Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it’s an internal tug-of-war having to do with difficult decisions, morals, or temptations. Or it possibly could come from an external source—other characters, unfortunate circumstances, or the force of nature itself.
It’s our hope that this thesaurus will help you come up with meaningful and fitting conflict options for your stories. Think about what your character wants and how best to block them, then choose a source of conflict that will ramp up the tension in each scene. For the full entry of this and 200+ additional conflict scenarios, check into our best-selling resources: The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles, Volumes 1 and 2.
Being Forced to Move
Category: Increased Pressure and Ticking Clocks, Failures and Mistakes, Relationship Friction, Duty and Responsibilities, Loss of Control, Miscellaneous Challenges
Examples:
Relocating for work
Having to move due to financial constraints
Moving due to a separation or divorce…
Minor Complications:
Having to take time away from work to pack
Dealing with children who are angry about the move
A bank account hit as one pays for moving-related expenses…
Potentially Disastrous Results:
Discovering the new place is riddled with problems (leaky pipes, faulty wiring, a pest infestation, awful neighbors)
Realizing the new neighborhood is unsafe or in some way undesirable (such as a new factory or mall being built close by)
One’s kids hating their new school or being bullied by local kids…
Possible Internal Struggles (Inner Conflict):
Second guessing one’s decision to move
Self-esteem issues (if the move was a downgrade)
Reopening past wounds due to one’s situation (the pain of poverty, feeling abandoned or isolated, being mistreated at work, feeling unsafe, etc.)…
People Who Could Be Negatively Affected: family members (especially children), friends, organizations that the character is involved with and must now leave, one’s employer if the notice is short
Resulting Emotions: agitation, anger, anxiety, apprehension, bitterness, conflicted, defeat, defensiveness…
Personality Flaws that May Make the Situation Worse: abrasive, catty, confrontational, controlling, disorganized, forgetful…
Positive Outcomes:
Realizing one is able to adapt to change and adversity
Discovering new friendships and opportunities in the new location
Being able to leave behind pain associated with the old home and situation…
Interested in other conflict options? Find them here.
Use Conflict To Transform Your Story
Readers have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting books, so make it easy for them to choose yours. Conflict will help you deliver a fresh story premise every time, drawing readers in through meaningful challenges that reveal a character’s innermost needs, fears, weaknesses, and strengths.
To assist you, we’ve created a two-volume resource with 225 possible conflict events. Each volume contains expert advice on how to use conflict to improve your story along with a plethora of scenarios to challenge your characters.
For more information, read up on these GOLD and SILVER editions. You can also view the books at Goodreads to see what other authors are saying about them.
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Thanks for another great conflict. Have reblogged on: https://harmonykent.co.uk/conflict-thesaurus-entry-being-forced-to-move-writers-helping-writers/ … am loving this series 🙂
We’ve got to stop meeting like this.
In the book I am writing an 8 yr old girl finds out she’s moving far away on the day before the move!
We’ve got to stop meeting like this.
In the book I am writing an 8 yr old girl finds out she’s moving far away on the day of the move!
Haha! Glad this came along at the right time!
I have to correct 1 Personality Flaw you have listed: oversensitive. This is a Personality trait. It’s called HSP: Highly Sensitive Personality. Being oversensitive shows passion, maybe having artist ability. It shows someone with compassion, empathy & understanding.
Hi Linda,
The definition of oversensitive as it pertains here is for a flaw outlined in our Negative Trait Thesaurus. Any trait has positive and negative aspects, and in this case, we mean oversensitive as defined in that particular Thesaurus. I hope this clarifies things for you. Happy writing!