James

Most aspects of the craft of writing fiction can be learned.

And what gets them lost?
It really comes down to one thing: characters who are in trouble.
It doesn’t matter what kind of trouble it is so long as it is of great importance to the story people.

A scene without trouble is a dull part

It doesn’t matter who the character is, either.

A novel is meant to be a thrill ride for the emotions

You, the author, are a manipulator of emotions

Conflict has long been recognized as the engine of story. Without conflict there is no drama. Without drama there is no interest. Without interest there is no reader. And no writing career.

a storm rolling into the pleasant weather of a Midwestern town does not offer us conflict. There is no conscious will exerted by the storm or the nice day in the town.

Suspense arises out of conflict. It is a subset of the dramatic question, Will the character involved in the conflict exercise his will in such a way as to overcome?

Aristotle pointed out, the idea was to create emotion and then catharsis, thus making the audience better citizens. So the inner experience of the audience was primary.