Conflict

Conflict is the engine of narrative. It is the opposition between a character's desires and the obstacles preventing their fulfillment. Without conflict, there is no story, only a sequence of events. Conflict can be external (character versus character, nature, society, or technology) or internal (character versus self), and the strongest stories typically layer multiple types of conflict to create depth and complexity.

In Hamlet, the external conflict with Claudius is inseparable from Hamlet's internal conflict about action and morality. In The Hunger Games, Katniss faces external conflict in the arena, political conflict with the Capitol, and internal conflict about who she is willing to become to survive. Jaws layers the shark as an external threat against Chief Brody's internal fear of water and his political conflict with a mayor who refuses to close the beaches.

Effective conflict must feel meaningful to the characters involved and carry genuine consequences. Conflict that can be easily resolved or walked away from lacks tension. Every scene in a well-constructed story should contain some form of conflict, even if it is as subtle as two characters wanting different things from the same conversation. When you feel a scene going flat, ask what each character wants and what is stopping them from getting it.