In marketing there is an alternative to force. It is not the strongest who wins but the first. The first to generate a new category in the mind of the audience is automatically at the top of a ladder with one rung.
I have intuitively connected these three claims: characters in conflict generate compelling plots, plots relying on force overwhelmed by superior force have an inherent flaw, to the first and not to the strongest go the spoils. The one in the middle is my claim, the other two come from authorities.
It remains to be seen if the evidence will support my reasons for connecting these claims.
It is far more satisfying when a plot can be looked at in retrospect as the inevitable outcome of a conflict between characters in whom we have vested our interest. Much like a convenience store sandwhich: modest expectations remorselessly fulfilled.
p.s. When you force things, you break things. Since you can only put things together or break them apart, take care to break apart only what you can survive not being able to put back together.
