• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • About WHW
    • Press Kit
    • Resident Writing Coaches
    • Contact Us
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Master Storytelling Newsletter
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
    • Charities & Support
  • Bookstore
    • Bookstore
    • Foreign Editions
    • Book Reviews
    • Free Thesaurus Sampler
  • Blog
  • Software
  • Workshops
  • Resources
    • List of Resources
    • Recommended Writing Books
    • WHW Descriptive Thesaurus Collection
    • Free Tools & Worksheets
    • Grab A Free Show-Dont-Tell Pro Pack
  • WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2 Master List of Entries

Every story should have plenty of tension and conflict. This doesn’t mean a non-stop barrage of car bombs and serial killers waiting in the pantry, though. Writers should choose conflict carefully, placing problems and obstacles in a character’s path to force them to make hard decisions, sacrifice when necessary, and experience failure so they learn how to get back up again.

So, put the pressure on! Challenge your characters. Use conflict to show readers why your story’s cast is worth cheering for.

Below are the entries from the second volume of The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles.


LOSS OF CONTROL
A Break-In
A Family Member Dying
A Partner Racking up Debt
A Recession or Economy Crash
An Unexpected Pregnancy
Bad Weather
Being Captured
Being Evicted
Being Framed 
Being Given Bad News
Being Injured (Click to view!)
Being Orphaned
Being Pushed Toward a Specific Destiny
Being Scammed
Being Stranded
Being Taken in for Questioning
Discovering One Has a Child 
Getting in a Car Accident
Having a Miscarriage
Having a Panic Attack
Having to Leave Someone Behind 
Having to Move
Losing a Child in a Public Place
Not Achieving a Coveted Goal 
Rent Being Raised
The Death of a Pet

POWER STRUGGLES
Being Arrested 
Being Bullied
Being Falsely Accused
Being Pressured by Family 
Being Pressured to Conform
Being Sabotaged 
Being Sued
Clashing Beliefs 
Experiencing Discrimination (Click to view!)
Experiencing Harassment
Forced Attendance 
Misaligned Goals 
Nepotism or Favoritism 

LOSING AN ADVANTAGE
A Competitor Showing Up
A Place of Safety Being Compromised 
Being Cast Out of a Group
Having to Leave One’s Home or Homeland
Lacking an Important Resource 
Losing a Key Witness
Losing a Vital Item (Click to view!)
Losing Access to Someone Important 
Losing Access to Something Important 
Losing an Ally
Losing One’s Funding
Rules Changing to One’s Disadvantage
Running out of Critical Supplies
Something Important Being Stolen

EGO-RELATED
An Unexpected Loss of Prestige or Wealth
Being Cut from a Team
Being Discredited 
Being Excluded
Being Lied To
Being Micromanaged
Being Physically Marred Before an Important Event
Experiencing a Crisis of Self-Doubt
Facing a Challenge Beyond One’s Skill or Knowledge
Having to Rely on Others
Having to Stay Behind
Learning That One Was Adopted
Needing to Borrow Money
Not Being Taken Seriously 
One’s Authority Being Threatened
Public Humiliation
Telling the Truth but Not Being Believed (Click to view!)

DANGERS AND THREATS
A Dangerous Crossing 
A House Fire
A Loved One Being Put in Harm’s Way
A Mechanical Malfunction
A Natural Disaster
A Threatening Criminal Being Set Free 
A Way of Life Being Threatened
Being Assaulted by a Stranger
Being Assigned a Dangerous Task
Being Cut off from Help 
Being Exposed to an Allergen
Being Poisoned
Being Recognized 
Being Targeted by a Monster or Supernatural Force 
Being Targeted for Revenge
Being Trapped (Click to view!)
Facing a threat while unarmed
Having To Hide or Escape Detection
Having to Make a Final Stand
Having to Split up for Safety 
War Breaking Out
Witness Intimidation 

MISCELLANEOUS CHALLENGES
A Fear or Phobia Rearing Its Head
A Health Issue Cropping Up 
A Repressed Memory Resurfacing
An Anticipated Event Being Cancelled
An Unexpected Change of Plans
An Unwanted Intrusion
Being Cursed
Being Forced to Lead
Being in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
Being Mistaken for Someone Else
Being Placed Under a Spell
Being Unable to Forgive Oneself
Contemplating Suicide
Discovering a Dead Body
Experiencing Memory Loss
Having a Crisis of Faith
Having to Blindly Trust Someone
Having Unwanted Powers (Click to view!)
Needing to Circumvent Security
Needing to Infiltrate a Group
Needing to Lie Convincingly
Not Knowing What One Wants
Physical Exhaustion
Sexual Dysfunction

More about this book
Buy the book in print and ebook or PDF formats
See the list of entries from Volume 1 of The Conflict Thesaurus

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Primary Sidebar


Welcome!

Writing is hard. Angela & Becca make it easier. Get ready to level up your fiction with game-changing tools, resources, and advice.

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to the Blog

Check your inbox to confirm! If gremlins tried to eat it, you might have to check your spam folder.

Read by Category

Grab Our Button

Writers Helping Writers

Software that Will Change the Writing Game

One Stop for Writers

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® · Copyright © 2023 · WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

Cookies are delicious and ours help make your experience here better. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with our cookie use. Cookie settingsGOT IT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. More on our Privacy Policy here.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...