The Secret to Conflict That Keeps Readers Up at Night

Every forgettable fantasy story has the same problem: the conflict doesn’t hurt enough.

Big battles, dark lords, world-ending stakes, none of it matters if readers don’t feel the weight of what your character stands to lose. The secret isn’t bigger conflict. It’s layered conflict.

The best stories stack two kinds of stakes on top of each other.

External stakes drive the plot. The kingdom falls. The monster wins. The innocent die. These stakes create urgency and give your story momentum. Readers need to know what happens out there in the world.

Internal stakes drive the reader’s heart. Your hero fears he’s unworthy. She can’t forgive herself. He doesn’t know who he is without the mission. These stakes create meaning and make readers lose sleep.

Here’s the key: the external and internal conflicts must collide.

Your hero can’t save the kingdom without first confronting the wound inside him. The external battle forces the internal one. Solving one requires solving the other. That’s where unforgettable stories live — in that collision.

Look at Frodo from Lord of the Rings. He’s saving “the world” by taking the ring to Mordor. But what does he constantly think about? The Shire. His home. That’s personal.

Ask yourself two questions about your protagonist right now:

• What does the world need them to do?

• What does their soul need them to face?

If those two things point in opposite directions, you have real conflict.

Until then, write something that hurts.

What’s a fantasy story you love that has great layered conflict? Respond to this email or comment below.

Hope you have a great week!

Author MB Mooney

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