Quotes about Conflict

I wanted it to be an easy story. But nobody really remembers easy stories. Characters have to face their greatest fears with courage. That's what makes a story good. If you think about the stories you like most, they probably have lots of conflict. There is probably death at stake, inner death or actual death, you know. These polar charges, these happy and sad things in life, are like colors God uses to draw the world.

Characters only take action after they are challenged by an outside force.

In stories, the external problem is often a physical, tangible problem the hero must overcome in order to save the day.

A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.

Most of us struggle with the opposite. We don't bring up the negative stakes enough and so the story we're telling falls flat. Remember, if there are no stakes, there is no story.

Every conflict, no matter how hard, comes back to bless the protagonist if he will face his fate with courage. There is no conflict man can endure that will not produce a blessing. And I smiled. I'm not saying I was happy, but for some reason I smiled. It hurts now, but I'll love this memory, I thought to myself. And I do.

Stories live and die on a single question: What's at stake? If nothing can be gained or lost, nobody cares.

The idea is that you place a gap between a character and what they want.

A story doesn't really pick up until the hero needs to disarm a bomb, win someone's heart, defeat a villain, or fight for their emotional or physical survival.

The answer is no, at least not yet. Until we've defined a specific desire and become known for helping people achieve it, we shouldn't add too many conflicting story gaps to our StoryBrand BrandScript.

Heroes need to be challenged by outside forces.

I cried out to him an angry petition for rescue. I doubted him and needed him at the same time.