7 Literary Conflicts Explained (Clip Show #11)

Rosemi Mederos: 00:01

If you have plot bunnies coming out of your plot holes, it’s time for a writing break.

This season we’ve been covering seven types of literary conflicts, and I thought it might be useful for you to have a bonus episode that has all seven conflicts back to back.

Let’s settle in at the Writing Break cafe and get started on a full episode of writing tips.

From Episode 101: 7 Types of Conflict in Literature

Whether or not you seek to avoid conflict in real life, avoiding conflict in your writing will make for a boring book.

The seven types of conflict we’re discussing this season are: Character vs Self, Character vs Character, Character vs Nature, Character vs Society, Character vs Supernatural, Character vs Technology, and Character vs Destiny

Out of these seven, Character vs Destiny and Character vs Self are internal conflicts. The rest are external conflicts.

From Episode 102: Character versus Self

For all of the literary conflicts I’ll be talking about in the next several episodes, the word character is sometimes supplanted by man, human, or protagonist. For example, character versus self might be referred to as man versus himself, human versus self, or protagonist versus self. However, I’ll refer to it as character versus self, since your protagonist might not be male or even human, and often characters who are not protagonists can have an inner conflict with themselves.

Character versus self is when a character battles with themselves. That is, they have an internal struggle. This can be about any conflict happening within the character, including contending with personal flaws, opposing desires, or moral dilemmas. While there might be external conflicts and other opponents within the story, when there is a character versus self conflict, the character is adding to their own struggle.

I love character versus self conflicts because we all have internal struggles with ourselves, so readers can easily relate with your character. In order to write a character versus self conflict that is interesting, you have to write a flawed character, which is something authors might be reluctant to do. But the complexity of character versus self pushes you to write a well-rounded character that actually has some depth and dimension.

Your character might have a strong desire for something, but are they willing to fulfill this desire no matter the cost? Will they succumb to temptation when they know they shouldn’t? Does their pursuit of power end up corrupting their morals or force them to question their goals?

Does your character have fear or past trauma that they need to overcome, or are they struggling with guilt about their past actions? Perhaps your character is unsure of the right thing to do or of their ability to succeed in doing the thing that must be done. They might possess good intentions but struggle with the methods used to achieve them. Does your character fail to align with their cultural identity or familial expectations? Do their actions or desired actions contradict their cultural background or racial identity?

These are all internal struggles, character versus self, and the question of whether or not your character will overcome their inner struggles creates tension and keeps readers engaged.

Character versus self conflicts can occur in the protagonist, the antagonist, and other characters. They’re common in books and in movies. A character versus self conflict can also be worked into biographies and memoirs. If you’re writing about a real-life person, what were their internal struggles? Sharing this answer with your readers will make the subject of your nonfiction feel even more real, even more tangible.

From Episode 103: Character versus Character

The literary conflict of character versus character seems simple enough, right? Two characters are pitted against each other in some way. This clash can be physical or mental, but it’s best when it’s a bit of both . . . or a lot of both. A physical conflict would be something like a competition or a fight. A mental conflict would be something like a moral disagreement, a clash of personalities, a battle of wills. This could also be referred to as a psychological conflict between characters. As with all of the literary conflicts we’re talking about this season, character versus character serves to create tension and gives the author room to develop their characters.

I encourage you to write character versus character conflicts as more than just good versus evil or right versus wrong. Perhaps the antagonist has convincing reasons for their standpoint or says or does something that makes the protagonist revisit their own beliefs or reflect on their own actions.

I think it’s fun when an antagonist makes me question whether the protagonist is in the right.

For example, my book club is currently dragging me kicking and screaming through Iron Flame, which is the sequel to the popular fantasy novel, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I’m going to keep my reasons for not liking this series to myself; however, I do enjoy that antagonists and supporting characters often have valid reasons for their actions, even when those actions conflict with what the protagonist wants to happen.

The protagonist is meant to overcome personal flaws while working out how to overcome the obstacles presented by other characters, and boy, am I hoping that happens in this series.

