Story telling is a funny thing, isn’t it? We create a problem and then find a solution to it. Some stories keep us on our toes and make us go ‘wow,’ whereas others elicit nothing more than a ‘meh.’
Where does the difference lie, you ask? One answer: it is how creatively we plot the conflict of a story and then find an exciting solution for it; that is what puts good stories apart from the rest. So, what are the different ways in which one can create a conflict of a story?
1. Human vs Human:
Every one of us has written a story in our lifetime where the antagonist is another person who pits himself against our hero and tries to stand in the way of his/her quest. Draco Malfoy declares himself Harry’s enemy right at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. And Miss Trunchbull is obsessed with punishing Matilda.
These villains present themselves as equals of the main characters, so the odds of their winning is a one to one. But let’s not forget that some villains are literally bigger than our heroes. How else would The Dark Knight Rise(s) and prove himself to be the saviour of Gotham if not by defeating the bigger, faster and ruthless Bane? And Captain Hook did think he was better than Peter Pan and Wendy, didn’t he?
2. Human vs Society:
Have you ever written a story where the opposition is not one individual but a group of people? Villains don’t always come in the form of an individual. They may present themselves in the form of an institution. Take the story of Katniss Everdeen in the very popular The Hunger Games series. She fights against the bourgeoise of a ruthless, merciless society in a dystopian future that seeks to subjugate the downtrodden, or Seam, as they are known, and keep them in control through hunger. Romeo and Juliet too tried to fight against their respective societies. But sometimes, tragedy is inevitable.
3. Human vs the Natural World:
Do you recall a story you wrote where your main character went on a trek in the forest and got lost? Guess what? That is precisely a conflict against the natural world. Not all villains are humans. Nature can present many challenges that one is forced to overcome. Natural disasters, wild animal attacks and many such are what comprises this kind of conflict. Trying to outrun a storm that is approaching with immense speed would be an example of a conflict of this kind. It would certainly make for The Perfect Storm.
4. Human vs Technology:
Did you think that villains are always regular beings? What about things that we create using technology? They are usually lab made, so they are stronger, faster, unpredictable and most probably can do everything better than a human being can. They make one of the best types of villains for action movies. Futuristic apocalyptic enthusiasts always rely on the machine world taking over the earth and create plots that are not that improbable. After all, we are all aware of how reliant we are on technology. That this dependence on it will cost us dearly one day is not a far-fetched idea. Or do you believe otherwise?
Some of these stories present themselves as warnings to human beings as a whole to not play God. Don’t create an Artificial Intelligent (AI) machine that becomes self-aware and comes from the future to Terminat(or)(e) the only person who can defeat them. Leave extinct animals be. Dinosaurs have had their chance to rule Earth millions of years ago, and now that is a Lost World. And most importantly, do not experiment on that spider! They are creepy anyway. We don’t want a house sized spider walking around, do we?
5. Human vs Supernatural:
Ghost stories are perfect when sitting around a fire with the spluttering and sizzling sounds of succulent marshmallows roasting scrumptiously over sticks. Supernatural elements make for the perfect night-time terrors. In fact, horror stories are basically the perfect blankets that we need to pull closer when it is a chilly night.
Ghosts, aliens, beings from a different word, horror creatures from a different universe, or even multiverses opening up and creating a hell on earth make up most of the antagonists in a story that has such type of conflict. Do witches scare you? Are you afraid of magical entities that might attack you when you are asleep, or do you think Sabrina, The Teenage Witch will save you from it? Does it make you wonder if there are any Stranger Things among us?
6. Human vs Self or Internal Conflict:
At times, we are embroiled in a conflict in our minds. ‘To be, or not to be – that is the question’ is maybe by far the most famous quote to demonstrate this. A conflict of this kind is where the main character is torn between two or even three things that he/she must do. Suppose your character has to choose between saving two people they dearly love. Or that they must make a choice between going away to university or staying at home to look after their old mother.
Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice has to overcome her biggest conflict: should she be loyal to her sister, Jane, or accept Darcy’s proposal, when it was he who was instrumental in destroying her life?
So, there you have it, the various types of conflict you can use the next time you want to get creative. Remember, you can even use more than one type of conflict in your story. What are you waiting for? Bring out your pencils, clean out the cobwebs in your brain, choose your favourite conflict from the above and get writing.