Writing conflict can be tough for children's writers. Conflict is about struggle and sometimes about pain. But as writers - well, sometimes we want to mother our characters. They're kids. We don't want them to be miserable. And the younger the character, the more uncomfortable we tend to feel about making them unhappy. For many new writers, the discomfort becomes acute and the writer allows a wise and caring adult to swoop in and rescue the main character from the conflict. Which makes the writer feel much better - right up until the time she starts trying to sell the story.

The reality is that conflict is at the heart of story. Without conflict, without that sense of struggle to overcome, you have a nice vignette, a lovely series of events, a touchy snapshot of life but you don't have a story. Most fiction requires a story. Really, virtually the only fiction you can sell today without conflict is the "concept book" - picture books designed to demonstrate a concept to children (colors, ABCs, love…whatever) and these books are very very very hard to sell. In fact, I heard an agent responding to a concept picture book about a child choosing colors for his drawing by saying -- "Nothing is happening here. This isn't a story. Now, have someone run in and grab all his crayons and throw them away and then you'll catch my attention." So, for writing success, it really is time to embrace the conflict.

CONFLICT DOESN'T MEAN FIGHTING

Especially with magazine stories, conflict doesn't mean having kids hurl rude words at one another or rough each other up. Conflict doesn't equal fighting, though conflict can lead to fighting in a story. What conflict means is struggle. Conflict occurs when needs are thwarted. That sense of "need" is also one that may be overlooked by new writers. In a successful story, one with tension that draws the reader in - there is virtually always a sense of need. The character needs something and needs it badly. Usually there is a sense that if the character doesn't fulfill that need, something unfortunate will happen. But fulfilling the need can't be too easy - hence, conflict.

Let's look at this need/conflict dance in a few story-building examples. First we will choose three main characters:

FIRST - CHARACTERS NEED SOMETHING

Now, since we need a story, we'll have to come up with a way to make these needs a bit difficult to achieve.

BEWARE THE RESCUERS

The easy way to fix the problem is to rescue the main character. And an alarming number of writers do exactly that. They may have Libby mope and sulk and chase dust motes and then bam the owner comes home with a puppy and saves the day. Likewise, they may have Joey mope and complain and bam the parents realize how important this is to him so they show Joey how to make something wonderful from things found around the house. Finally, they might have Madison try to learn a song and dance but ultimately the "solution" comes when Mom rushes in to tell Madison she doesn't need a role in the play and Mom loves her just the way she is. All of these "fixes" rob the main character of the "job of story" - the main character gets pushed into a passive role where there is no power for overcoming obstacles. One thing editors don't like to see is characters who need to be rescued because the character's efforts are useless. Sometimes you do need intervention, but that intervention needs at least to occur as a result of the character's efforts. For example,

IDEAS THAT EMPOWER

But, equally, you could choose a plot that doesn't need any rescuing at all.

OH, WHERE'S THE FIGHTING?

You might notice that there were no villains in the three story ideas above. Conflict doesn't have to be person vs. person. Libby's conflict was situational. Her situation stood in the way of her meeting her goal. She might have some short term interpersonal conflict (in chasing the mouse or trying to get her owner to stay home with her) but ultimately, the conflict is kitten vs. empty house.

In Joey's story, the conflict is mostly internal. Joey wants something and doesn't believe he can have it. He has to overcome his lack of belief in his ability to overcome in order to unlock his creativity. Also, he might encounter struggle even as he works on the project since recycled materials can be challenging to work with. But that is still a conflict with the situation - not with people. Though, you might slip in some interpersonal conflict if Joey tries begging for science fair materials from his parents.

Madison's story is person vs. self - in some ways, much like Joey's. Only Madison really doesn't have the skills inside her to "win" the goal she thought she wanted (an on-stage role in the play). She struggles with herself and with her situation to try to achieve her goal. In this story, she only "wins" when she gives up her initial goal and focuses on a new goal. Sometimes, the only way to win is to consider whether a goal is realistic and adjust it accordingly.

So - don't make things to easy for your characters. When you're feeling uncomfortable - that's good! That means you have story tension and you're probably got a plot that can hold the reader's attention. Now just let your character work through that pain. You can do it. Embrace the conflict. Your editor will be glad you did.