It doesn't matter what your story is about. It doesn't matter if your theme is perfect and timely. It doesn't matter if your characters are fully developed and smell great even after a workout. If you don't have conflict, you don't have a story.
An old writing professor of mine once said the best test of writing is two people sitting down at a table. That scene could be anything, and could be incredible, depending on the conflict. Don't believe me? Think about Pulp Fiction, When Harry Met Sally, or HEAT. Two people sitting down at a table, talking, and yet you're riveted. How is that possible?
Conflict. Two people in a room, and each wants a different goal. More specifically, a conflicting goal. If one gets what they want, the other can't. It's really that simple.
I have struggled with writing the table scene for years. It is inherently difficult, and deceptively simple. So today, we're going to look at the various types of conflict you can have for your stories. Then, on Monday, we're going to dive deep into a table scene or two. We're going to see when things go right versus wrong. And we're going to make our own table scene.
Six Story Conflicts