People crave a problem-and-stress-free existence. They live for the days that are filled with nothing but smooth sailing. Ah, but this isn't what people want to read or hear about. Stop and think about the books you've enjoyed, the movies you've seen, even the fairytales your mother read to you as a child. The common denominator in all forms of entertainment is conflict. Conflict is what keeps your characters on their toes, what propels your story forward, and more important, what keeps your reader turning pages.