Creative Writing Crash Course – Lesson III: Breaking Down & Understanding Internal vs. External Conflict

Why Conflict is the Heart of Storytelling

Every compelling story is built on conflict—without it, there’s no tension, no stakes, and no reason for readers to stay invested. Conflict challenges characters, forces them to grow, and gives a story momentum. It's not just about plot twists or obstacles—conflict is what reveals a character’s true nature. It pushes them to make difficult choices, take risks, and confront their own flaws and fears.

Conflict is the driving force that gives a story purpose. It creates the emotional highs and lows that keep readers engaged, breathlessly flipping through pages to see what happens next. Without conflict, even the most beautifully written story can feel static or lifeless. But with strong, intentional conflict—especially when both internal and external forces are at play—a story can become rich, gripping, and unforgettable.

Understanding internal vs. external conflict is essential for writers who want to build stories with depth and emotional resonance. By learning how these forces interact, you'll be able to layer your storytelling with complexity and tension, crafting narratives that speak to the heart of the human experience. resonant narratives that keep readers engaged.

External Conflict: The Obstacles Outside the Character

What is External Conflict?

External conflict arises from outside forces preventing a character from achieving their goal. These forces create immediate, visible obstacles that drive the plot forward.

Types of External Conflict:

• Character vs. Character: Rivalries, antagonists, power struggles (ex: Harry vs. Voldemort in Harry Potter).

• Character vs. Society: Oppression, rebellion, unjust systems (ex: Katniss vs. The Capitol in The Hunger Games).

• Character vs. Nature: Survival against the elements (ex: Mark Watney vs. Mars in The Martian).

• Character vs. Fate/Supernatural: Gods, prophecy, destiny (ex: Achilles vs. his fate in The Iliad).

• Character vs. Technology: AI, cybernetic threats (ex: The resistance vs. Skynet in Terminator).

Why External Conflict Matters:

• Creates plot momentum—it’s what keeps things happening in a story.

• Provides clear stakes—the audience knows what’s at risk.

• Forces characters to act, revealing who they are through their choices.

Mini Exercise: Identify a story where the external conflict is clear. What makes it compelling?

Internal Conflict: The Battle Within

What is Internal Conflict?

Internal conflict is the emotional, psychological, or moral struggle within a character. It’s what makes a character feel real, relatable, and emotionally compelling.

Types of Internal Conflict:

• Doubt & Fear: Can the character overcome self-doubt? (ex: Frodo’s fear of the Ring’s power in The Lord of the Rings).

• Moral Dilemmas: Right vs. wrong, duty vs. desire (ex: Hamlet’s indecision in Hamlet).

• Identity Crisis: Who am I really? (ex: Mulan struggling with her identity in Mulan).

• Repressed Emotions: Running from grief, love, or guilt (ex: The Mandalorian’s fear of connection in The Mandalorian).

Why Internal Conflict Matters:

• It makes characters multidimensional—real people have inner struggles.

• Deepens reader investment by making the audience emotionally connected.

• It allows for meaningful character growth—overcoming internal struggles is often the real “win” in a story.

Mini Exercise: Think of a character you love—what’s their internal struggle?

Balancing Internal & External Conflict

Character-Driven vs. Plot-Driven Stories

One way to understand the role of conflict in storytelling is to consider whether your story is character-driven or plot-driven—or both.

• Character-driven stories focus on the protagonist’s internal world: their emotions, struggles, relationships, and growth. The external events exist primarily to serve the character's inner journey. (Ex: Normal People, The Catcher in the Rye)

• Plot-driven stories emphasize external events and actions. The pacing is fast, the stakes are high, and the plot often drives the characters’ choices more than their internal states. (Ex: The Da Vinci Code, Jurassic Park)

Most stories exist somewhere in between. Knowing which side your story leans toward can help you emphasize the right kind of conflict.

How to Balance Internal & External Stakes

To create emotionally satisfying and engaging stories, it’s essential to balance internal and external stakes:

• Ask yourself: What does my character want? What’s stopping them? What do they fear?

• External stakes often involve danger, time limits, social consequences, or survival.

• Internal stakes are emotional: fear of failure, loss of identity, the weight of regret, or longing for love.

If the character fails, what will they lose on the outside—and what will it cost them on the inside?

Mini Exercise: Pick one of your favorite books or movies. Identify the internal conflict, the external conflict, and how they intertwine. Do the internal and external stakes rise together?

How Internal & External Conflict Work Together

The most powerful stories blend both internal and external conflict. A well-crafted story ensures that what happens externally impacts the internal journey, and vice versa.

Examples of Conflict Blending:

The Hunger Games: Katniss battles external threats (The Capitol, survival) while facing internal struggles (guilt, trauma, emotional repression).

Spider-Man: Peter Parker must fight external villains while wrestling with internal struggles about responsibility and identity.

Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennet’s external conflict (society’s expectations) mirrors her internal conflict (overcoming pride and prejudice to find love).

Tips for Strong Conflict Balance:

• Link them together: The external conflict should force the character to confront their internal struggle.

• Escalate both at once: As the stakes in the external conflict rise, the internal conflict should intensify as well.

• Make the resolution meaningful: The story climax should resolve both external and internal conflicts for a satisfying ending.

Mini Exercise: Brainstorm a story idea where both internal & external conflicts are intertwined.

