Table of Conflicts in Sci-Fi (and other genres)

Featured image credit: Now Novel

You can’t have a story without conflict. Science Fiction is no different than any other genre in this regard, except there is an element of science involved somewhere.

CHARACTER + WANT + OBSTACLE = CONFLICT

Conflict can arise from the environment or setting; characters – inner (mental), outer (physical), or between the antagonist and protagonist; or situational – choices that need to be made or a problem that needs to be solved.

One problem that needs to be solved is that there is no complete list of conflicts for authors! There are posts on the 6 main TYPES of conflicts, posts on one CATEGORY of conflicts and generators that give you conflict ideas one at a time, but no catch all list for reference.

Well, hat’s off to you, because you found one!

Now go make your characters suffer many many times over.

Environment (Man against nature)

• Apocalypse of zombies or aliens or other epidemic/outbreak
• Nuclear blast/gunfire/war/weapons
• Buried Alive
• Attack by human/animal/insect/alien without weapons
• Falling/down mountain/off building/off cliff/into hole/through ice/into cave
• Avalanche/mud slide
• Tsunami/riptide/river rapids/whirlpool/non-amphibious vehicle into lake
• Fire
• Tornado/Hurricane/Lightning storm/sand storm/Odd storm
• Lost
• Stampede/Crowd

Character (man against man or man against self)

Non-Physical

• Financial/loss of job/can’t buy food/
• Deep Distress/Despair/Depression/Grief/Deep Shame/Guilt/Self-doubt
• Mental Illness
• Supernatural powers/their own or inflicted by antagonist/
• Fear
• Social Problems/bullying/discredited/vilified/

Physical

• Choking/loss of oxygen/buried alive/airlock
• Hunger
• Sleep deprivation/exhaustion/dehydration/heat stroke
• Cramp while swimming/sore muscles/weakness from exertion
• Stuck/small space/accident
• Torture/Incarceration/Short-term injuries
• Poison/lethal injection/virus/bacterial infection
• Long-Term injuries/Health Conditions/Pregnancy
• Vice/addiction/

Social Emotional (man against self or man against society)

• Poverty-stricken existence/hard, cold or unloving family/rigidly religious or intolerant community
• Ingrained societal values/customs/traditions
• Belief based on past trauma –
  • I’m worthless (Will in Good Will Hunting);
  • I can’t survive without a rich man to take care of me (Rose in Titanic);
  • If I show people my true (ugly and scary) self, I’ll be hated, feared and rejected (Shrek)
• Live in fantasy world/avoid conflict/push people away
• False identity – act big and bad, but is a softie or vice versa
• Fear intimacy/fear commitment/secret fear/
• Criminal activity/vandalism/violence/at odds with ruling power
• Seek attention/Impulsive/create conflict to hide fear of inner conflict or avoid dealing with inner conflict
• Betrayal/adultery/shameful incident
• Emotional conflict causing relationship problems or a barrier to character moving forward
• Moral dilemma – hero must break laws/dilemma of values/ethical dilemma – against his profession/choice between two bad options/break a promise or vow
• Overprotective
• Indecisive
• Temptation
• Passion takes them away from loved ones

Situational (includes man against technology or man against supernatural)

• Life issues/moving/career change/new baby/loss of loved one
• Technological breakdowns/A.I. takeover
• Vehicular failure/flat tire/engine out
• Time/two events occur at same time/time travel/
• Hostage
• Forced to act differently – coward is brave, shy is aggressive
• Forced union of incompatibles – human in cartoon world
• Change of state – become animal, cartoon, beast, demon, angel, super
• Forced choices (often leads to conflict resolution)

 

Sources:

33 ways to create inner conflict

15 ways to make your characters suffer

Extra credit: The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations