By Sara Beth Williams @WilliamsSaraB
What makes a great story?
A well-developed plot.
What helps drive the plot forward, besides a character’s strong, identifiable goal?
Character conflict.
Character conflict can vary widely. Characters can have conflict with one another. Characters can be met with physical obstacles as they try to achieve their goal. There are also internal character conflicts. The most memorable stories utilize both kinds of conflict. Below are stories with examples of strong character conflict.
Spoiler Warning Ahead!
Examples of Character Conflict.
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
This is a memorable story (also in movie form) about a young boy named Marty and a hunting dog he finds in the woods.
The actual owner of the dog is a horrid guy, very abusive toward his hunting dogs. The dog doesn’t like him, and keeps running away. Marty finds him in the woods and builds a little shelter for him. He doesn’t believe any owner should abuse their animals. He names him Shiloh. Of course, this action goes against every single other character’s advice.
The dog’s owner comes around searching for the dog. and Mary lies that it hasn’t been around. Marty gets the idea that he can earn money and buy the dog, but the owner refuses that too.
This story is rife with conflict and it keeps you turning pages.
A Light to My Path by Lynn Austin
In this civil war era novel, two slaves fall in love. However, they are very different in personality and upbringing, which causes conflict. Grady grew up under abusive masters for nine years of his life. When he was sold to a decent master who didn’t beat him, he had a good life, (in terms of slavery…) Regardless, he continued to harbor bitterness and resentment toward all white men and wanted nothing more than to escape. Then he falls in love with Kitty. She is the house slave of the new mistress of the plantation whom Grady’s master recently married. Kitty is very submissive, with an I-would-do-anything-for-my-mistress attitude. She’s terrified at the thought of escaping the plantation, even when the war begins and the opportunity arises. The two personalities conflict, love is slow and gradual, and each is forced to make heartbreaking decisions.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
She’s a beautiful girl, with good manners and a kind heart. He’s an ugly monster with bad manners and terrible people skills. Somehow, they fall in love! Opposites attract at its finest. Without the stark conflicting differences in characters, there would be no story.
Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner
This is a modern Opposites Attract story full of conflict. The two main characters, Hadley and Max, are professional chefs, but their personalities are different as different can be, and a little bit of hate from one toward the other doesn’t hurt either. Hadley is confident, kind and considerate and has a big heart. Max’s character is well… gruff and unlikable and mean. Until you get to know him deep down.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
You may have read this as a child. Or maybe I’m dating myself. This story is about a teenage boy who survives a small plane crash and ends up stuck in the Canadian wilderness, where he must learn how to survive. The entire wilderness seems against him. He encounters everything from porcupines to skunks to moose and major storms. Those conflicts make the story what it truly is. A tail of survival.
Can you think of other examples of conflict within movies or books?
Check out the rest of the What Makes a Great Story? series posts
Sara Beth Williams is a published author, an ACFW and CIPA member, wife, mother of two daughters, and dog mom of a lovable, spunky Pomeranian-Shih Tzu mix. Her third novel, Anchor My Heart, was a 2022 Selah Award finalist. She lives in Northern California and also works as a freelance publicist. When she’s not held hostage by the keyboard, she enjoys playing guitar, reading, and spending time with her family. Get to know her better on her website, www.sarabethwilliams.com
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