I keep a little note by my computer that reminds me to “escalate conflict.” But how can you actually accomplish this in your own writing? In this video, I break down the four types of conflict every writer needs to understand and show you how they work together to create stories that keep readers hooked.
You talk about escalating conflict. How do I do it? I do. I keep this little sign right by my computer, escalate conflict with every sentence, with every paragraph, every chapter. I’m always trying to ratchet up tension.
Well, the starting place is to understand the four kinds of conflict. There’s physical conflict. There’s emotional. There’s mental. And there’s spiritual. These are not mutually exclusive. Very often a story involves all or some of these, not just one. Often there is a primary one. If a person is lost in a blizzard, that is likely to be mostly physical conflict, man against the environment. But you know what? There’s going to be the self doubt. That’s spiritual. There’s going to be fear, emotional.
There’s going to be, “All right, I’m running out of food. Do I ration? Do I build up strength now and start hiking? What do I do?” Those are mental issues, intellectual challenges. So even though it might be primarily physical, there’s likely to be all four. And sometimes that primary one is actually a metaphor.
The snowstorm is a metaphor for having to be autonomous, having to be self sufficient. And I would examine that from all the different angles, not just the physical, but also the emotional, the spiritual, and the mental.
How about you? What do you think about when you think about conflict? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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