From the course: Writing: The Craft of Story

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Explanation: Suspense and conflict

Explanation: Suspense and conflict

From the course: Writing: The Craft of Story

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Explanation: Suspense and conflict

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- We've seen that story is about how someone solves a problem and how they change as a result, but here's the fine print. Change only results from unavoidable conflict because no one, you, me, or the guy next door changes unless we're forced to. The story's job is to shove the protagonist into the fray where he or she finds out what they're really made of. It's like that great JFK story, when asked what made him a war hero, he replied, "I didn't have a choice. "They sank my boat." The problem is, we don't like conflict. In real life, that is. Ever since kindergarten, our goal has been to work well with others. So it's no surprise that conflict can make us uncomfortable. As a result, we writers are often way too nice to our protagonists. Instead of plunking them into a really thorny situation, we tip toe up to it, and then deftly rescue them in the nick of time, before anything really bad happens. Resist this urge. It's conflict that…

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