Lawrence Medina

So… you want to tell a story. It’s no easy feat. You have to do more than just get the words out there. You are going to need to have people believe the stakes at hand. You are going to have to make people root for your hero. You will have to make a villain that can be both adored and hated.

You are going to have to capture hearts and change minds. Like I said, this is no easy feat. Take hold my friend, for this journey begins and ends with a single word:

“Conflict”

            This is the meat. This is the secret sauce. This is the ends all be all, of your story. Without it, it all falls apart. You’ll end up with just bread… Which mind you is great, but it does not make for a filling meal.

So, where in lies your conflict? Better yet, before you go on to that topic, let’s begin with another. What is conflict?

What’s Conflict?

A strange thing to wonder, but I assure you it is not. A conflict can be very minor or even universe ending.

Perhaps you have no mayo for your sandwich… What do you use now? There’s ketchup. Perhaps some mustard? There’s that jar that lost its label and has been sloshing around in your fridge for an unnatural amount of time.

There. The above is a very simple conflict. “What to throw on your sandwich?” Silly? Yes. Effective, perhaps. Interesting, to most people that eat sandwiches, more than likely.

Then there are massive conflicts, the kinds that shatter worlds and tear apart families. What should you have for dinner? For some of you out there, you likely had a flashback. Others, maybe this stirred nothing in you.

In the end, these are conflicts. Decisions must be made, otherwise, everything falls apart. Those sandwiches will go uneaten. Dinner tables cold and empty. As an easy takeaway, here: Conflicts are Decisions. Unavoidable, heavy, and all-encompassing. You must decide what to do once a conflict arises.

Often times, in stories you will see our hero run away at the sight of conflict, but then comes the call to action. You too must face that call… You too must decide what the conflict of your story will be.

Deciding your Decision.

Your conflict should typically fit within your theme. Don’t make a conflict that can be wrapped up nicely. Don’t create a conflict that someone looking from the outside can solve in a matter of minutes. There must be something at stake. There must be something on the line.

Decide who dies. Decide who lives. Decide where your story will reside. Choose a conflict that will actually affect your characters. Choose a conflict that would force them to make a decision.

Think of it this way.

Your mother and your significant other are hanging on a ledge. Who will you save? Here’s the caveat for those of you that say, “Oh, I’ll save them both!”

You now only have one arm.

Who will you save? You have to decide or you lose them both. If you try for both, maybe you and your one-armed strength can save them, or you’ll fumble. Losing all everything that matters.

Tragic.

But decisions must be made.

Where Lies your Conflict?

Listen. There is conflict everywhere in life. Where is it in your story? Is it in your character’s relationship? Does it lie within them? Do they have something against the world? Where does your conflict lie.

You can have multiple conflicts. Go ahead throw every single on in your story, but don’t forget. Each conflict must be faced. Your characters must decide what happens at each one that arises. Then… Then, there is an extra step.

A new conflict.

Much like life, no problem is ever solved only once. An argument in the middle of the night doesn’t end there. You must face it again when you wake up in the morning. Sure, maybe it’s at a simmer. Your character will need to address it. If they do—When they do, remember, it doesn’t end there.

There is always fallout from every decision. Remember the good old ledge scenario. The person you save—and you, yourself, will likely be faced with this nagging question, “Why was I saved. Why couldn’t I save both.”

A decision is always met with fallout. The level of radiation is completely dependent on the decision made.

Confliction Fallout

Fallout. It’s what creates an ending worth remembering. People will recall your conflict, your decisions, but… It’s the fallout that will make them remember it.

After all, we all know about the Manhattan Project, but we all remember the mushroom cloud that followed its completion even more. Hell, we’re still talking about it today.

Be sure that the fallout of your decision is one that your character would do. Be sure that the fallout doesn’t merely get swept away with on wave of the hand and a call for love or friendship.

Should your fallout be swept away, then congratulations. You’ve made a story that people will remember, but not for amazement, but rather for their disappointment.

A New Setting

Let all of the above seep deep into what you want to create. Whether it be a story, a social media post, a quick blurb, or even an ad.

Conflict is an amazing driving factor when it comes to writing. Why is that? Well, as a dead man once wrote:

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.”