Internal vs External Conflict: Understanding the Key Differences and How to Use them in Your Writing

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 20 June 2023 7 min read

As writers, we often find ourselves navigating the complexities of conflict in our stories. One key aspect to consider is the distinction between internal and external conflict. In this blog, we'll explore the world of internal vs external conflict, delve into their differences, and provide practical tips on how to effectively use both types of conflict in your writing.

Defining Internal and External Conflict

Before we dive into the specifics of internal and external conflict, let's briefly define these two terms. Internal conflict refers to a character's struggle with their own emotions, beliefs, or desires, while external conflict arises from the character's interaction with their environment, other characters, or external forces. Both types of conflict play a crucial role in shaping the character's journey and creating engaging narratives.

Types of Internal Conflict

Internal conflict can manifest in various ways, such as:

Moral dilemmas: A character is faced with a difficult decision that challenges their values or beliefs.
Emotional struggles: A character grapples with their feelings, such as fear, guilt, or love, that can drive their actions and affect their relationships.
Identity issues: A character wrestles with understanding themselves and their place in the world, often leading to personal growth or transformation.

Types of External Conflict

External conflict, on the other hand, can be divided into several categories, including:

Character vs. character: A character faces an adversary, which can be another character or group of characters, creating tension and driving the plot forward.
Character vs. nature: A character struggles against natural forces, such as an impending storm, a harsh environment, or even a wild animal.
Character vs. society: A character comes into conflict with societal norms, institutions, or customs, often leading to a battle for change or acceptance.
Character vs. fate: A character tries to overcome a predetermined path or destiny, often resulting in a struggle between free will and fate.

Understanding the nuances of internal vs external conflict is key to developing rich, multi-dimensional characters and engaging stories that keep readers hooked from beginning to end. So, let's explore the key differences between these two types of conflict and how you can use them effectively in your writing.

Key Differences between Internal and External Conflict

While both internal and external conflict are essential to a story, they serve different purposes and require distinct storytelling techniques. Let's examine the key differences between these two types of conflict in terms of character development and storytelling techniques.

Impact on Character Development

Internal conflict primarily affects a character's emotional and psychological growth. Through their struggles, characters can learn valuable lessons, overcome their fears, or make peace with their past. This type of conflict allows readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level and understand their motivations, making them more relatable and compelling.

External conflict, in contrast, challenges a character's physical abilities, resourcefulness, and adaptability. It often tests their determination to achieve their goals in the face of adversity. By overcoming external obstacles, characters can demonstrate their strengths and weaknesses, ultimately leading to personal growth and transformation.

Storytelling Techniques

When it comes to storytelling, internal conflict often requires a more introspective approach. Writers should focus on the character's thoughts, feelings, and internal dialogue to convey their inner turmoil effectively. This can include the use of flashbacks, inner monologues, or symbolic imagery to illustrate the character's inner struggle.

External conflict, on the other hand, relies more heavily on action and dialogue to showcase the character's confrontation with outside forces. Writers should employ descriptive language and vivid imagery to create tension and excitement in scenes involving external conflict. Additionally, well-crafted dialogue can highlight the character's relationships and reveal the stakes of the conflict.

Now that we've explored the key differences between internal and external conflict, let's discuss how to effectively use each type in your writing.

Using Internal Conflict in Your Writing

Internal conflict is an essential component of storytelling, as it helps create relatable, multidimensional characters and build tension. Let's explore some strategies for incorporating internal conflict into your writing effectively.

Creating Relatable Characters

One of the primary functions of internal conflict is to make characters more relatable and human. By giving characters internal struggles, you provide readers with a window into their minds and emotions. To create relatable characters, consider the following tips:

Give your characters realistic, personal dilemmas that many people can identify with, such as moral dilemmas, conflicting desires, or self-doubt.
Ensure that your characters have clear motivations for their actions, even if they are not immediately apparent to the reader.
Use your characters' backstory and past experiences to explain why they struggle with certain issues, making their internal conflict more understandable and believable.

Building Tension

Internal conflict can also be an effective tool for building tension in your story. As readers become invested in your characters and their struggles, they will be eager to see how they manage to overcome their inner turmoil. Here are some tips for using internal conflict to build tension:

Gradually reveal the reasons behind your character's internal conflict, keeping readers engaged and curious about the outcome.
Intensify the internal conflict as the story progresses, making the character's struggle more difficult and forcing them to make tough decisions.
Use moments of introspection, such as inner monologues or flashbacks, to heighten the emotional stakes and give readers insight into the character's thought process.

