(no subject)

Well, to preach that story is conflict, always to ask, "Where's the conflict in your story?"--this needs some thinking about. If you say that story is about conflict, that plot must be based on conflict, you're limiting your view of the world severely. And in a sense making a political statement: that life is conflict, so in stories conflict is all that really matters. This is simply untrue. To see life as a battle is a narrow, social-Darwinist view, and a very masculine one. ... I do try to avoid saying "the fight" for such and such, "the war" against such and such. I resist putting everything into terms of conflict and immediate violent resolution. ... To limit all human behavior to conflict is to leave out vast, rich areas of human experience.

(Ursula K. Le Guin, Conversations On Writing)