On Writing: What is a Central Conflict?

In case you haven’t been able to tell from my last blog on writing trauma, I’m back to working on my manuscript. And that’s not all; I’m also working on a number of short stories. It’s probably the weather—the rain, the shorter days, and the fact that I’m all bundled up in sweaters and socks. I believe I do my best writing during the winter.

Since I’m refining my manuscript, I’ve been thinking a lot about the central conflict and how different subplots and elements need to cohesively come together to make a good story. It’s super easy to get lost in a character’s journey, the drama, and whatnot. In fact, it’s this very reason why I’m looking into central conflicts today. My story felt a little too scattered. So, I did a little research and found some really good tips that I think a lot of us more seasoned writers tend to overlook. I’ll be using this guide to tighten my own manuscript and make it flow better. Let’s begin.

What is a Central Conflict?

At its core, the central conflict is the main problem or challenge that exists within a text. It arises when a character’s defining desire collides with a formidable internal or external obstacle. This core struggle is not just an added dramatic flourish; it molds the entire shape of the journey your characters undertake.

A story without conflict is like a car without an engine—it just doesn’t move. In fact, if you listen to storytelling experts, they’ll tell you that nothing moves forward in a narrative except through conflict. It is the most important literary element. Both new and old (like me!) writers sometimes struggle with how to introduce this element into their story. But the trick is to embrace it wholeheartedly because that tension is what defines the story itself. 

If there were no struggle, every story would be incredibly boring. To see how this plays out in practice, let’s look at The Hunger Games. How would it be without the fight against President Snow? After the novelty of the actual games themselves, (let’s be real, there’s nothing novel about having a bunch of people fight for survival; it’s cruel and dystopian) the story kind of falls flat. Also, you could argue that without President Snow and his people, there’d be no point of the games and so, no story. And yeah, this is basically the point.

Understanding the Essential Equation

To understand how central conflicts work, you need to understand the most basic structural components of storytelling. As we’ve established, conflicts are necessary to drive a narrative, and to do this, you need two critical elements: a deep want and a solid obstacle.

And yes, I know (or maybe this is just me because my youngest sister just started grad school and she’s an economist), this is starting to sound a little too textbook-y and trust me, there’s a reason behind this. There’s one equation that can really help boil it down:

Want + Obstacle = CONFLICT

I know. Who says writing isn’t a science? If anything, I think writing is more of a science than whatever grift these Great AI Replacers—as I call them—like to believe. Anyway, my point is: it sounds simple but it really isn’t.

To move your plot forward, your character’s want and the opposing obstacle need to be equally strong. Your character(s) must already be at critical breaking point, or near it at the start of your story. For instance, think about Katniss. You think she decided to fight against Snow because she was a good person only? I mean, yeah she was but what drove her over was the fact that:

1. She first had to protect her sister and volunteer during the first book
2. Redo the whole thing again in the second book

And that’s not even covering how she witnessed the disparity between the Capitol and District 12, not to mention the psychological toll on her from seeing people die in probably one of the most brutal ways possible. So much happened to Kat, and she reached a breaking point. That’s why the Mockingjay salute was important. It was a literal sign that she’d had it and would confront Snow head on.

Plotting the Struggle: Conflict and the Story Arc

The conflict and plot of your story are fundamentally intertwined. The plot, which is the sequence of events in a story, is driven by the many different conflicts taking place. So, it’s important to make sure your central conflict is woven into all five parts of your plot.

1. Exposition: This is where the conflict is first introduced, alongside the characters and the setting.
2. Rising Action: The introduction of the conflict causes suspense to build in the rising action.
3. Climax: The two forces that have been struggling will finally meet in the climax, which serves as the turning point of the story.
4. Falling Action: Following the climax, the suspense lessens, and the story approaches its conclusion.
5. Resolution: The resolution is where the central conflict finally comes to a head and is fully addressed.

The resolution phase sees the central conflict finally addressed. In fact, one way to define a full narrative is through another powerful equation: 

Conflict + Action + Resolution = STORY.

The Purpose That Drives the Narrative

The purpose of your story’s central conflict is two-fold, working on both a micro and a macro level. On the micro level, the conflict serves as the specific problem your character is dedicated to solving. It propels the plot forward, starting with the inciting incident and dictating all of the character’s actions—or sometimes their inaction. Zooming out to the macro level, the protagonist’s actions in the face of their desire and opposition are what truly drive the entire narrative. 

When your characters are forced into action against a staunchly opposed force, we see their true selves revealed. Conflict reveals who they are—what they value and how they think when faced with adversity.