With these strategies in mind, you can effectively incorporate internal conflict into your writing to create relatable characters and build tension. But what about external conflict? Let's move on to discuss how to use this type of conflict in your storytelling.

Using External Conflict in Your Writing

External conflict is the driving force behind most stories, as it propels the plot forward and pushes characters to grow and change. In this section, we'll discuss how to effectively use external conflict in your writing to create engaging plotlines and drive character growth.

Creating Engaging Plotlines

External conflict is what keeps readers hooked, as they want to know how your characters will overcome the challenges they face. To create engaging plotlines, consider the following tips:

Choose an external conflict that is closely tied to your characters' goals and motivations, making it an integral part of the story.
Vary the types of external conflicts your characters encounter, such as physical obstacles, interpersonal conflicts, or societal pressures, to keep the story fresh and unpredictable.
Introduce twists and turns in the plot that arise from the external conflict, surprising readers and keeping them on their toes.

Driving Character Growth

External conflict is also crucial for driving character growth, as it forces characters to adapt and evolve in order to overcome their challenges. To use external conflict effectively for character development, consider these tips:

Ensure that the external conflict pushes your characters out of their comfort zones and challenges their beliefs, forcing them to grow and change.
Show how your characters learn from their experiences and develop new skills or perspectives as a result of facing external conflict.
Use the resolution of the external conflict as a turning point for your characters, marking a significant change in their lives or the start of a new journey.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively use external conflict in your writing to create engaging plotlines and drive character growth. However, the real magic happens when you combine internal and external conflict in your storytelling. Let's explore how to do that effectively.

Combining Internal and External Conflict

When you combine internal and external conflict in your writing, you create a rich, multidimensional story that captivates readers. In this section, we'll explore how to effectively combine these two types of conflict to create compelling stories and maintain balance in your writing.

Creating Compelling Stories

Combining internal and external conflict allows you to create stories that are both emotionally engaging and action-packed. To achieve this, consider the following tips:

Develop characters with relatable internal conflicts that are directly tied to the external conflicts they face in the story.
Show how the external conflict exacerbates the internal conflict, making it harder for your characters to ignore or avoid their personal struggles.
Use the resolution of the external conflict as a catalyst for your characters to confront and resolve their internal conflicts, leading to satisfying character arcs.

Maintaining Balance

It's important to strike the right balance between internal and external conflict in your writing. Too much focus on internal struggles can make your story feel slow and introspective, while too much external conflict can result in a shallow, action-driven story. To maintain balance, keep these tips in mind:

Ensure that both internal and external conflicts are present and well-developed throughout your story, without one overshadowing the other.
Find moments in your story where your characters can reflect on their internal conflicts, even amidst the external challenges they face.
Use the resolution of one type of conflict to propel the other forward, making sure the story remains engaging and well-paced.

When you successfully combine internal and external conflict in your writing, you create stories that resonate with readers on a deeper level. To illustrate how this can be done, let's look at some examples of internal and external conflict in literature.

Examples of Internal and External Conflict in Literature

Let's explore some examples of internal and external conflict in literature to see how these types of conflict can be effectively combined to create engaging and memorable stories.

Internal Conflict Example

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the main character, Jay Gatsby, experiences a significant internal conflict. Gatsby is torn between his love for Daisy Buchanan and his desire for wealth and social status. This internal conflict drives Gatsby's actions throughout the novel and ultimately leads to his downfall.

External Conflict Example

In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, the primary external conflict is the ongoing battle between Harry and the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. This conflict drives the plot of the series, as Harry and his friends work together to defeat Voldemort and save the wizarding world from his reign of terror.

Combined Conflict Example

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist, Scout Finch, faces both internal and external conflicts. Externally, Scout deals with the prejudice and injustice of her small Southern town as her father, Atticus, defends a black man accused of a crime he didn't commit. Internally, Scout struggles to understand and reconcile these societal injustices with her own moral compass and sense of right and wrong. The combination of internal and external conflict in this novel creates a powerful and thought-provoking story that remains relevant and impactful today.

By combining internal and external conflict in your writing, you can create compelling, multidimensional stories that captivate your readers and leave a lasting impact. Use the tips and examples provided in this blog to effectively utilize both types of conflict in your writing and enhance your storytelling abilities.

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