3 Common Mistakes Writers Make with Conflict

By Janice Hardy

Conflict has caused more than its fair share of writer frustrations.

Like many writers, I’ve spent countless hours creating conflict in my novels. I’ve thrown exciting obstacles in my protagonists’ paths, I’ve developed sinister antagonists to thwart my heroes, I’ve devised cruel ways to put my characters through mental anguish—and my beta readers still told me, “This scene needs more conflict.”

Because what we “know” about conflict is often wrong.

It’s not about the obstacles in the path, or the bad guy with the evil plan, or the mental anguish of the hero. It’s not the plot or the character arc, even though we often talk about it like it is (me included).

Conflict is a tapestry woven from multiple aspects of writing that all work together to create the fear that victory will not come easily to the characters, and it leaves readers dying to know what the protagonist is going to do about it.

Over the years, I’ve pinpointed the three most common reasons writers stumble when creating conflict in a story.

1. We think conflict is what’s in the way—literally.

A literal “something in the way” might look like conflict, but it’s usually just an obstacle. And obstacles only delay what was going to happen anyway—they don’t force a choice or make the outcome uncertain.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with an obstacle if it leads to a bigger problem, but it’s not a strong conflict in and of itself.

For example, if your protagonist is late for work and he hits a traffic jam, that’s not a compelling conflict. Sure, there might be consequences to being late, but it’s not a situation that’s making him unsure what to do next and struggling to make a choice about it. Odds are high it’s not going to make readers worry and desperate to see how he gets out of this traffic jam.

A strong story conflict also creates a situation that drives the plot and leads readers through that story.

But let’s say this traffic jam isn’t caused by a fender-bender, but by kidnappers who created an accident for the sole purpose of stopping traffic to get to the protagonist? Now this “obstacle” isn’t something in the way, but a real threat that needs to be addressed.

Or maybe being late to work means he’ll get fired, and his wife is pregnant, and losing his job means he’ll have to move back in with his in-laws who hate him and… you see how this can build to a more interesting story? An obstacle carries greater weight when it affects the story beyond delaying the inevitable—it’s not just “in the way.”

Creating a story-driving conflict can be tough, because what constitutes a “strong story” can vary by person.

Readers have biases, likes, and dislikes, depending on the genre they enjoy. So do writers. A thriller writer’s idea of a good conflict will be totally different from a sweet romance writer’s version. Use your best judgment and genre knowledge to fix an “in the way” conflict mistake. 

(Here’s more with Don’t Make This Common Writing Mistake:Creating Cardboard Conflicts)

2. We don’t understand what people mean when they say “conflict.”

If two writers are coming at conflict from two directions, there will likely be misunderstandings about what they’re actually talking about.

If someone says “Your novel lacks conflict,” what do you think is the problem? Maybe you think there aren’t enough “things in the way.” Maybe you feel your internal struggles aren’t angsty enough. Maybe you even think you need to throw more bad guys into the mix to bump up the action, or have your characters argue more.

But that might not be what the critiquer is saying at all. 

For example: If Writer A thinks conflict is about the internal struggle of a character, they might think Writer B’s adventure novel that’s heavy on plot has no conflict—even though it does. It’s just not the type of conflict that critiquer is used to or looking for.

In contrast, Writer B could read Writer A’s character-driven novel and think nothing ever happens because the conflict focuses on the internal and not the external. Their feedback wouldn’t be helpful, because their definition of conflict is different. To them, internal conflict is boring.

One writer is focused on external conflict that requires external actions; the other writer is focused on internal conflict that requires more reflection and thought.

Context is everything, and if you don’t understand which type of conflict someone is referring to, it can lead to frustration, confusion, and scenes that just don’t work.

If you’re sure your novel has all the conflict it needs, any “needs more conflict” feedback you get probably won’t make sense to you—even if it’s true. Ask for clarification on any feedback you get that isn’t clear to you. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple explanation or a specific example in the work to make the feedback clear, and turn it into help you can use.

