Stuck? Try Brainstorming Some Conflict
You have great characters. Your dialogue flows effortlessly across the page. Your story line, however…well, your story line is…flat. It’s time to get your characters up and moving. There are 5 basic types of conflict in literature, Now is the time to put your main characters through the paces of each. A good story is going to contain many different types of conflict. You can mix, match, and stack them one upon another. Do whatever feels best for your characters to keep the story line moving forward. Look at the examples below as I brainstorm 2 random characters running through different types of conflict.
Character vs. Self
“I can’t take on a dumb dog. I didn’t even hit the sink when brushing my teeth this morning. I lose my keys every single day,” I tell my reflection in the mirror.
I look over my shoulder into my bedroom where Chloe the hound dog is happily sniffing deeply into one of my oldest sneakers.
“This is going to end so badly,” I sigh.
Character vs. Character
The doorman eyes Chloe who is prancing on her leash next to me.
I smiled nervously, “We’re just going for a walk.”
“No dogs allowed in the building,” says the doorman.
“Mrs. Kingsley parades Little Kingsley back and forth through here all the time,” I protest.
“Mrs. Kingsley has a very small dog,” retorts the doorman.
I look down at the 60 pound dog now happily sitting and wagging her tail at both of us.
“This is a temporary situation,” I say, weakly.
Character vs. Nature
I wrapped my arm and the leash around one of the iron arms on the park bench and hope it is cemented into the sidewalk.
Chloe desperately pulls at the leash and barks her head off wanting to play with the small children running around the playground equipment. At least I hope she wants to play with the kids.
“Dumb dog!” I scold, “If you want to stay, you are going to have to learn not to bark so loudly.”
She ignores me and continues barking.
Character vs. Society
I open the door. The entire 9th floor of my apartment complex, along with the landlord, is standing in the hallway. I catch sight of Mrs. Kingsley. Little Kingsley barks a greeting at me from inside the depths of her purse.
“No dogs allowed!” the landlord insists.
“We’ve signed a petition against YOU owning a dog,” says Mrs. Kingsley. “Even your own dog signed it.”
I glance back at Chloe. “”Did YOU sign a petition against yourself? How dumb are you?” I whisper yell at her.
Character vs. Supernatural
“You can talk?” I ask in astonishment.
“I’ve understood everything you have ever said. I just chose not to reply. I am tired, however, of you saying how dumb I am. I have decided to eat you,” Chloe says calmly.
“What?!” I squeak. “Your name is Chloe not Cujo.”
“That book was inspiring,” Chloe replies. A low growl starts up at the back of her throat.
The End
With just 2 main characters and some time to brainstorm different conflict scenarios, you are opening up your creative mind to many different paths your story can take to move forward. The above 5 brainstorming tidbits are just a collage of ideas, but put together, they still create a story trail to follow down the page. Each of these scenes could blossom into 5 separate chapters or they could all fall into one section of one chapter. You choose the path. Just make sure your characters keep moving.
