Conflict is the driving force behind every engaging story, and it plays a crucial role in novel writing. Without conflict, your story would be flat, predictable, and uninspiring. In any novel, conflict creates tension, challenges the characters, and pushes the plot forward. 

Whether it’s an external battle or an internal struggle, the conflict is what keeps readers hooked.

In this blog, we’ll explore the top tips for writing compelling conflict in your novel. By applying these strategies, you can ensure that your story will captivate readers and keep them turning the pages.

1. Start with High Stakes

The first step in creating compelling conflict in your novel is to establish high stakes. The higher the stakes, the more invested the reader becomes in the outcome. In novel writing, high stakes create urgency and a sense of danger. 

Whether the stakes are emotional, physical, or financial, they need to be significant enough to make readers care about the outcome.

For example, in a romance novel, the stakes might be whether or not the protagonist finds true love. In a thriller, the stakes could involve life or death. 

In your novel, make sure the conflict involves something crucial to the character’s life, goals, or survival. When the stakes are high, the tension surrounding the conflict will naturally grow.

Action Tip: Identify what is at risk for your characters. Make sure their goals and desires are strong enough to build tension around the conflict.

2. Develop Complex Characters

Conflict becomes much more compelling when it involves complex characters with clear motivations. When writing your novel, focus on creating characters who have distinct wants, needs, fears, and weaknesses. These elements are the foundation of your conflict.

For example, if your protagonist is an ambitious entrepreneur, their internal conflict might stem from balancing personal life with professional goals. A character’s desires, fears, and insecurities will create a dynamic conflict that feels realistic and relatable.

Remember, your antagonist (the character or force opposing the protagonist) should be just as well-developed. If the antagonist is one-dimensional, the conflict will feel shallow. In novel writing, both the protagonist and antagonist should have clear motivations that make their clashes believable.

Action Tip: Create well-rounded characters with personal stakes in the conflict. Their motivations should drive the story forward.

3. Combine External and Internal Conflict

One of the keys to compelling conflict in your novel is to combine both external and internal conflicts. External conflict is usually a struggle between characters, groups, or forces, while internal conflict is a personal struggle within a character’s mind or emotions.

For instance, your protagonist might face an external conflict with a rival company or an enemy. But, at the same time, they might be battling an internal conflict, such as fear, guilt, or self-doubt. This combination makes the conflict more layered and relatable, giving readers a deeper connection to the characters and the story.

In novel writing, the balance between external and internal conflict adds complexity and makes the story more engaging. By showing both the outward challenges and the personal growth of your characters, you create a rich, multi-dimensional narrative.

Action Tip: Add layers to your conflict by including both external struggles and internal battles. This will give your story emotional depth.

4. Make the Antagonist Powerful

A weak antagonist can make even the most dramatic conflict fall flat. To make the conflict compelling in your novel, your antagonist needs to be just as strong, determined, and complex as your protagonist. Whether it’s a person, a system, or even an internal force, the antagonist should challenge your protagonist in meaningful ways.

The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be a “villain” in the traditional sense. In some cases, the antagonist could be a rival, an oppressive regime, or even a character’s own flaws. For example, in a business-oriented novel, the antagonist could be a market force or a competitor trying to bring the protagonist’s business down.

Whatever form the antagonist takes, make sure they present real obstacles for the protagonist to overcome. A strong antagonist will make the conflict feel more urgent and the resolution more satisfying.

Action Tip: Develop an antagonist who challenges your protagonist in a meaningful way. Their goals and methods should be powerful enough to keep the conflict intense.

5. Escalate the Conflict

To keep your readers engaged throughout the story, the conflict should escalate as the novel progresses. Early on, the conflict might be relatively small, but as the story builds, it should grow in complexity and intensity. The protagonist should face increasingly difficult obstacles that push them closer to their limits.

For example, in the beginning, the protagonist might face a minor setback, but by the climax, the conflict should have reached a point where everything is on the line. The rising action and climax should feel like a natural progression of the conflict, leading to a tense and exciting resolution.

Escalation doesn’t always mean making the conflict more intense physically—it can also involve emotional or psychological challenges. In business-themed novels, for example, the conflict could escalate through financial risks, personal betrayals, or market pressures.

Action Tip: Gradually increase the intensity of the conflict, making the obstacles more difficult as the story progresses. This builds suspense and keeps readers invested.

6. Create Meaningful Choices for the Protagonist

In compelling conflict, the protagonist must face meaningful choices. These decisions should not be easy or straightforward. The best conflicts involve dilemmas where the protagonist has to choose between two or more equally important and challenging options.

For example, in your novel, the protagonist might have to choose between loyalty to a friend and achieving a personal goal, or between love and ambition. The choices should reflect their growth throughout the story and challenge them to make tough decisions.

In business-themed novels, the protagonist might face difficult choices related to ethics, corporate decisions, or personal sacrifice. These decisions should feel significant to the character’s journey and development.

Action Tip: Put your protagonist in situations where their choices matter and challenge their values, beliefs, or goals.

7. Provide a Satisfying Resolution

Finally, for the conflict in your novel to feel satisfying, there must be a resolution that feels earned. A good conflict leads to growth, change, or understanding for the protagonist. Whether the resolution is positive or negative, it should be the result of the protagonist's efforts to overcome the obstacles they faced.

In your novel writing, make sure the resolution ties back to the conflict's core themes. The protagonist should have changed in some way—either by overcoming personal flaws, learning a valuable lesson, or achieving their goal.

Action Tip: Ensure that the resolution to the conflict feels earned. The conclusion should reflect the growth and change the protagonist underwent throughout the story.

Conclusion

Writing compelling conflict in your novel is essential for keeping readers engaged and invested in your story. By setting high stakes, developing complex characters, combining external and internal struggles, and escalating the tension, 

you can create a conflict that captivates your audience. Remember that the key to a compelling conflict is not just in the challenges your characters face but in how those challenges force them to grow, adapt, and make meaningful choices.

By applying these tips to your novel writing, you’ll create a story that’s filled with tension, emotion, and memorable moments, ensuring your readers will be hooked from beginning to end. Happy writing!