Character versus character conflicts can be direct or indirect. With indirect conflicts, the characters might not even confront each other directly, but their conflicting goals and desires still manage to create tension in a story. It could be something like not being able to tell a friend a secret because the protagonist doesn’t want to put the friend in danger or they are not sure the friend can be trusted with this particular piece of information.

There can also be multiple characters in this character versus character conflict. Think: a new employee versus their new coworkers, an employer versus their employees, or a bootlegger versus law enforcement. There could also be multiple antagonists with varying motives, such as the aforementioned bootlegger versus law enforcement and other bootleggers.

Again, these clashes should lead to the protagonist and other characters learning, growing, and adapting. Perhaps the protagonist develops new skills, modifies their convictions, or forms new alliances in order to overcome the conflict. The conflict should not be static. Shifting the balance of power will make for a more engaging story.

Character versus character drives the story forward best when all of the characters are well-developed, not just the protagonist. This means that each character’s motivations are clear, and they each have a unique voice with a unique personality. Remember that motives can be a little bit hidden depending on your story, such as murder mysteries. Still having clear motivations, unique voices, unique personalities will enable your readers to develop strong emotional connections to your characters and actually care about what happens to them. Remember that no one is all good or all bad, and your characters shouldn’t be either.

Some of the weakest writing I’ve seen is when the protagonist’s former lover enters the story. I think sometimes authors are revenge writing and create characters with no redeeming qualities that make the reader wonder what the protagonist ever saw in that character. This also happens with the former lover’s new lover. An author trying to hide the revenge writing will make the former lover’s new lover physically attractive, with no redeeming qualities. Writing can be therapeutic, so go ahead and write down all that vitriol, just remember to remove it from your manuscript before submitting, and, if you have time, replace it with text that shows you have enough of an understanding of the human experience to give every character strengths and weaknesses.

(By the way, this all applies even if your characters are not human because your book will be read by humans, and, therefore, should have the power to influence the way your readers live their lives.)

Oh, and one more thing: Do not take any of this as a sign to text your ex. That person had no redeeming qualities, mmkay?

From Episode 104: Character versus Nature

Character vs. nature is when a character faces opposition from the natural world. The key components of a character vs nature conflict are: the character, the natural force, and the struggle. The natural force can be a specific element (like a storm, a mountain, or wild animals), or the natural force can be a general environment (like an ocean, a rainforest, or a desert).

So, we’re talking about characters stranded in a blizzard or shipwrecked on a deserted island, characters facing a hurricane or a tornado, and even characters encountering danger while exploring uncharted territories. The struggle encompasses the character's internal and external battle to survive, conquer, or adapt to the natural world.

The themes explored in character vs nature conflicts tend to be: resilience, determination, and strength in the face of adversity; questions about humanity’s relationship with the natural world; and the amazing and often destructive force of nature.

I have actively sought out character versus nature books since I first read Island of the Blue Dolphins. Books like that one, Hatchet and Call of the Wild are books where the character vs nature conflict drives the plot. But that doesn’t have to be the case. A protagonist or a group of characters can face nature for a portion of the book but not the entire book, such as in Their Eyes Were Watching God. In either case, character vs nature should not be the only literary conflict present, so be sure to layer your story with a couple of the other conflicts we’re discussing this season.

I welcome any and all character versus nature book recommendations, and I encourage you to include a character versus nature conflict in at least one scene of your current work in progress. Some of you don’t even mention the weather, much less a conflict with it.

As Ernest Hemingway told us, “Remember to get the weather in your damn book–weather is very important.”

From Episode 105: Character versus Society

The literary conflict of character vs. society is where a character's values, beliefs, or actions clash with the expectations or laws of the character’s society. For clarity, I’m using society to mean a collective group with its own set of rules and expectations. This could be the entire world in which the plot is taking place or just one town that doesn’t like dancing.

Character vs society is a highly popular conflict in storytelling, especially in societies that value individuality. The stories, of course, require rebellion on at least one character’s part as well a conclusion that brings some kind of change to the society in which the character is living. In some cases what changes is the protagonist’s geography. They just straight up leave town.

