The turn in fiction: creating conflict
By Liz Matthews
“‘The king died and then the queen died,’ is a story. ‘The king died and then the queen died of grief,’ is a plot.” –E.M. Forster
The conflict in a story is what makes your reader want to keep reading. In order to write a successful story, your characters need to desire something, and that desire needs to motivate them to act. For example, in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wants to get home. This desire compels her to follow the yellow brick road. As you develop your characters through action, you will inevitably create conflict. Conflict is a struggle or ongoing battle between your character and some outside force. Throw in some obstacles along the way that will prevent your character from immediately attaining whatever they want. Dorothy struggles with the Wicked Witch throughout the story. After you create a series of incidents or conflicting events, you’ll reach the climax, which is the turning point in your story. Dorothy eventually overcomes the Witch by melting her with a bucket of water. Much of the ongoing conflict has led up to this moment, and this where the tables turn. Now Dorothy is in control of her fate. What follows is the resolution – the tying up of any loose ends. Dorothy says goodbye to all of her friends and finally gets to go home.
- Introduce your character, setting, any necessary background information
Tip: Begin in the midst of the action to ensure that there is, in fact, potential for conflict. - Rising action: introduce the conflict or series of conflicts.
character vs. character – an ongoing argument, disagreement or grudge
character vs. nature – journey, illness or death
character vs. society – character stands up for something they believe in
character vs. self –inner conflict or tragic history - Climax - the highest point of tension in the story: the turn
- Falling action – the aftermath of the climax—the result of the crisis
- Resolution – the conclusion of the story, the typing up on loose ends
