How to use conflict to write better stories
Conflict in fiction is one of the most essential tools a writer has. Yet many writers misunderstand what it actually means. It is not just explosions, arguments, or villain showdowns. Conflict is anything that stands between your character and what they want. Understanding that simple definition can completely change how you write.
What conflict in fiction actually means
Every character has a goal. Conflict is whatever blocks them from reaching it. That block can be external, like an antagonist or a disaster. It can also be internal, like fear, self-doubt, or a deep emotional wound. Both types of conflict in fiction serve a purpose. They create tension, raise stakes, and force characters to make hard choices.
Author Becca Puglisi, co-author of the Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus collection, puts it simply. Conflict makes the protagonist’s job really difficult. Without it, a story loses its forward momentum. With it, readers stay anxious, invested, and turning pages.
Conflict belongs in every scene
Many writers save conflict for the big story moments. That is a mistake. Conflict in fiction should appear in every single scene. Every scene has a character with a goal. Something must make that goal harder to reach.
That does not mean every scene needs a car chase. Minor conflict works just as well. A misunderstanding between two people creates friction. A character’s internal doubt can block forward movement. Even a well-timed interruption can derail a scene goal. The key is that your character should never get exactly what they want without any resistance.
Conflicts carry enormous weight
Big, explosive conflicts get attention. But smaller conflicts often do the heavier lifting. Readers relate to everyday struggles. A character who is scared to ask someone out feels real. A professional who doubts their ability to succeed feels human. Conflict in fiction that mirrors real life creates genuine emotional investment.
Becca makes another important point. If every conflict in your story is enormous, it loses impact. Readers become numb to it. Varying the intensity keeps the tension alive. Mix small interpersonal friction with bigger, higher-stakes conflicts throughout your story.
Conflict shapes character arcs
Conflict in fiction does not just create plot. It drives character growth. When a character faces a conflict, they have to make a choice. That choice reveals who they are. It also moves them along their internal arc.
Characters working through a change arc must struggle internally. They must recognize their flaws, resist growth, and eventually commit to change. Conflict is what forces that reckoning. Without it, a character arc feels flat and unearned. Each obstacle the character faces gives them an opportunity to grow or to fall back.
The back-and-forth of character progress
Characters do not grow in a straight line. They take steps forward and steps back. Becca uses the film ‘A Few Good Men’ as an example. The lead character spends much of the story avoiding the very thing he needs to do. Even after realizing the truth about himself, he still retreats. He chooses comfort over courage. Then something breaks him open, and he moves forward for good.
That push and pull is what makes character arcs feel real. Conflict in fiction creates those moments of choice. Each choice either advances the arc or reveals how far the character still has to go.
Tailoring conflict to your genre
Different genres use conflict differently. Thrillers tend toward high-stakes, large-scale conflict. Literary fiction may rely more on quiet social pressure and internal struggle. A story like ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ contains very little explosive action. Yet it is full of conflict. The protagonist struggles against misunderstanding, isolation, and a society that has rejected her.
No matter the genre, conflict in fiction works the same way at its core. It creates obstacles, generates emotion, and forces choices. What changes is the scale and nature of the conflict, not its role in the story.
Showing a villain’s internal conflict
One of the harder craft challenges is revealing a villain’s inner conflict without writing from their point of view. It can be done, but it requires careful technique. The key is subtext and behavior. Show the villain making choices that reveal wavering resolve. Let them entertain an idea they would have rejected earlier. Use their body language, their hesitations, and the things they avoid saying.
Watching films with complex villains can help. Movies have to show internal conflict without narration. Studying how screenwriters reveal a villain’s moral ambiguity through action and dialogue is one of the best ways to develop that skill.
How conflicts resolve, and when they don’t
Not every conflict in fiction needs a clean resolution. In real life, wounds do not disappear. Characters can learn to manage their flaws without fully overcoming them. What matters is that the reader sees progress. The character must move in a meaningful direction by the story’s end.
A satisfying resolution does not mean everything is fixed. It means the character has grown enough to move forward. Give readers small wins along the way. Moments of success scattered through the story keep readers engaged, even when the bigger conflicts remain unresolved.
Editor’s note: This post was developed from a previous conversation between Alessandra Torre and author Becca Puglisi on the craft of writing.
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About Becca Puglisi
Becca Puglisi is the co-author of the Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus collection, created alongside writing partner Angela Ackerman. Their books cover emotion, character traits, settings, conflict scenarios, and more. Each thesaurus is designed to help writers bring depth and authenticity to their storytelling. Becca and Angela also run WritersHelpingWriters.net and the subscription platform OneStopForWriters.com, which offers searchable thesaurus content, a character builder, story mapping tools, and more.
About Alessandra Torre
In addition to her duties as CEO of Authors A.I., Alessandra Torre is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author with over thirty published novels. Known for her work in contemporary romance and suspense, she has built a loyal readership around emotionally driven storytelling and complex characters. Alessandra is also the founder of Alessandra Torre Ink, an education platform for authors offering courses, resources, and community for writers at every stage of their career.
