conflict
A conflict is a problem. Short stories, novels, and plays always have a conflict. Novels often have more than one conflict, but the central plot revolves around the main conflict. Short stories typically only have one conflict. Plays don't often have description unless it's in the stage directions. Some plays have a great deal of description, like "Twelve Angry Men", and some do not, like "Romeo and Juliet". None of the three types of literature have to center around a historical event or single setting.
