Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces that drives a story forward. Without it, narrative has little reason to continue.

The opposition may be external—character against character, against society, against nature, or against the supernatural—or internal, a struggle within a single character’s mind and values. Most stories combine several forms. The central conflict generates the rising action, reaches a peak at the climax, and finds some form of resolution in the falling action and denouement. Readers stay engaged because they want to know how the struggle will turn out.

Conflict is not identical with violence or shouting. A quiet battle of wills, a moral dilemma, or a competition against time can be equally compelling. What matters is that something is at stake and that the outcome is in doubt. Writers who neglect to establish clear conflict often produce static or meandering narratives.

The engine of plot is the clash of opposing desires, values, or circumstances.