Writing Conflict

Writing conflict. I suppose you could read that title like I'm having a writing conflict in my brain or with my own sense of morality. But what I'm talking about is writing about conflict.

I've been thinking a lot about conflict lately because conflict is the stuff that drives not only life but also literature. Without it, you really don't have much of a story.

One could argue that you can create a story by talking about a series of events that lead up to an eventual conclusion. But how interesting is it to read about a guy who got up one more morning, scrambled some eggs, ate breakfast, and went to work? Sure, that's a story. But is it really a story you want to read?

What would be more interesting is if the guy got up one morning, went to scramble some eggs, and then the pan caught on fire while he was doing so. Then the conflict becomes about the man and the unexpected fire. What does the man do about it? Does the fire burn down his house? Is he somehow mentally ill so he just stands there and laughs nonchalantly while it spreads through his kitchen?

I have often had trouble trying to come up with conflict when I think about writing stories. But then I remind myself that conflict doesn't have to be something of a massive scale like being sent onto a battlefield. It can also be a conflict in a person's head about what to do in a certain situation, or in response to an event.

So let's say the man put out the fire and feels relieved. Is he too shaken to eat his breakfast? Does it make him ponder the random events in his life? Does it make him afraid to cook again? Does it make him late to work, thereby creating an issue with his boss?

Therein lies the story. And it's done without hyperbole and without hand to hand combat.