Introduction

External conflict in fiction writing is a complex aspect that adds diversity to narratives. It includes different types of conflicts, like terrain, structures, characters, and the environment. Terrain conflicts involve physical landscapes that challenge characters. Structural conflicts come from man-made creations that create tension. Conflict between characters heightens drama and allows for character development. Environmental conflicts, like natural disasters, put characters in life-threatening situations. By using these types of external conflicts, writers can create more engaging narratives.

External conflict engages readers by adding obstacles to the protagonist’s journey.

Understanding External Conflict

Let’s look at a quick definition of external conflict. Dictionary.com identifies external conflict as “struggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force such as nature or another character, which drives the dramatic action of the plot,” or a “struggle between a person and an outside force.”

Last time you learned about internal conflict, where the character struggles with three dominant forms of conflict: emotions, desires, and beliefs. These are all intangibles, versus the tangibles of external conflict. The dominant forms of external conflict come in person versus person, person versus nature, and person versus technology. These are a tangible antagonist that your character can face. Using external conflict not only helps build tension in the story, but also develops the world and other conflicts around them.

Before we dive into the great example of external conflict from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, let’s look at the aspects of external conflict.

Types of External Conflict:

Person vs. Person

This form of conflict is one of the most basic forms we learn at an early age. No matter what stage of life you’re in, or have been in, you’ve most likely come across that one person you just butt heads with. Person vs. Person, at its most basic level, is simply that. You take your protagonist and give them another human being (or sentient life form) to be their antagonist.

Person vs. Person can present in many forms of conflicts, such as rivalry, competition, or feuds. Rivalry is a common driver for all levels of fiction, but more common in the young adult and middle-grade genres. Think back to what you complained about most in your grade school days. You most likely had a person who you had a rivalry with that you always complained to your parents about. This could be a rivalry about love interests, a fellow student, or a neighbor. In other genres, rivalry can present between coworkers, neighbors, or a love interest. Though many rivalries will overlap, because no one ever truly grows up, the way they present is different. The difference between rivalry and competition is that a competition can occur between anyone and a rivalry has a personal dynamic.

Competition is a little easier to define, as many people have sports come to mind, but it can also display through work, social standing, or family. These areas offer an environment where people try to impress each other or others all the time. In a story set in suburbia, you might see competitions between who have the best yards, decorations, or house. In a work story, you might find a sales competition. Every workplace will offer unique competitions that you can use to drive your story, so don’t forget about them. Family, well, family is one area that everyone may say there’s no competition, but it sits there in the family’s subconscious. You can have family members who see themselves as more religious, stable, or free. Half of the time, the other family members don’t even realize your character sees it as a competition.

Feuds are the fights your characters have with others. This can range from passive aggressive post-it notes to good old fisticuffs. You can play a lot with feuds, because people will literally fight over the time they think someone wronged them. You’ll get, oh Becky, I hate her. Why? No reason, she just never knows how to wear the right pants. It sounds silly, but these are the small external conflicts you can add to show who your character really is, especially if you’re writing first person.

Person vs. Nature:

People often do not fully explore the dynamic aspect of conflict between person and nature. Why do I say that it’s not always fully explored? Because there is so much more to ranging over long stretches of land beyond food and water. (And trust me, this is still something I’m working to remember in my stories.) While these are highly important elements to consider, you can develop your long walk across the desert beyond the hunt for food and water. Look at the physical reactions your character’s body will have to adverse conditions. How likely is it your character had the perfect shoes for trekking across the desert? You’ll most likely see blisters, leg pain, muscle cramps, and dealing with the heat for long periods of time.

Nature is a formidable antagonist because it is so unpredictable. If you live in an area like Utah, where you could get all four seasons in a week, you know some things your character might face. Look at different illnesses your characters could experience in different weather, or after it. If your character is walking for days in the rain, you’re going to want to watch for signs of trench foot, hypothermia, and more blisters.

Another part of nature is the animals in the setting. We’ve grown used to not seeing animals in the cities because of population density and developments. In the wild, your character will more than likely need to face the local wild inhabitants as they try to survive.

Person vs. Technology:

Person versus technology is interesting. The first thing many think of is The Terminator movies, where robots take over the world. But, person vs. technology can also be an addiction to technology and how the dependence on it becomes the antagonist. A protagonist who’s life depends on technology only to have that technology taken away shows the inverse struggle.

If you want to study the reliance, control, or misuse of advanced technology, read science fiction books. Here you’ll find studies of people, or aliens, who live off of the technology in the story. The reliance on technology and access to it can create that dependency and minimize the skills that are no longer being practiced.

Examples from Literature: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games and Katniss Everdeen’s participation in them offer some of the best examples of External Conflict. The way Suzanne Collins set up and executed the Hunger Games, even in the first book, hit every level of external conflict we just talked about above. For those unfamiliar with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, here’s a synopsis:

“In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to take part in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.” -Synopsis from Amazon.com.

Okay, now here is your spoiler warning. If you have not read or watched The Hunger Games, and would like to keep your innocence of them, then don’t proceed. (Or scroll your eyes as you scroll down to the conclusion.)

The Hunger Games is perfect for studying external conflict. It opens with a hunting scene, or person vs. nature. The living conditions of District 12 are so destitute for Katniss Everdeen’s family that she must face the dangers of hunting to get enough food for the family. But the opening scene doesn’t just show the negative side, but also the comradery that comes from surviving in adverse conditions together.

The next part of an external conflict that appears in The Hunger Games is person versus society. This is a higher level of person versus person. Just in the opening sequences of chapter two, you’ll find Katniss Everdeen breaking the status quo by volunteering for the tribute position. Katniss challenges the norms and unknowingly attracts powerful enemies.

Person vs. person is the primary form of external conflict within the Hunger Games. The Capitol forces 24 tributes to fight to the death until one remains. Nothing draws people in more than trying to understand how one person could kill another. In The Hunger Games, you don’t just have people who are strangers trying to kill each other, but people from their same districts. Fearing someone’s unknown abilities is nothing compared to facing someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses.

Person vs. nature comes up throughout the actual Hunger Games, and one example of this is the wasps. These aren’t just normal wasps, though, they are tracker jackers. When they sting, you’ll get the swelling and pain, but also the ooze of a foul smelling green liquid. Remember that nature isn’t just a one dimensional antagonist, and the challenges Katniss faces in the Hunger Games prove that.

The tracker jackers also represent Person vs. Technology because these are insects developed by the Capitol through mutation. Even though these are living creatures, they are also a technology because their creators have actively manipulated them. Don’t limit your concept of technology to robots. It can include man-made structures, augmented animals, or anything else you justify as technology in your world.

Overall, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a worthwhile book and series to study for developing your own external conflict skills. I recommend using different colors of highlighter to mark up each aspect of external conflict. Watch not only for those moments it’s used, but also how it impacts the character, plot, and structure of the story.

Conclusion

External conflict offers many options to add obstacles for the protagonists of your story. Whether you set them against another, nature, or technology, you’re bound to learn more about your story and keep your readers engaged by adding these elements. Consider what some of your favorite external conflicts have been in the stories you love. Can you use those? Make them your own? We all want original content, but don’t dismiss the basics in creating external conflict for your characters.

Now that you’ve learned about internal and external conflict, you’re ready for conflicts of interest. Learn more in next week’s post. Don’t forget to like and comment on what you enjoyed/disliked, so I can continue to give you the content you need to be a better writer. Thank you for reading, and as always, keep learning, keep writing, and stay fresh, my nugs!

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