If you always hand your characters what they want, your story will inevitably feel boring. Conflict and tension are essential for character growth. If nothing is truly at stake for the main character, their choices quickly lose importance, and readers begin to lose interest. The most vital thing to remember is that the conflict and the pressure it exerts must increase as the story progresses.

Types of Conflict that Can Exist in Your Story

Conflict is broadly categorized into two main types: internal and external. However, most compelling central conflicts are an artful blend of both inner struggle and outer friction. An external battle will almost inevitably spark internal conflicts, and overcoming both is key to character development.

The Internal Conflict (Character vs. Self)

As the name suggests, internal conflict occurs within the character. This is often the most compelling form of friction, born entirely from the character’s own beliefs or identity. When the central conflict is Character vs. Self, the opposition is typically related to their own mind—such as a moral dilemma, or specific issues related to mental health like addiction or trauma. 

• Want to learn how to write trauma? Check out my blog: On Writing Trauma: How to Do Justice to Your Story & Readers.

Internal conflict is often the focus in novels centered on character development rather than high-octane plot. In some stories, the internal struggle is what truly defines the protagonist. 

For example, in A Beautiful Mind, the main character, John Nash, is battling schizophrenia and the personalities it creates. Another classic instance is Hamlet, where the titular protagonist grapples internally with the decision of whether to fulfill his deceased father’s wish and murder his scheming uncle. 

Facing External Opposition

External conflict is a struggle that takes place outside of the character. This type of conflict occurs between two characters or between a character and some kind of external, natural force. This category breaks down into several powerful subcategories:

1. Character Versus Character

Pitting characters against one another is a time-honored literary tradition. This struggle can be a classic hero versus super-villain scenario, or it can be a quieter drama between friends or neighbors. In such cases, the relationship itself, typically oriented around a key difference in worldview, becomes the central conflict. It is often used to depict opposing forces, from romance to crime thrillers.

We see this form clearly in major fantasy stories too, like The Hunger Games. Other examples include Hamlet battling his power-hungry uncle, or, in The Lies of Locke Lamora, the master thief Locke swearing vengeance on the gang boss who murdered his childhood friends.

2. Character Versus Society

In this type of central conflict, your character is set against the harsh rules of a society or institution. This can involve taking on oppressive dystopian governments, like Katniss rallying against the injustices of The Hunger Games, or defying social norms, such as Romeo and Juliet challenging political divides.

The character facing society is usually an outsider or a rebel, resisting demands to uphold the status quo. In 1984, the conflict centers on Winston’s struggle against the totalitarian government known as The Party. Other examples include the societal pressure shown in The Handmaid’s Tale or the challenges faced in Schindler’s List and Erin Brockovich.

3. Character Versus Nature

Sometimes, the forces of nature provide a formidable foe. A nature conflict pits the hero against the elements, introducing the unpredictability and indifference of weather, environment, or wildlife. This often centers on themes of survival against an untamed force. In The Old Man and The Sea, a man meets his match when he battles a giant marlin. 

Similarly, in Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist is shipwrecked on an island for decades. In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, the central conflict is Captain Ahab’s obsessive hunt for the whale that cost him his leg. 

4. Character Versus Technology

This one pits a character against an invention, science, or progress that has grown beyond human control. These stories often go into deep philosophical questions regarding morality, humanity, and consciousness. As technology rapidly advances, this conflict becomes increasingly topical.

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein’s core conflict is with the technology and science of his creation. Isaac Asimov’s influential short story collection, I, Robot, explores this conflict by introducing human-like robots and testing the limits of the Three Laws of Robotics. 

5. Character Versus Destiny

Character vs. Destiny, or fate, explores if protagonists can escape their seemingly pre-ordained paths. This conflict was a favorite of the ancient Greeks, centering stories on characters trying to avoid their pre-assigned fortune. It effectively explores the tension between free will and determinism, captivating readers by asking if the character will succeed in escaping their fortune or just wait for fate to claim them.

In contemporary literature, this technique still resonates, such as in Lord of the Rings, where Frodo confronts his destiny as the destroyer of the ring through a series of trials. The Wheel of Time is a high fantasy example where Moiraine searches for the prophesied Dragon Reborn, humanity’s weapon against the Dark One. 

6. Character Versus the Supernatural

This is a favorite conflict type within speculative fiction, focusing on the unknown or partially known forces that oppose the protagonist. This arena is where ghosts, witches, vampires, werewolves, gods, demons, aliens, and superheroes come out to play.

