If you want an interesting plot, conflict is essential. Whether you are creating a comic book or an epic series of novels, you are going to need it. Not only must it be believable, but it should also be appropriate for your target audience. For example, it's best not to use a dark, psychological conflict between a repentant assassin and his sadistic, serial-killing ex-girlfriend for a children's book. Likewise, you would be better off not having a bunch of cute little bunny-wunny wizards face off against an adorably wicked warlock kitty in your story if you are writing for teenagers or college students. You need to adapt your conflict so that your audience will actually enjoy reading your story.
There are four basic types of conflict, which are as follows:
Man vs. Man: This is the most common one. One hero faces off against a villain with the stakes ranging from a sports' trophy, a girlfriend, perhaps even the universe.
Example: Bryon's conflict with his best friend, Mark, in "That was Then, This Is Now" by S.E. Hinton.
Man vs. Society: The hero faces off against their family, their culture, or their country. Often, it is in defiance of racism, class warfare, and religious intolerance.
Example: Huckleberry Finn having to decide whether or not he'll turn in his friend Jim, a runaway slave in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.
Man vs. Nature/Science: The hero takes on wild beasts, natural disasters, supernatural beings, or technological forces run amok.
Example: "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov, in which the scientists need to deal all the mishaps that result from their mechanical creations.
Man vs. Self: The hero battles the darkness within, trying to overcome a side of themself that, if left unchecked, will ultimately destroy them. This is the rarest type of conflict in storytelling and the hardest one to write about.
Example: Spiderman's struggle with his thirst for revenge in "Spiderman 3."
There are infinite ways you can use each one of the above conflicts in your story. The key is to use the one that not only fits your genre of writing, but pushes it to a whole new level. Don't just fit into the mold. Learn it and break it!
