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My Two Cents on Conflict

Laurie Thurston

Pull a penny from your pocket and flick it skyward; watch heads and tails blur so you can't tell the difference. This spinning coin is how conflict should develop in your story: two sides - seamlessly connected - working together, propelling the piece to its climax.

External Conflict

I call this the 'what' of the story. What is this kid going to do once that bully lets him up? What will he tell his parents about what happened to his bike? These external conflicts - these 'what' questions - drive the story forward and keep the reader turning those pages.

Consider the external conflict of Carl Hiaasen's Hoot: A new kid in town, Roy, is coping with yet another move. He's missing his mountain home of Montana and has found nothing to love about Florida's flatlands, until he spots the 'running boy'. His curiosity drives him to learn more about this mysterious boy which eventually lands him in the center of an environmental battle of wills.

The 'what' aspect of Hiaasen's hilarious novel keep us turning the page: what will Roy do now that he's broken the nose of the neighborhood bully? What will the running boy do after Roy discovers his secret? Once the truth of the owls is revealed, what will the kids do to stop the building of Mother Paula's Pancake House?

These questions address the external plot - the scenes that build upon one another, allowing the story to grow. And though this novel is terrific and the theme timely, the problems affecting Roy wouldn't impact us like they do if it weren't for that other side of the coin.

Internal Conflict

This often neglected side is the 'why' of the story - obviously connected, but entirely different. Why does Roy react the way he does after discovering the truth? Why do these kids feel that breaking the law is the only way to be heard? These 'why' questions serve two purposes: they're necessary for the reader to care about the character, but they also provide critical depth and development in the story's theme.

Continuing with Hoot, the reader sees that Roy is not your average middle schooler but there are specific reasons why, which are soon understood since the story's told from his point of view. An only child who's moved from place to place, he's "an old pro at being the new kid". He's also pretty good at making friends and standing up for himself when it comes to bullies. He's not stupid, though, nor is he a major risk-taker; character traits fully explained through his thoughts and actions. But Roy is not the only one who helps the reader understand the 'why' of his story.

Conversations with his teachers and parents also reflect his motivation and fuel his internal conflicts. Mid-way through the novel, Roy recalls his dad's comment about fighting: "'It's important to stand up for what's right, but sometimes there's a fine line between courage and stupidity.'" This candid advice leads to the internal conflict Roy struggles with when deciding how far he'll go to protect the burrowing owls. Without knowing the 'why' behind his internal conflicts, the consequences of the external ones would not have nearly as much impact.

So make a wish...

Snatch that spinning penny from the air, call heads or tails then take a peek. Conflict has to start somewhere, whether it's with character or plot. So consider if there's a specific problem that you as a writer want to grapple with; once you determine that, create believable characters to people that world and face those issues. Or maybe there's a character you've been dying to write about - figure out who she is as a person and her internal struggles will emerge, allowing for a parallel plot to naturally take shape.

Either way, the point is to sit and start writing. And I don't think a penny for your thoughts is too high a price to pay for a good story, do you?

All speeches and articles are copyrighted by, and are the property of, Laurie Thurston, and may not be reprinted without permission of the author.