Conflicted!

by Sam Agro

Now let’s move on to the CONFLICT part of your narrative.

If the SETUP is the appetizer of our literary meal, the CONFLICT is the meat and potatoes entré.

There can be no story without CONFLICT.

(For those who are screaming and shaking your fist at the computer, wailing about creative freedoms, please refer to my comments in post #2!)

There are three fundamental types of conflict:

MAN versus MAN 
MAN versus HIS ENVIRONMENT 
MAN versus HIMSELF

There is also probably going to be a PRIMARY CONFLICT and one or more SECONDARY CONFLICTS.

The PRIMARY CONFLICT is the one tied to our WHAT or PREMISE. This is the big bone of contention between the PROTAGONIST and the ANTAGONIST. This is what the story is really about.

In Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four, the first story about Galactus, (FF 48-50) the main conflict is between the FF and Galactus. Space traveler Galactus wants to consume the Earth leaving it, and humanity, dead. The FF, naturally aren’t too keen on the idea, hence our PRIMARY CONFLICT.

There are also many SECONDARY CONFLICTS, like the Surfer vs. the FF, the Surfer vs. Galactus, the FF versus the Punisher, etc. etc. (This punisher is a weird little robot, not Frank Castle)

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