(Here’s more with Writers: Stop Being Nice to Your Characters)

3. We’re using the wrong (or no) conflict to write our novel.

You’ll see this most often with character-driven novels and writers trying to plot using the internal conflict of the character arc, but anyone can make this mistake. 

An internal conflict works wonderfully to support a character arc, but internal conflicts don’t create plot—they just make it emotionally harder to overcome the external challenges. It’s what the character physically does to resolve that internal conflict that creates the plot.

Say you have a novel about a woman with a criminal past who gets out of prison and wants to go the straight and narrow and put her life back together. Many writers would say this book is about “A woman who gets her life back together after she’s released from prison.” And they’re right—but a lot of those same writers will have trouble creating a plot to support this story.

The reason?

There’s no conflict in the description of the book. It’s more the description of the character arc and the story.

“Getting her life back together” doesn’t show a plot, because nothing in this statement provides an external goal to pursue, or shows what’s preventing that goal, so there’s no conflict. Nothing is keeping her from getting her life back together. Without those details, the goal isn’t specific enough to know what external challenges she might face as she tries to “get her life back together.”

Trying to plot with a character arc creates a lot of frustration for writers, because the focus is on the internal struggle to change, not the external action.

Without those external challenges, you don’t know what the scenes will cover, so you can’t plot it. It’s like trying to bake a cake without putting it into the oven. The external heat is what turns the ingredients into dessert.

(Here’s more with How Your Character’s Internal Conflict CanHelp You Plot)

At its most basic, conflict (internal or external) is the challenge to overcome whatever is preventing the protagonist from making the decisions to do what needs to be done—physically, emotionally or mentally—to resolve a problem and move forward.

Consider what type of story you have and what type of plot you want to write. If it’s a heavy character-driven novel, look for ways the external conflicts can create situations for the character to face those internal conflicts and struggles. If they can’t commit, force them into situations where they need to do so to win. If they’re scared of speaking out, put them in a scene where they have to defend someone they care about. If they’re refusing to see their uncle is a monster, let them witness that uncle being terrible and only they can stop it.

If it’s a heavy plot-driven novel, look for ways the internal conflict can make the protagonist’s decisions harder to make, or cause them more emotional stress as they face the external problems. If they have to choose a path forward, let the “right” path force them into an emotional quandary. Make it easy to get their goal if they sacrifice a personal belief, or betray a friend.

(Here’s more with Where Does Your Novel's Conflict Come From?)

Ironically, the more your conflicts work together, the stronger the story will be.

It’s that woven tapestry I mentioned at the start. It all ties together, because good conflict is layered conflict. Once you understand how it works in your fiction, you’ll see what each scene needs and know how to best develop those layers and aspects of your story’s conflict to tell a more compelling tale.

EXERCISE FOR YOU: Pick a scene or chapter and analyze it. Do you have conflict or obstacles? Are the characters making tough decisions or is there really only one choice? Is there internal and as well as external conflict? Highlight and fix any weak conflict you find and brainstorm ways to improve them.

Have you ever made any of these conflict mistakes?

Find out more about conflict, stakes, and tension in my book, Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means).

With in-depth analysis and easy-to-understand examples, Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means) teaches you what conflict really is, discusses the various aspects of conflict, and reveals why common advice on creating conflict doesn't always work. It shows you how to develop and create conflict in your novel and explores aspects that affect conflict, as well as clarifying the misconceptions that confuse and frustrate so many writers.

This book will help you:

• Understand what conflict means and how to use it
• Tell the difference between external and internal conflicts
• See why conflict isn't a "one size fits all" solution
• Determine the type of conflict your story needs
• Fix lackluster scenes holding your writing back

Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means) is more than just advice on what to do and what not to do—it’s a down and dirty examination and analysis of how conflict works, so you can develop it in whatever style or genre you’re writing. By the end of this book, you’ll have a solid understanding of what conflict means and the ability to use it without fear or frustration.

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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