When writing, you need to keep in mind that conflict is what drives your story. It makes things interesting, develops your characters, and helps readers relate to them. It’s also the most important element of any story, and without it your story wouldn’t have much meaning.

Defining Conflict

A conflict is a situation in which a person or group has two or more opposing desires that are at odds with each other. These may be conflicting interests, different ways of doing things, or even different points of view.

There are three main types of conflicts: internal, external, and inter-organizational. The type of conflict you use will depend on the kind of story you are writing.

Internal Conflict: This is the conflict that your character has against himself or herself. This can be an identity crisis, a mental disorder, or simply a moral dilemma.

This can be a hard and emotionally draining conflict to write, but it is essential for your character to grow. If the internal conflict isn’t resolved, your character won’t be able to move on from it and make progress in the story.

Often a person will have to face a personal problem and work with others to find resolution, so it is important that you are able to separate the person from the issue and not get too involved in the conflict. This can be a difficult task for some, but if you approach the problem with an open mind and listen actively you will be more likely to come up with solutions that are acceptable to both parties.

Inter-Organizational Conflict: This is the type of conflict that occurs in business settings. It’s often a result of competition for resources, and can include both interpersonal and organizational factors.

A common reason for this type of conflict is that people want different things and aren’t willing to compromise to achieve those goals. A good example of this type of conflict is the conflict between the sales department and the production department in a company.

It can also be a conflict between a union and management in the workplace. It can be a result of personality differences, perceptions, differences in values and interests, power and status, and scarcity of resources.

The most common conflict between people is the conflict of interest. It is a situation where one person wants something and another is afraid of losing it.

Identify what the interests are of each party in the conflict, and focus on those. This will help to clarify the conflict, and it will prevent people from wasting time on positions that don’t satisfy their interests.

If you find yourself in a conflict, it is always best to try and solve it as soon as possible. It can be draining and emotional, but if you don’t try to solve the problem as soon as it happens it will continue on and you will never see an end to it. It is also a good idea to consider whether or not it is worth battling for, as a battle can be costly and time-consuming.