Every plot requires both intense desire and danger in pursuing it.

Evidence

In each of these plots, there is both intense desire and great danger in the pursuit of that desire; generally speaking, this shape holds true for all plots. It can be called 3-D: drama equals desire plus danger. One common fault of talented young writers is to create a main character who is essentially passive. This is understandable; as a writer you are an observer of human nature and activity, and so you identify easily with a character who observes, reflects, and suffers. But such a character’s passivity transmits itself to the page, and the story also becomes passive. — Janet Burroway; Elizabeth Stuckey-French; Ned Stuckey-French, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition, 413

Categorization

• DEFINE: The 3-D formula — drama equals desire plus danger — is a compact definition worth retaining.