February 6, 2012 - Conflict (or Something Other than Characters)

There are only two types of conflicts that can exist in a story. The internal and the external.

External Conflict
This is usually characterized by an outside force. Some tangible creation that must be defeated by the protagonist. Every villain is an external conflict. The Predator was the conflict in "Predator," and similarly the Alien was the conflict in that one movie, you know--"Species."

However, external conflicts need not be personified. They could also be events like "The Titanic" sinking or global warming in "The Day After Tomorrow."

Or the rock from 127 Hours

Internal Conflict

This is a lot more personal. It involves the self and it always has to be defeated before the external conflict. Why? Because often what characters build up in their minds is way scarier than the actual conflict.

As Stephen King said, "Nothing is so frightening as what's behind the closed door."

Mr. Big always had to carry a flashlight with him.

The unknown is what really frightens people. "Jaws" was scarier because we rarely see the shark. "The Shining" was scarier because you never quite know what's going on.

In any good three-act structure, the conflict must be piled on and the external conflict should be decided by the character rather than just a deus ex machina.

It's like a baseball diamond, except the character never returns home. That's because ideally a character is growing.