Let's talk about conflict.
What's the first thing that comes to most minds? The evening news headline story about the latest insurrection in some foreign country. You think conflict, you think war and fighting and battle. Closer to home, you think shouting, anger and arguing.
So the first thing we need to do is go outside of conventional thinking. What editors refer to as 'conflict' is the belief or perception, event or circumstance that builds obstacles between characters in a story. Start thinking of conflict as 'opposition' and it will make your job as an author much clearer.
