the best thing you can do is to learn about conflict in literature. Today, I’ll walk you through what conflict is, why a good conflict is important, the two main categories of conflict, the 7 types of conflict, and how you can use this knowledge to write not only a good story, but a great one.
What Is Conflict in Literature?
Conflict in literature is a meaningful obstacle that prevents the protagonist from reaching their goal. Every narrative has a conflict; it’s the reason you’re telling the story in the first place. It’s quite simple: the protagonist wants a certain outcome, but something is preventing that from happening.
In a story, there are multiple conflicts. One is the central conflict, around which the whole story revolves. The other one is usually bound in subplots and often gets resolved before the central conflict.
Strong conflict does three things:
- Creates suspense that sustains the reader’s interest.
- Forces characters to make choices.
- Drives transformation and growth.
The Two Main Types of Conflict in Literature: Internal vs. External
Generally, all types of conflict fall into two broad categories: internal and external conflict. Let’s take a look at what both of them are.
Internal Conflict in Literature
Internal conflict is the psychological struggle a character faces. It can be a conflict concerning desires, goals, or beliefs. It’s the conflict the character faces in their mind.
Although internal conflict occurs within a character’s mind, it ultimately affects them externally too. It affects their worldview, their behaviour, and how they’ll resolve the central conflict.
Internal conflict is what makes characters human, relatable, and easier to sympathise with. The character stops being just a name on a page and becomes a multi-dimensional being, making the story feel more alive.
Internal conflict is crucial to a story’s success. You can write a whole story based on the internal turmoil a character feels. Think of it like this: would you read a story where the protagonist knew what to do all the time? For me, that’s a hard pass. I want the character to question themselves and their world. I want to know what makes them worthy of reading about.
Here’s how internal conflict can look:
- Constantly doubting yourself.
- Facing ethical dilemmas.
- Who they are, and who they want to be, don’t align.
- Having two contradictory beliefs.
- Wanting two things you can’t have at the same time.
External Conflict in Literature
External conflicts are the tension that happens between the character and the outside world. It involves outside forces such as an antagonist, society, or a situation challenging the protagonist. External conflicts are what move the story. They make the protagonist take action.
External conflict forces the character to grow by overcoming challenges. They face a problem, they have to find a way to solve it, and they have to deal with the consequences. It puts the protagonist in uncomfortable situations. Furthermore, the external conflict can be described as the plot in many cases.
External conflict can appear as:
- Another character is preventing the protagonist from reaching their goal.
- Laws or rules restricting the protagonist’s choices.
- A circumstance hindering the protagonist from reaching their goal.
- A physical obstacle prevents the protagonist from moving forward.
Bringing Both Sides Together
To write a good story, you need both internal and external conflict. As you’ve probably noticed, the best stories have a mix of both.
The combination of internal and external conflict creates depth and tension. It makes readers invested in both what’s happening inside the character and their world. Internal and external conflict take them on an adventure worth being on.
- Motivation. You know your character’s internal and external conflict, but what makes them act? Give them a reason to act on their conflicts.
- Your protagonist’s external conflict should force them to confront their internal conflict.
- Allow internal conflict to complicate external conflict.
- Resolve both conflicts together. The internal and external determine together if they fail or succeed.
Learn more about internal and external conflict to get a deeper insight and write a compelling story.
The 7 Types of Conflict in Literature
Although all conflicts are either internal or external, they can be further categorized. These are described as the 7 types of conflict in literature. It consists of different types of conflicts the protagonist can face, and sometimes they even face multiple of these conflicts. Let’s take a closer look at them.
1. Man vs. Man Conflict
Man vs. man conflict is a type of external conflict. It’s where a character directly opposes another character. This proposition can take many forms, such as physical fights, arguments, or competition.
At its core, man vs. man conflict is about people standing in each other’s way. One character’s action interferes with another character’s ability to move forward. The opposition is intentional and ongoing. The conflict is happening outside the character’s mind, so it’s described as an external conflict.
Man vs. man conflict in literature can look vastly different depending on the story. However, here are some key traits that can help you define what man vs. man conflict is:
- Clear opponent.
- Opposing goals
- Personal stakes
2. Man vs. Self Conflict
Man vs. self conflict is a type of internal conflict. It focuses on the struggle between a character and their mind. They have opposing values, beliefs, ideas, or desires. It’s when they want two things they can’t have simultaneously.
Man vs. Self strips a character down to the bone. It shows them raw and unfiltered. And that is where the most powerful storytelling happens. When readers see who the character truly is beneath the surface, they feel it. Writing about man vs. self conflict can put words to emotions that readers may not know how to express.
Man vs. self conflict can elevate your story in many different ways. Here are some of them:
- Raises the stakes without relying on external action.
- Creates tension through choices rather than events.
- Makes character arcs feel earned and believable.
- Helps readers stay emotionally invested in the story.
Want to write a compelling internal conflict? Read more about it here.
3. Man vs. Society Conflict
The conflict between man and society is a type of external conflict. It comes from opposition from the outside world rather than from inside the character. It’s when a person’s beliefs, values, identity, or desire contradict how the world they live in works.
Society is a system that has expectations, rules, or traditions that don’t align with the protagonist. Society tells people who they should be and what they should do. The conflict appears when the protagonist refuses to accept those roles. They break the norm and sometimes even the law. The story builds around the character challenging the system.