Character vs society can be found in coming-of-age stories when young characters are still figuring out who they are and finding their place in a complex world. It can also be found in dystopian novels where an individual character or a small group of characters rebel against totalitarian regimes. And it can also be found in social justice stories where characters fight against discrimination, inequality, or oppression.

Character versus society conflicts give an author the opportunity to explore questions about the legitimacy and use of power and authority and about the impact an individual can have on society. As the characters struggle against societal pressures, the author can explore the internal and external conflicts that arise when individualism and conformity are at odds.

While this conflict will drive the plot forward with increasingly high stakes, it is important that the reader understand the values your character has that are resulting in the action and risks they’re taking. The character must be strong in their conviction, but remember that a flawed character is an interesting character. We don’t want to read about a saint-like character going up against a clearly evil regime. There should also be a reasonable explanation as to why the society rules are what they are and why everyone else is conforming to them.

When this conflict appears in a book, it is usually the main driver of the plot, and there are plenty of examples of that in today’s mainstream books, shows, and movies, so you don’t need me for that. However, I will say that your story will be much more interesting if at least one other literary conflict is present.

From Episode 106: Character versus Supernatural

Ghosts, demons, gods, and other mythical creatures can all be found in character vs. supernatural literary conflicts. Some people lump fate and destiny in with the supernatural, but I like to keep that separate, so we’ll be discussing that in a couple of weeks.

Today, we’re discussing conflicts between your character and supernatural entities–that is, beings that are beyond the realm of natural law as we know it.

To write this type of conflict well, a challenge will arise from at least one supernatural entity that your character, or a group of characters, must face head on. There’s no getting away from it, so make sure to close up any loopholes so that your readers don’t sit around wondering why the character chose to grapple with this supernatural power.

Whether your characters battle dragons and warlocks or vampires and werewolves, your readers will want to know your protagonist’s internal and external battles as they confront the supernatural threat.

Character vs supernatural conflicts allow authors to explore the limits of human capability and understanding as well as themes of faith and belief by presenting questions about the existence of the supernatural and its impact on humanity and society.

Keep in mind that readers who are enthusiastic about character vs supernatural conflicts want the supernatural element to be central to the book. Don’t take too long getting us there, and don’t make the supernatural aspect a side element to the story. If you’re going to write about the supernatural, readers will not be forgiving if you don’t go all in. That being said, it might be in your book’s best interest to add more than just this one literary conflict to the story so that the story and character arcs are more engaging.

From Episode 107: Character versus Technology

The clash of human and machine can appear in any genre. However, if it is the main literary conflict of your book, chances are you are writing science fiction.

It is the differences between the characters and the technology that drive this conflict. First, there’s the organic nature of your characters versus the inorganic nature of technology.

This leads us to adaptability and limitations. Organic characters can adapt to new situations and learn from experiences, while technology might have limitations or require updates to function effectively in different environments. The flip side of that is when the machine seems to be learning, and the humans struggle to keep up.

There’s also emotion and reason. Characters are typically driven by emotions, desires, and personal experiences. Technology, on the other hand, is often portrayed as logical and objective, operating according to its programming and available data.

Then there’s free will and determinism. Your characters likely possess free will, making choices based on their own judgment, whereas technology may be programmed with autonomy but is still subject to the limitations of its programming.

To keep it simple, let’s suppose your characters are human. Humans create and use tools to improve their chances of survival and enhance their quality of life. Technology is invented as tools that will benefit humanity. This includes all machines and computational devices. Character vs technology conflicts ask the reader to imagine technology doing what humans do not want it to do. The conflict between character and technology often arises when technology poses a threat to your characters’ existence, values, or way of life. This can manifest in various forms:

There’s rebellion. For example, AI or machines become sentient and rebel against their human creators. This leads to a struggle for control that is quite compelling when written well.

There’s also dependence. What if humans become too reliant on technology, leading to a loss of autonomy or human skills? This can lead to existential crises and interesting philosophical explorations about what it means to be human. One thing I like in these stories is when some of the humans make interesting arguments in favor of technology dependence.

