One of the five elements of a good story is conflict.
Conflict is any struggle between people or things in a story. Here are some of the basic types of conflict:
- Man vs Man – the typical hero vs villain setup, with one person striving for one goal and the second person striving for a different one that conflicts with the first
- Man vs Nature – the protagonist struggles with natural forces instead of another person. This could be something dramatic like a storm, or something subtle like the struggle to survive a hostile land
- Man vs Self – this is the protagonist struggling with his or her own desires and temptations, striving to do the right thing in spite of inner darkness
- Man vs Society – the protagonist struggles against his or her society, defying and striving to change the role they have been given
- Man vs Technology – the protagonist struggles with the modern world. This could be a science fiction story with intelligent machines, or a simple struggle with today’s high-tech society
Some writers also include categories such as Man vs God or Man vs Supernatural to this list.