Conflict Evolves Over Time

Conflict shouldn’t remain static. A compelling story allows both internal and external conflicts to grow, twist, or even reverse as the protagonist changes. What starts as a fear of failure might become a fear of success. An external threat might turn into a personal betrayal. These shifts add tension and depth, keeping the reader invested in how the character will adapt—or fall apart—under pressure. Let your conflict breathe and transform as your story unfolds.

Common Conflict Mistakes to Watch For

Even the most promising story ideas can fall flat if the conflict isn’t handled with care. A common mistake is keeping the conflict too surface-level—where external obstacles exist, but don’t challenge the character emotionally. Or the internal struggle is stated once and never truly explored or shown through action. Some stories resolve plot events in the climax but leave the emotional arc incomplete, which can make the resolution feel hollow. Strong storytelling requires conflict that’s meaningful, layered, and fully resolved on both levels.

Looking Ahead: Connecting to Character Motivation

Internal conflict often stems from deeper drives: unmet needs, core wounds, past traumas, or conflicting desires. These roots are explored in more depth in Lesson V: The Psychology of Character. For now, keep in mind that every strong internal conflict is powered by something your character wants… and something they fear they’ll never get.

Reflective Prompt: What personal internal or external conflict have you faced in your life—and how might that shape a story worth telling?

Example Response to Reflective Prompt:

When I was a teenager, I struggled with perfectionism. Externally, this looked like overachieving in school and saying “yes” to everything. Internally, though, I was constantly afraid of failure and convinced that my worth depended on being the best. If I were to turn that into a story, I might write a character who’s offered their dream opportunity—but only if they betray their values or hurt someone they care about. The external conflict (career vs. relationships) would mirror their internal one (worth vs. self-compassion), creating a layered, emotional arc rooted in something deeply personal.

Further Reading & Writing Resources

Want to dive deeper? These resources expand on today’s lesson and help you apply what you’ve learned:

• The War Within vs. The Battle Outside – Want a more thorough understanding of internal vs external conflict? This blog post goes even further into unpacking the key differences between internal and external conflict, offering powerful in-depth examples and insight into why both are essential to crafting a compelling narrative.

• Story vs. Plot: The Heart & Bones of Your Novel – Discover how plot (what happens) and story (why it matters emotionally) work together and understand how to structure your novel by distinguishing the emotional journey from the external events. This post will help you create stories that not only entertain but resonate on a deeper level.

• Scene Cards for Internal & External Conflict – A practical tool designed to help you plan and track the emotional and plot-based progression of each scene. Use these cards to ensure every moment pushes your character forward—both internally and externally.

Writing Exercises

Now that you have a basic understanding of how internal and external conflicts shape character journeys and drive story momentum, it’s time to apply what you’ve learned. The following exercises will help you explore conflict in your own storytelling and deepen your characters’ struggles on the page.

Exercise #1: Analyze Your Favorites

Pick a favorite book or movie.

• What is the protagonist’s external conflict?

• What is their internal conflict?

• How do these two conflicts influence each other?

Bonus: Identify a moment when the internal and external conflict collide.

Exercise #2: Internal vs. External: Split a Character’s Arc

Choose or create a character and complete the following:

• Goal: What do they want? (External conflict)

• Flaw or Fear: What holds them back emotionally? (Internal conflict)

• Obstacle: What outside force prevents them from getting what they want?

• Climax Moment: When the internal and external conflict must be faced at once.

Exercise #3: Write a Scene of Conflict (300–500 words)

Write a scene in which your character is:

• Facing an external challenge (e.g., an argument, a chase, a deadline)

• Simultaneously struggling with an internal issue (e.g., fear, guilt, insecurity)

Focus on how the inner turmoil influences their choices or reactions.

Exercise #4: Turn an External Problem Inward

Take one of the following external conflict scenarios and rewrite it to center on an internal conflict:

• A soldier caught behind enemy lines

• A student failing their final exam

• A hero discovering they’ve been betrayed

How can you shift the focus to what’s happening inside the character—emotionally, morally, or psychologically?

Exercise #5: Map the Conflict Arc

Draw or list the progression of conflict in a story idea or WIP:

• Inciting Incident: What kicks off the external conflict?

• Emotional Disruption: How does this create internal conflict?

• Rising Action: How do both escalate side-by-side?

• Climax: When are both resolved or confronted?

• Aftermath: How has the character changed emotionally?

Concluding Thoughts

Conflict is the engine of storytelling—without it, there’s no reason for a reader to keep turning pages. A well-balanced blend of internal and external conflict creates depth, tension, and emotional stakes that keep readers engaged.

Challenge:

Write a scene where a character’s internal conflict clashes with an external one. How does their inner struggle affect their choices in the face of an external obstacle?

Next Steps:

Use conflict to increase stakes, tension, and emotional payoff in your writing. Let the friction between internal and external pressures shape how your character evolves—and how the story unfolds.

In the next lesson, we’ll turn our focus to character creation. Because no matter how perfectly structured your scenes are, they won’t matter without a protagonist worth following. We’ll explore how to shape the lens through which your character views the world—a lens that becomes the very foundation of your story.

Carpe scripturam!

—Bair✍︎

🔜 Next Up: Lesson IV – Character Creation: Bringing Your Protagonist (Therefore Your Story) To Life

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