Stories have characters, and characters have problems. A good story will have a challenging problem or conflict that the character overcomes or resolves. The things that happen during that process are all part of the plot of the story.

Think of a favorite story or movie. How about "Jaws" ? There is definitely a problem to be solved - a shark keeps eating people! How about "Star Wars"? Big problems with the Empire, huh? What about Crocodile Dundee? He has problems adjusting to life in New York.

Problems/Conflicts in stories are easily divided into four categories:
 

• Man vs. Nature (Jaws, Earthquake, Twister, Titanic)
• Man vs. Man (Star Wars, Charlie's Angels)
• Man vs. Society (Crocodile Dundee, Ruby Bridges)
• Man vs. Himself ( Pinochio)

These conflicts form the backbone of a good plot, and these conflicts also appear in real life every single day.

Assignment: Get your copy of the Desert Trail or the Hi Desert Star, or any other newspaper or magazine. Find at least one example of each type of conflict mentioned here. Cut out the articles and be prepared to share with your classmates.

Extension: Select one of the articles as a basis for a short story. Famous mystery writer Agatha Christie got many of her story ideas from reading the daily paper.