When I write, I always remind myself: conflict is the engine of any story. Without conflict, you don’t really have tension or stakes, just a series of events. Conflict is what makes characters grow, reveals who they really are, and keeps readers turning the page.

Over time, I’ve broken down conflict into a few essential types, ones I use again and again in my writing. Here’s how I understand them, plus some Indian-flavoured examples from life, history, and storytelling.

Internal vs. external conflict

At the highest level, conflicts fall into two big buckets: internal and external.
• Internal conflict happens inside the character’s mind, doubts, guilt, moral dilemmas, fear.
• External conflict is when something outside them interferes, another person, society, nature, fate.

In a good story, both kinds often work together. The world around the character creates pressure, and inside, they’re struggling too. Both shape who the character becomes.

Types of conflict

Here are the key conflict types I lean into, with Indian-context examples to make them more real.

a) Character vs Self (Internal)

This is when your character’s biggest obstacle is themselves. Their own desires, guilt, or insecurities.

Example from an Indian perspective:
Imagine a young woman, Anjali, whose parents want her to be a doctor. But secretly, she dreams of becoming a classical dancer. Every day she battles her guilt: If I follow my passion, will I disappoint them? That inner tug-of-war between duty and dream is character vs self.

This conflict is powerful because it’s deeply personal and emotional. As a writer, I use it to create characters who feel real, human, and relatable.

b) Character vs Character (External)

This is the most obvious kind: two (or more) people have opposing goals or values, and they clash.

Example: In a story set in a small town in Rajasthan, you might have two childhood friends, Vikas and Rohan. Vikas wants to modernise things, build a local startup; Rohan thinks technology will destroy their traditional way of life. Their rivalry, conversations, betrayals that is character vs character conflict.

What I love about this conflict is how it surfaces values: tradition vs change, friendship vs ambition.

c) Character vs Society

This is when the character is pitted against larger social or cultural forces, norms, caste, family expectations, or even political systems.

Example: Think of a woman from a conservative family who decides not to marry but to start a social enterprise. Her community, relatives, and neighbourhood look down on her choice. She is fighting society’s expectations. That’s character vs society.

This kind of conflict resonates deeply in the Indian context, because social duty, reputation, and tradition matter so much. It can create real drama and moral tension.

d) Character vs Nature

Here, your character is at odds with the natural world, floods, storms, harsh landscapes, disease, or even climate change.

Example: Picture a farmer in Assam whose entire paddy field is flooded by torrential rain during the monsoon. Beyond just the physical fight against water, there’s fear of losing his ancestral land, his family’s livelihood, and his identity. That’s character vs nature.

This conflict helps show human fragility, resilience, and how much we depend on forces we cannot control.

e) Character vs Fate (or Character vs Destiny)

This is a more philosophical kind of conflict. The character feels like their life is controlled by forces beyond their will, tradition, prophecy, or “what was meant to be.”

Example: In Indian epics or modern retellings, a character might struggle with the idea of karma or dharma. For instance, a man from a family of priests may believe his “dharma” is fixed, but he dreams of breaking free, only to feel that destiny keeps pulling him back.

This conflict is rich. It raises big questions: How much control do we actually have over our lives?

f) Character vs Supernatural

This conflict arises when your character faces something beyond the natural, ghosts, supernatural beings, or mystic powers.

Example: In a story set in a remote Himachal village, a young woman might believe her grandmother’s house is haunted by a wandering spirit. She doesn’t just fight fear, she fights belief, tradition, and a spirit that may or may not be real.

This gives the narrative a mystical or mythic layer, which suits Indian folktales and magical realism very well.

g) Character vs Technology

Though not always the most common in Indian rural stories, this is increasingly relevant in modern India, especially in cities, startups, and tech-driven societies.

Example: Think of a software engineer in Bangalore who is overwhelmed by AI-driven automation. She fears obsolescence. Meanwhile, she’s also fascinated by what she’s building. That internal and external tension, between her ambition and the machine she’s serving, is character vs technology.

Why conflict matters so much in writing

Here’s why I treat conflict as non-negotiable in my stories:
1. It drives the plot, Without conflict, nothing really happens.
2. It reveals who characters are, Their decisions under pressure show their values.
3. It raises emotional stakes, Readers care when someone has something to lose.
4. It brings out the theme, Conflict is the tool through which I explore ideas: duty, freedom, identity, belonging.

How to use conflict

Here’s a peek into how I plan conflict in my own stories:
• I start by defining what my character wants, their goal.
• Then I think: What’s stopping them? Is it society? Their own fear? Nature? Destiny?
• I layer conflicts. I rarely use just one kind. Internal doubts + a social barrier + a looming external threat = rich tension.
• I map out how the conflict will change them: At the end, how is this character different from who they were at the beginning?

Conclusion

Conflict is not just a “story device”, it is the soul of a story. It pushes characters, reveals their truth, forces them to make hard choices, and ultimately gives meaning to their journey. When I write in the Indian context, with our traditions, values, social structures, and ever-shifting modern landscape, conflict becomes even more powerful. Because the resistance is not just external; it’s internal, deeply rooted, and personal. If you’re writing, don’t shy away from conflict. Embrace it. Let it challenge your characters, and in the process, challenge you.

If this breakdown of conflict helped you see your story clearer, explore more such craft insights at Unfold Words, where stories find their strongest version.