Tony Tips Tuesdays™: Creating Meaningful Conflict

Conflict isn’t just a plot device—it’s the fuel that powers your entire narrative engine. It raises the stakes, tests the characters, and makes readers lean in. But not all conflict is created equal.

Some stories throw in arguments for drama, action for excitement, or misunderstandings for tension. But meaningful conflict? That’s what leaves a mark. It doesn’t just entertain—it transforms.

In today’s Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re diving deep into how to create conflict that matters, resonates, and changes your characters—and your readers—for good.

🔥 What Is Meaningful Conflict?

Meaningful conflict isn’t just a disagreement. It’s a clash of:

• Desires

• Beliefs

• Goals

• Secrets

• Values

It reveals character. It exposes vulnerabilities. It forces choices.

It’s not about who’s right or wrong—it’s about what the tension uncovers and what it pushes forward.

Whether internal or external, good conflict should always do at least three of the following:

• Drive the plot forward

• Reveal deeper truths about characters

• Force a decision or change

• Complicate relationships

• Raise emotional or moral stakes

✍🏾 The Core Types of Conflict

Let’s break down six classic types of conflict—and how to elevate each one to something deeper:

1. Character vs. Self

• Internal struggles, shame, regret, identity, doubt.

• 🔥 Meaningful when: The inner battle mirrors a larger external journey or spiritual theme.

• 📖 Example: Kevin in S.O.L.A.D.™ struggling with whether he’s worthy to lead despite divine calling.

2. Character vs. Character

• Arguments, rivalries, betrayals, misunderstandings.

• 🔥 Meaningful when: The characters love, need, or depend on each other—and the conflict threatens that bond.

• 🎬 Example: Sam and Frodo’s fallout in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—loyalty tested by fear and manipulation.

3. Character vs. Society

• Injustice, rebellion, oppression, cultural expectations.

• 🔥 Meaningful when: The character’s personal growth aligns with (or resists) societal change.

• 📚 Example: Celie in The Color Purple—her voice rising against generational silence and abuse.

4. Character vs. Nature

• Survival stories, disasters, isolation.

• 🔥 Meaningful when: Nature reflects an internal emotional journey (grief, endurance, rebirth).

5. Character vs. Technology

• AI, surveillance, dehumanization, ethical dilemmas.

• 🔥 Meaningful when: The conflict becomes a mirror for humanity’s choices and flaws.

• 🎮 Example: Detroit: Become Human—Androids fight for recognition in a world that built them but denies their soul.

6. Character vs. Supernatural

• Demonic forces, ghosts, spiritual battles.

• 🔥 Meaningful when: The supernatural amplifies the character’s fears, faith, or destiny.

• 📚 Example: S.O.L.A.D.™ where spiritual warfare manifests through real enemies of darkness and each battle changes the soldiers of light forever.

💥 Make It Hurt, Make It Matter

Don’t throw in a fight or argument just to check off a plot beat. Ask:

• What’s really at stake emotionally?

• What wound is being poked?

• What belief is being challenged?

• What will this moment change in their arc?

If it doesn’t affect the character afterward, it wasn’t meaningful. The best conflict leaves bruises—and revelation.

🎭 Conflict Should Be Personal

Even the biggest wars, revolutions, or action scenes need emotional anchors.

🚫 Don’t just show explosions—show who’s afraid.

🚫 Don’t just make them yell—show why their voice shakes.

Conflict that moves readers starts with characters we care about.

Ask yourself:

• What’s the history behind this clash?

• What does each character want from the other?

• What lie are they believing?

• What fear are they hiding?

🔄 Use Conflict to Show Growth

The arc of your story should raise the temperature on your characters. The more they’re tested, the more they reveal:

• Who they are under pressure

• What they’re willing to sacrifice

• How much they’re willing to change

Characters who avoid conflict never grow. Give them no escape.

In S.O.L.A.D.™ Book I, Kevin’s internal battle over his fear of failure is escalated when lives are on the line. Juanita’s empathy is challenged when she must forgive someone she loves. These tensions are more than drama—they are spiritual crucibles.

🧩 External Conflict + Internal Stakes = FIRE

Two characters can argue about dinner plans. Yawn.

But if one feels abandoned and the other feels unworthy of love—that same argument becomes electric.

Layer every external conflict with emotional stakes. That’s what makes it resonate.

“You never listen to me!” isn’t just about the argument. It’s about being invisible.

💡 Questions to Ask When Creating Conflict

• What is each character afraid of in this scene?

• What’s the one thing they can’t admit out loud?

• What happens if this argument isn’t resolved?

• Who will they become because of this moment?

• What makes this scene unforgettable?

📚 Great Examples of Meaningful Conflict in Storytelling

📖 Books:

• The Hunger Games – Katniss’s rebellion isn’t just political—it’s about survival, family, and autonomy.

• Their Eyes Were Watching God – Janie’s marriages create emotional and philosophical conflicts that shape her identity.

• A Man Called Ove – Conflict born of grief and human connection.

🎬 Film:

• Creed – Legacy, masculinity, abandonment, and self-worth collide in the boxing ring.

• Moonlight – Identity and survival through layered emotional confrontations.

• Hidden Figures – External racial and societal conflict met with internal drive and dignity.

📺 TV:

• Breaking Bad – Walter White’s moral descent fueled by pride, fear, and family.

• This Is Us – Complex family dynamics lead to tear-inducing, character-deepening clashes.

• Insecure – Issa and Molly’s friendship conflict is raw, honest, and rooted in love.

🎮 Video Games:

• The Last of Us – Ellie’s revenge journey spirals into deep emotional conflict.

• God of War (2018) – Father and son clash with grief, legacy, and purpose.

• Telltale’s The Walking Dead – Every choice feels like a punch to the gut.

✍🏾 Writing Prompts to Practice Meaningful Conflict

1. Write a scene where two characters argue—but never say what they’re really upset about.

2. Have your character face their greatest fear in a conversation—not in an action scene.

3. Let a minor disagreement snowball into a moment that changes a relationship forever.

📌 Tony Tip:

“Conflict doesn’t just shake up your story—it reveals who your characters truly are. Let the friction forge something new.”

Don’t settle for surface-level fights. Don’t write conflict just for the fireworks.

Go for the wound. Go for the truth. Let every disagreement expose something deeper, something holy, something human.

Because when your characters collide with the right kind of pain and pressure—that’s when growth happens. That’s when the story sings.

📚 Want to see meaningful conflict in action? Check out S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™—my inspirational superhero novel series where every battle, both physical and spiritual, forces the characters to rise, change, or fall.

👉🏾 Get autographed copies now: www.tyronetonyreedjr.com/the-shop

Until next time—write boldly. Write truthfully. Write conflict that matters.