Internal vs External Conflict: Definitions, Examples, and How They Work Together

Every conflict in a story is taking place somewhere, often within a character’s own mind: a fear they’ve never quite put into words, a choice they’ve repeatedly put off. 

Sometimes it’s raging outside, with another person or a storm or a system all conspiring against them, while in other cases it’s just the way of the world. Knowing whether it’s the one on the inside or the one outside (or better still: both at the same time) is the key to the difference between a plot that inches along and one that actually says something worth hearing.

Internal conflict is essentially just a tug of war inside someone’s own head, between their fears and doubts on one hand, and their competing values and desires on the other. 

External conflict, on the other hand, is when a character is going up against something outside of them, someone else, the rules of society, nature, or a particular event. Stories worth finishing these days usually involve a mix of both, not just one or the other.

Internal Conflict Definition

Internal conflict, the ongoing, inner struggle within a character that’s tearing them apart, it’s at the very core of their emotional and psychological makeup. 

This is a clash between what they truly want, what they’re actually scared of, and what they think of themselves and it’s a battle that can wreak havoc on the most seemingly well-adjusted (or so they think) of characters. 

It’s also sometimes called character vs. self because it’s the quietest of all conflicts in literature even though it’s often the one that lingers in readers’ minds long after they put the book down.

Take Hamlet for instance: he’s the poster child for internal conflict in literature. And it’s not because he’s lacking opportunities to do something about the situation he’s in (because let’s be real: he could do a whole lot if he really wanted to). 

No, it’s the doubts and fears he has – about exacting that revenge, or what’s right and wrong, or even if the ghost he’s seen is trustworthy. And that indecision is basically the whole engine of the play. 

Take a more contemporary example like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice: she’s got her own inner battle going on between her initial distaste for Mr. Darcy and the growing attraction she can’t bring herself to admit to. Either way, neither of these characters is fighting some dauntless hero, they’re both fighting their own minds, and the resistance to change that comes with it.

External Conflict Definition

External conflict is a struggle between a character and a force outside themselves, another character, a society, nature, technology, or a supernatural power. It’s the type of conflict that tends to drive the visible action of a story, since it usually takes the shape of a clear obstacle the character has to face directly.

Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is a clean example. Her external conflict isn’t singular either, she’s fighting for survival inside the arena while also standing against the Capitol’s broader control over Panem. 

External conflict covers several distinct forms, character vs. character, character vs. society, character vs. nature, and more, each with its own shape and purpose. A full breakdown of those seven types of conflict in literature is worth reading separately if you want the complete picture, since this piece is focused specifically on the internal and external divide rather than every subtype beneath it.

Key Differences at a Glance

Neither type carries a story alone particularly well. A plot built entirely on external conflict can feel like a sequence of events happening to someone rather than a story about someone. 

A plot built entirely on internal conflict can feel static, since nothing in the world is actually applying pressure. The strongest stories tend to use external pressure to force an internal reckoning.

Why Stories Need Both

The Great Gatsby really puts it in perspective  better than almost any other story. Gatsby’s external conflicts are plain as day: his turf war with Tom Buchanan, the class divide that keeps him from Daisy, and the fact that no matter how much money he throws at it, he can never fully buy his way into that world. 

But hidden away underneath all of that is an internal conflict that gives those external battles some real weight, his refusal to accept that you can’t recreate the past, and his whole lack of sense of who he is without all that fortune and the constant parties. 

Take that internal layer away and Gatsby is just some rich guy who loses a girl to his rival. It’s his internal conflict that makes his loss feel like it wasn’t just some fluke, it’s something that was always gonna happen.

How to Use Internal vs External Conflict in Your Writing: A Guide for the Brave

Now that we’ve unpacked the what and why of internal and external conflict, let’s dive into how you can wield both of these storytelling powerhouses in your own writing. Ready to make your readers sweat with anticipation? Let’s go!

Start with Your Character’s Core Dilemma

Whether it’s internal or external conflict, start by defining what your character wants and what they need. Do they want to be the hero, but secretly doubt they have what it takes (hello, internal conflict)? Or are they up against an oppressive system that’s trying to crush their spirit (external conflict)? By understanding what drives your character, you’ll know which conflict types will fuel their journey.

Create a Balance Between Both Conflicts

Don’t just throw a villain at your character and call it a day. Sure, external conflict (the action-packed stuff) is crucial, but don’t forget about that emotional, psychological battle within. Mix them up! Let the external conflict force the character into decisions that fuel their internal conflict. For example, a character might have to make a tough moral choice in the heat of battle—this is where internal and external conflicts meet head-on.

