Drama

John and Mary had a beautiful wedding day, even the weather behaved.  As the years went by John received several well-deserved promotions, and they bought a large house.  Their two daughters, Anna and Jenny, were always top of their class in school, and excelled at university.  Anna became a lawyer and Jenny a doctor.  When John retired, he and Mary were rich enough to spend the winter months cruising around the world.

Are you bored yet?

While we might wish ourselves a happy and prosperous life, it doesn't make an exciting read.

'Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.' - Dalai Lama.

Drama, tension, conflict - call it what you will, but these are elements we need in our storytelling.

What type of drama?  That depends on your genre.  If you're writing action, then it might be a bomb.  If you write murder mysteries, then it will probably be a body.  But it doesn't always have to be drama on a huge scale.  If the reader is emotionally invested in the character they will feel the tension and conflict the character feels.  

I've read books with 'small' drama's that have gripped me as much as large scale conflicts.  We just need to make sure we cut out the dull bits.