Conflict!

You need it in a story, and it has to have purpose.

Different types of Conflict

Man Vs. Man

Man Vs. Man is the most common Conflict.  Your character having a villain in his life who just wants to cause trouble.  This is the conflict used with most superhero stories, supernatural stories, and even mystery cases.  Find out who done it.

Man Vs. Nature

I know you’ve watched 2012 or know the story. It is the best example of a Man Vs. Nature kind of story. Man surviving desert storms, the ice age(although I don’t think this is possible in Kenya…but hey, you’re the writer), Floods, Drought, e.t.c.

Man  Vs. Society

This is the type of story that is about one person facing off with an entire society.  They mostly occur in traditional settings, an individual challenging customary rules, and having  a hard time because it’s a challenge to change an entire society.  Most times, this individual may end up being the odd one out, and the story is how he/she handles that sort of thing.  Examples of this are: Mandela’s Story, Martin Luther King’s Story, in Fiction – Avatar by Micheal Crichton.

Man Vs. Himself

This is the type of story I truly love because it starts out with the main character as the underdog and ends with him being the king of the jungle.  Writers that pull off this type of conflict have a great story, one that is shared for ages because each one of us has something we struggle against in our lives.  And the moment you stop struggling and master that thing, it becomes a source of triumph and achievement.  Examples are like the Hellen Keller Story.

There are those who are able to mix all these conflicts in the story, making it complex and exciting.  There are those who prefer to follow one simple conflict, which can leave you breathless as well.  So, it is up to you to plan out your story using the conflict that most excites you and your plot.  Just don’t mishmash it in there and make it confusing to your reader, take it slow and plan it out until it is believable.

Further Reading

Literary Conflict

Literary Devices – Conflict