For example, The Expanse series features Captain Jim Holden engaging in conflict with a mind-bending alien. Other stories involving characters facing opposition outside their full understanding include Dr. Sleep and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

How to Weave Together the Conflict and Other Literary Elements

While conflict itself is the engine of your story, the other literary elements act as the chassis and frame. Here’s how you can ensure that your story’s central conflict properly blends with the other elements.

1. The Character Factor

Characters are essential because—well—a story simply cannot exist without them. And critically, characters are the reason conflict exists at all. Just like people clash in real life, characters create opposition. Every story relies on the presence of a protagonist (the good guy) and an antagonist (the bad guy) to establish the main struggle. The relatability of characters experiencing conflict is what makes stories interesting for us.

• Struggling to write good antagonists? Check out my blog: On Writing Villains: How to Write Complex, Compelling Antagonists

2. Time, Place, and Social Situation

Setting is the time, place, and social situation in which a story unfolds. Each aspect of the setting drastically affects the central conflict.

Consider how time impacts conflict: imagine a character’s goal is to deliver a critical message. If the story is set today, they simply send a quick text message, and the conflict is immediately resolved. However, if the story is set a hundred years ago, the inability to communicate instantaneously transforms this basic objective into a major conflict.

The place matters too. Setting the struggle between Katniss and Snow on Mars, for example, would completely change major plot points and might even introduce new technology we were all previously unaware of. It’s outlandish because it doesn’t go with the world that’s been built. 

Perhaps the most influential aspect of setting is the social situation. If you read a story set in Germany in 1941, the social situation—World War II raging across Europe and the Holocaust occurring—will almost certainly ensure the central conflict is centered on the war or these societal events. The time, place, and social context directly determine the specific type and extent of the struggle.

3. Theme as the Ultimate Goal

The theme is the central message the writer intends to convey, often thought of as the ‘moral of the story’ or the lesson to be learned. While a story can have several themes, as the writer, you should create a central conflict that puts emphasis on them.

For instance, a major theme running through The Hunger Games trilogy is the corrupting influence of power. President Snow’s central desire is control—over the Capitol, the districts, and even the narratives people believe. Katniss’s central conflict forces her to confront not only the government’s oppression but also her own growing awareness of how rebellion and power can mirror tyranny. The conflict is structured around her attempts to dismantle a system built on fear, even as she becomes a symbol within that system. The tension between Katniss and Snow consistently reflects the story’s overarching theme: how the fight against power can slowly consume the people waging it.

Crafting Conflict That Captivates

New writers are sometimes told that conflict should be present in every scene. While not every scene focuses directly on the main goal, ensuring constant hardship maintains reader empathy and engagement. As you draft your story and the protagonist’s difficulties inevitably compound, there is a risk that the central conflict can become muted or lost in the noise of too many problems. 

The best way to prevent pacing issues and confused readers is to keep the core plot and central conflict as the main focus, ensuring that every element added leads toward the eventual climax.

Go Big and Raise the Stakes

When formulating your central conflict, you need to go all out: go big. The stronger and more audacious the forces of antagonism are, the more well-developed and resilient your character will be forced to become.

You also need to raise the stakes. The object of your character’s desire must be important enough for them to fight for it from their perspective. While the stakes don’t always have to be literal life and death, they must feel close to it. The conflict should be tailored specifically to the protagonist’s main desire.

Crucially, the conflict and the pressures it creates must increase with time, shifting your protagonist’s situation from bad to worse. A great strategy for this is to not just layer conflict, but layer obstacles. Just like in real life, there is often more than one hurdle to clear. Brainstorm the smaller, less important opposition elements that could also stop your main character from getting what they want, and add those in too.

The Delicate Balance of Subplots

While your main plotline is where the most significant portion of conflict takes place, subplots are also important, containing their own challenges and obstacles that require time to resolve. The complexity comes in ensuring these subplots don’t overshadow the central conflict. This is where most writers stumble. It can be tempting to keep the focus on a particular subplot, but you have to remember the central conflict.

Each subplot should have its own simplified arc—a clear beginning, middle, and end—and must, in some way, influence or support the main plot. For stories that rely less on explosive action, the balance between internal and external conflict might require experimentation. 

Focus on the Central Conflict (But Don’t Forget Everything Else Too!)

In conclusion, the central conflict of your book (or short story) is the non-negotiable ingredient for successful storytelling. It is this powerful collision between your main character’s strongest desire and an equally fierce internal or external obstacle.

This tension is the lifeline for your story. It forces action, reveals character, dictates the plot, and allows you to explore the major themes you are invested in. So, as you write your next narrative, remember that embracing friction is the key to creating a propulsive story that hooks readers and keeps them invested right up until the final page!

Let me know what you think. Do you agree with my assessment—or not? Leave a comment down below!