A classic example:
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, we follow the heroine Elizabeth Bennet, who lives in a society where women’s autonomy is limited. Women are expected to marry for financial security rather than personal happiness. Love isn’t as important as wealth, family connections, and social status. A woman who refuses a “good” marriage offer is judged as foolish, ungrateful, and irresponsible.
Elizabeth, however, believes that marriage should be built on love and respect. Because of this, she doesn’t follow the expectations placed on her. When she turns down proposals that would secure her future but not her happiness, she puts herself in opposition to her family and to society.
Her conflict isn’t just with one man. It’s with the social system that tells her who she should be and what she should want. Jane Austen does an excellent job of illustrating how man vs. society conflict can look.
Learn how to write a man vs. society conflict in this post guide.
4. Man vs. Nature Conflict
In definition, man vs. nature is a type of external conflict where the character is in direct opposition with nature itself. The antagonist takes the form of harsh weather, treacherous landscapes, ferocious animals, natural disasters, or even the human body itself.
In this kind of story, nature becomes an obstacle. It stands between the character and their goal. It’s a hindrance preventing them from getting what they truly desire.
What makes this conflict even more fascinating is that nature is an indifferent force. That means nature isn’t evil or good. Nature doesn’t have intentions. Unlike a person, nature isn’t sitting in its evil lair cooking up a malicious plan to harm the protagonist.
Here’s what man vs. nature is good at:
- Pushes characters to develop and adapt.
- Highlights the character’s vulnerability.
- Showing the character in confronting forces beyond their control.
- Uses the environment actively.
- Creating high-stakes survival situations.
- Evoking universal themes of mortality.
Read more about man vs. nature here, and learn how to write it yourself.
5. Man vs. Fate Conflict
Man vs. Fate is a type of external conflict in which a character struggles against an unavoidable future. It might look like they’re fighting destiny, a prophecy, or a certain outcome.
No matter what the character does, it seems like a divine force is pushing the character towards a predetermined path. The character can try to fight it, ignore it, or change it, but fate keeps pulling them back toward what’s meant to happen.
Let’s take a look at how Rick Riordan illustrates this through Percy Jackson:
In the novel, twelve-year-old Percy seeks out an oracle who delivers a prophecy about the quest he is on. The prophecy predicts parts of Percy’s journey and hints at betrayal and failure. Even though his future seems to be foretold, Percy insists on making his own choices.
The prophecy weighs heavily on him. It affects how he behaves and who he trusts throughout the quest. In many ways, the prophecy begins to shape the events around him, showing how trying to fight fate can sometimes bring it closer.
Want to write a compelling story like Rick Riordan did? Learn more here, so you can do the same.
6. Man vs. the Supernatural
You may wonder what the definition of “man vs. the supernatural” is. Man vs. the supernatural is a type of conflict that explores the struggles between a character and the supernatural world. They’re in direct opposition to something unscientific and mythical. It could be ghosts, vampires, zombies, or curses.
Man vs. the supernatural is a type of external conflict because it arises from outside the character. It’s something threatening the protagonist and preventing them from reaching their goal.
Key signs of man vs. the supernatural:
- The antagonist is a supernatural force, such as a demon, spirit, or witch.
- It’s a conflict that breaks the laws of nature or isn’t “realistic”.
- The conflict challenges the character’s worldview or faith.
- It highlights human vulnerability against supernatural forces.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Get a deeper insight into the conflict in this article.
7. Man vs. Technology Conflict
Afraid of AI taking over the world? If so, only read man vs. technology conflict in the broad daylight, or else you might get a good scare.
A simplified definition of man vs. technology is when a character is in direct conflict with technology. It occurs when technology poses danger, raises ethical dilemmas, or forces humans to confront the consequences of their own creations.
Technology can mean many things, but often takes the form of machines, systems created by humans, or other artifacts. You often find this type of conflict in science fiction and dystopian stories, though it can exist in any genre.
Take a look at the common themes of man vs. technology conflict:
Loss of control: As technology advances, humans no longer have control over it. What happens when technology has a mind of its own?
Responsibility and ethics: The story asks who is responsible when technology does more harm than good: the creator, user, or society?
Fear of progress: Anxiety of the world, the way you know it, changes. People aren’t the same, and the tools they use are unfamiliar and scary.
Personhood: Questioning what it means to be human and if non-human beings can also be “human”?
Read the ultimate guide to man vs. technology conflict in this post.
Can a Story Have Multiple Types of Conflict in Literature?
The short answer is yes. A story can definitely have more than one type of conflict. The important thing is they all connect, and one way to do that is through themes. Read more about the theme here.
Make Your Conflict Stronger
Put what you learned here today into action. Believe it or not, you can strengthen the conflict in your story, and I may know just how.
Ask yourself:
- What does my protagonist want?
- What specifically stands in their way?
- What will they lose if they fail?
- How does this external struggle connect to their internal conflict?
Why Conflict in Literature Is Essential for Storytelling
Most stories are born from an obstacle standing in the protagonist’s way. Every story needs a conflict. Imagine reading a story where everything was sugar and spice, everything nice. I couldn’t because what would be the point?
You read a story to watch the protagonist go on a journey where they’ll fail, win, and change. For that to happen, they’ll need a reason, a conflict.
