From Ancient Fires to Cool Screens

Walter White in the KitchenWhy Conflict Keeps Us Reading and Watching

“I am the one who knocks!”

Walter White stands in his kitchen, his wife Skyler backing away as he unleashes years of pent-up rage and resentment. This isn’t just a husband arguing with his wife – it’s the moment a high school chemistry teacher fully embraces his transformation into a drug kingpin. The air crackles with tension, years of lies and manipulation erupting in a single, terrifying moment.

Now imagine if instead, Walter had calmly sat down with Skyler and said, “Honey, I’ve been making some questionable choices lately. Perhaps we should discuss this over tea?” Snooze. Not only would we lose the dramatic punch, but we’d miss the deeper truth this conflict reveals: how pride and power can corrupt even the most seemingly ordinary person.

Two essential truths about conflict:

  1. It’s not about the fight – it’s about what the fight reveals
  2. The best conflicts teach us something we didn’t know we needed to learn

Making Your Conflict Matter

Before you write your next scene, consider:

  • Does this conflict emerge organically from character and circumstance?
  • What deeper truth does this struggle illuminate?
  • How does this conflict challenge your character’s core beliefs?
  • What’s at stake beyond the immediate problem?
  • How does resolution (or lack thereof) change your character?

Finding Fresh Conflict: Three Approaches

  1. The Mirror Method Take a common real-world situation (a job interview, a first date, a family dinner) and identify what everyone involved is desperately trying to avoid. That’s where your story begins. A family dinner becomes electric when daughter’s new boyfriend turns out to be mom’s former student – the one she failed for plagiarism.
  2. The Status Quo Shakeup List your character’s daily routines, then break them in unexpected ways. A morning subway commute becomes fascinating when your character realizes everyone else on the train is reading the same mysterious book – except them.
  3. The Truth Behind the Lie What’s the one thing your character claims they would never do? Force them to do exactly that – but make their reasons so compelling that readers would make the same choice.

Mining Your Work-in-Progress for Deeper Conflict

Open your current draft. For each scene, ask:

  • What does each character want?
  • What aren’t they saying?
  • What would make this situation worse in an interesting way?
  • What truth is this conflict revealing?

If you can’t answer these questions, you’ve found where your story needs work.

The Ancient Art of Tension

Stories began around prehistoric fires, survival lessons wrapped in the engaging package of conflict. Those first tales warned of real dangers: the bear that guards the honey, the beautiful berries that bring death, the rival tribe that attacks at dawn. Every story was a lesson in survival.

As civilization evolved, our stories moved from oral traditions to written words, from printed pages to digital screens. Yet our need for meaningful conflict remained constant. Today’s “Cool Fire” – our televisions and devices – might seem far removed from those ancient gatherings, but they serve the same purpose: teaching us to survive our current challenges through the power of story.

The Modern Campfire

Whether we’re crafting novels, screenplays, or video games, conflict remains our most powerful teaching tool. The best conflicts don’t just entertain – they illuminate. “Breaking Bad” isn’t just about a teacher becoming a drug lord; it’s about how pride can poison the soul. “The Last of Us” isn’t just about surviving zombies; it’s about how love can both save and destroy us.

Five Essential Takeaways

  1. Start with the Tension Don’t ease readers in – drop them into a moment of change or decision. They’ll catch up.
  2. Make it Personal Universal themes (love, betrayal, redemption) hit hardest when explored through specific, personal conflicts.
  3. Layer Your Conflicts The external problem (catch the killer) should illuminate an internal truth (face your own capacity for violence).
  4. Embrace the Uncomfortable The conflicts that make you squirm to write are often the ones readers need most.
  5. Remember the Lesson Like those ancient tales around the fire, your story should leave readers better equipped to face their own challenges.

Every time you sit down to write, you’re not just telling a story – you’re teaching survival skills for the modern world. Make your conflicts count. Your readers are gathering around your fire, waiting to learn.