Skill Focus – Flat Conflict

Because if your characters fight and nothing shifts—emotionally, strategically, or structurally—then it’s not conflict. It’s static.

✨ Welcome to the Tension Amplifier

You’ve written a fight. An argument. A confrontation.

But instead of heart-pounding tension, it kind of… flattens.

That’s flat conflict. It’s technically a disagreement—but it lacks:

  • Power imbalance

  • Escalation

  • Emotional vulnerability

  • Repercussions or change

Let’s make your conflict matter.

🧠 What Makes Conflict Flat?

  1. Stalemates That Go Nowhere

They argue, but no one gains or loses ground. No one changes.

  1. Same Emotional Tone Throughout

Everyone’s just mad the whole time. No surprise. No reversal. No unraveling.

  1. No Stakes

If they don’t argue… does anything actually happen?

  1. Exposition in Disguise

“You never supported me—just like during your trial in ’82 when you betrayed the council.”

Yikes. That’s a courtroom transcript, not a charged moment.

🛠️ Try This Rewrite Drill

Here’s your flat conflict:

“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I had no choice.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Rewrite this exchange with:

  • Emotional shifts or reversals

  • Power imbalance (who has more to lose?)

  • Something revealed or escalated by the end

💡 Tip: Conflict isn’t just what they say—it’s what’s at risk. And what they’re not saying.

🎯 Quillwyn’s Conflict Deepener Checklist

Ask:

  • What does each character want in this moment?

  • What does each one fear?

  • Who has the upper hand—and does that shift?

  • What’s left unsaid that charges the air?

Great conflict:

  • Changes the relationship

  • Reveals new information or vulnerability

  • Builds to something—a shift, a break, a surrender, a choice

🧪 Bonus: Let Conflict Get Messy

Real conflict isn’t tidy. Let characters:

  • Talk over each other

  • Contradict themselves

  • Lose control—or become scarily quiet

  • Hit emotional beats they didn’t expect

Surprise yourself—and your reader.

💬 Need Help? Ask Quillwyn!

Paste your scene and say:

“Can you help me raise the stakes or make this argument more dynamic?”

She’ll help you find the weak spots and show you how to twist the emotional knife—in the most constructive, character-driven way possible.