And, of course, there are ethical dilemmas. The use of technology can raise ethical questions, especially in regards to the creation of artificial life or the manipulation of information.

There are famous high-concept stories that tackle character vs technology, such as Frankenstein, Blade Runner, The Terminator, and Neuromancer. But this conflict can also appear in stories that take place around the Industrial Revolution or in modern times with our current AI Revolution. Moving from handmade clothing to machine made clothing, for example, left a lot of talented people at a loss that affected them economically and spiritually. Being a good tailor or seamstress meant that you dedicated your life to this trade and spent a considerable amount of hours straining your eyes in the name of perfecting your craft. Similarly, scores of skilled artists are experiencing this right now as the world moves from handmade art to AI-generated art, and as OpenAI moves from nonprofit to for-profit. This is a topic that can make you famous. We don’t yet have a world-class novel on the perils of AI-generated art.

Can you write a story about this and relate it to the nature of humanity, the limits of technology, and the potential consequences of our technological advancements? Why not give it a shot?

From Episode 108: Character versus Destiny

The seventh and final literary conflict in our series is character versus destiny. Some people lump this one together with character versus supernatural, but not me. Both conflicts can appear in one story, and there might even be some overlap between the two. Character versus supernatural and character versus destiny each involve a protagonist facing external forces beyond their control; however, there are key distinctions between the two conflicts.

For starters, character versus supernatural often explores themes of good versus evil, the unknown, and the limits of human understanding, while character versus destiny often explores themes of free will, predestination, and the role of fate in shaping one's life.

There’s also major differences in the nature of the two forces. Supernatural forces are often seen as magical, mystical, or otherworldly entities or powers. They can be gods, demons, ghosts, or other non-human forces, whereas destiny is often seen as a predetermined course of events, a fixed path that the character must follow. The predetermined course is often presented in the form of prophecies, societal expectations, or personal history. The conflict arises when the character rejects the idea that their fate is predetermined and beyond their control.

This affects how much control a protagonist has in each conflict. In conflicts against the supernatural, characters have a considerable amount of agency and can use their skills, knowledge, and allies to combat forces that defy the natural world. However, in conflicts against destiny, destiny is presented as an inescapable force, despite the protagonist’s best efforts to struggle against a predetermined path. When a character fights their destiny, it can lead to internal struggles but it can also lead to character growth.

Character versus destiny is an intriguing literary conflict because most readers have wondered at some point in their life if they truly have freewill or if their lives have been mapped out for them from the start. We might want to be autonomous, but we might also enjoy the irresponsibility that comes with fulfilling our destiny. For example, if I believe that fate is something I cannot control, how responsible am I for any wrongdoing? Wasn’t I going to do it anyway? Take Sleeping Beauty, for example, they burned all but one spinning wheel in the village, and Aurora still found the one that would fulfill the witch’s curse.

Character versus destiny conflicts often involve a prophecy that the character does not want to see fulfilled, such as in Macbeth. Perhaps you think you can change your fate, and yet it is the very actions that you take to change your fate that begins to fulfill it, as in Oedipus Rex and Minority Report.

The idea that life is predetermined and we cannot outrun our destiny can be thrilling and fun to explore. Once the story is over, we can resume our day just a little less certain that we are in control of things.

I hope you enjoyed this bonus episode. In two weeks, we begin a new season, which will focus on advice on the business of writing, including the writing process, the querying process, modern tools of the trade, and more. I’ll be sharing advice from authors, agents, and listeners. Tune in for more writing tips and the latest publishing news and book trends. Until then, thank you so much for listening, and remember, you deserved this break.

If you would like us to visit your favorite independent bookstore, feature your favorite independent author (even if it’s you), or discuss something you’re overthinking about, please email me at podcast@writingbreak.com.

Thank you for making space in your mind for The Muse today.

Writing Break is hosted by America’s Editor and produced by Allon Media with technical direction by Gus Aviles. Visit us at writingbreak.com or contact us at podcast@writingbreak.com.