Use Internal Conflict to Amplify the Stakes

Sometimes, the external conflict alone isn’t enough to get your readers hooked. Enter internal conflict. If your character is torn between doing what’s right and what’s easy, or struggles with feelings of inadequacy, it adds another layer of complexity to their actions. The more the internal conflict intensifies, the more emotionally invested your audience will become in how your character handles (or crumbles under) the pressure. It makes their victory (or defeat) much more rewarding.

Add External Conflict as a Catalyst for Internal Growth

Let the external forces act as a mirror to the character’s internal struggles. The challenges your character faces in the outside world should force them to confront their fears, insecurities, or deeply held beliefs. Think of it as the world pushing your character to grow. External conflict might kickstart a character’s self-reflection, sparking the internal struggle that will eventually lead to transformation. It’s like throwing your character into the deep end—how they navigate the world around them will reveal their true inner self.

Don’t Forget the Resolution

The ultimate goal is for your character to grow and change. The resolution of both the internal and external conflicts should coincide in a way that feels satisfying. The external conflict might be resolved by an epic battle or climactic confrontation, but the internal conflict needs to be dealt with too. Maybe your character comes to terms with their flaws or finds peace with the decisions they’ve made. Both conflicts should conclude in a way that shows how far your character has come.

By strategically combining internal and external conflict, you’ll create a rich, multi-dimensional narrative that resonates long after the last page is turned. It’s all about balance—let the external world challenge your character, while their inner turmoil drives the heart of the story. When you get it right, the result will be a conflict-rich masterpiece that leaves readers begging for more.

Internal Conflict and Character Arc

When a character changes over the course of a story, what’s actually changing is usually the internal conflict resolving one way or another. A character arc is, in most cases, simply the record of how a character’s inner struggle got confronted, whether they overcame it, gave into it, or found an uneasy peace with it.

This is why internal conflict tends to matter more to a reader’s long-term memory of a book than the external plot does. Readers forget the specific mechanics of how a villain was defeated far faster than they forget whether a character actually changed. Elizabeth Bennet’s arc isn’t really about whether she and Darcy end up together, it’s about whether she’s willing to admit she judged him too quickly. The external plot exists to create the pressure that forces that internal admission.

How the Balance Shifts by Genre

Not every genre relies equally on the push and pull of internal and external conflict, and for writers, one of the more useful things you can take away from this distinction is the typical balance of the genre you’re working in.

Thrillers and action novels tend to go big on external stuff, letting the pace be driven by obstacles to be overcome and deadlines to meet, not to mention direct opposition that makes things personal. As a result, trying to fit too much internal reflection into a thriller can make the story feel like it’s dragging its heels. 

At the other end of the spectrum, literary fiction and character studies tend to flip that ratio on its head, with internal struggles driving the plot and external events mainly serving to expose what’s going on inside the characters. Those external events aren’t really the point, but more a reflection of what’s going on inside.

Romance novels, on the other hand, usually try to split the difference, with an external obstacle that’s keeping the central couple apart being pretty closely tied to the internal doubts each of them is working through before they can be together. This is the reason why so many romance stories really take off when the external plot point finally resolves – the internal struggles were what was really at stake all along.

Fantasy and science fiction do a great job of bringing large external stakes to the table: a war, a crumbling empire, the end of the world, you name it. Combined with a single character’s internal doubts about whether they’ve got what it takes to rise to the challenge. This combination has been a winning formula for decades now, especially when you’re dealing with a character who really comes to terms with their own inadequacies.

Knowing the typical balance of your genre doesn’t mean you have to follow the rules to the letter, though. Some of the most memorable books ever written are the ones that deliberately subvert reader expectations, a thriller that really gets inside the head of a character or a literary novel that’s not afraid to get a little bit messy. 

But knowing what the default is does help you figure out when you’re making a deliberate choice to break the mold, rather than just getting lost in the story.

Checking Your Conflict Balance in Revision

Traditionally published manuscripts benefit from a developmental editor who sniffs out a flat, one-dimensional conflict before it ever gets to the readers. 

Self-published authors on the other hand aren’t automatically handed that safety net, which is one of the reasons that checking for this is one of the more valuable things you can do yourself as you revise, or something to flag specifically when you bring in outside help.

A few questions to run your manuscript through: Does the conflict raging outside your character ever actually force them to have to make a genuine decision from the heart, or does it just kind of happen around them without it requiring a choice from them at all? Does the internal conflict ever make the character do something different, or is it just revolving around in their head without really influencing what they do? 

Isn’t one of these conflicts kind of bearing the entire book on its shoulders alone, with the other one pretty much absent? If a chapter feels like it’s flat despite a big external event going on, the internal layer is probably the bit that’s missing, and if your manuscript feels emotionally distant despite having a ton of interior narration, it’s probably because the external stakes aren’t quite giving that interiority anywhere to land.

If this kind of structural reading feels hard to do on your own manuscript, that’s normal, and it’s exactly the gap a book editor is trained to catch.

FAQs – Internal vs External Conflict