Let's Talk About Conflict

I have seen a ton of new submissions, as well as published books that have run into this BIG issue. The stories simply lack CONFLICT. Oh sure, there are a ton of issues that show up that frustrate the characters, but there is simply no significant conflict in the story.

I have talked about this in the past, but I think it is time for a quick reminder. 

Most authors have COMPLICATIONS in their stories and not CONFLICTS. A complication is simply something that is frustrating but can easily be overcome by things as simple as the characters talking, or a character doing something basic. I have always used examples of television sitcoms here. You have all seen that classic trope of someone starting to walk into a room and they overhear someone on the phone. They think they hear something like someone is pregnant, or someone has a fatal disease. Now, the entire episode shows the snooping character doing all they can to take care of the other person. In reality, the original conversation was about someone's goldfish or hamster. This IS NOT a Conflict. 

Others create a conflict that only revolves around someone just changing their minds. "Should I go to college or not?" This is not a conflict. This is a decision. 

The conflict of the story is really that issue that is going to make or break the relationship or the character. This is something that cannot simply cannot be solved with one quick decision. Let's go back to the going to college idea. We have to add in something such as the heroine is taking care of her father who is sick. Going to college means that there is no one to take care of grampa. Just hiring someone is out of the question due to finances. 

It is also important to remember that conflicts cannot be solved by divine intervention. Readers want to see the characters work through the issues. It is a huge let down when we find out at the end that there was a winning lottery ticket in the glove box or that someone had a hidden trust fund that is miraculously pulled out at this moment. 

Now, one final note. Conflicts have to be possible to fix as well as being real. Impossible or unreal conflicts are just not going to work.