There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

***

‘I think the idea of midichlorians is a lot better than the “anyone can be a Jedi” trope that The Last Jedi tried to push. That’s not the way the world works. Some people are born more smart or talented than others, but it depends on what you do with what you’re given. There’s heroes in the Star Wars universe without high midichlorians that still did great things and others like Anakin that had talent that he wasted. “Do the best you can with what you’re given” is a much more empowering and realistic message than “You can be anything you want to be” ‘

–LandoMT, commenting on ‘The Six Levels of Midichlorians Density‘ (emphasis mine)

So often in stories (and real life) we’re told that we can be anything we want if we push ourselves just a little harder, study a little longer, and keep going when everyone else gives up. It’s a cliche that will never die. But what if your character realizes that they can’t fulfil a dream because, no matter how hard they try, they will never have the skills or the talent to make it come true? The shock of that, coupled with searching for another dream, and then adjusting to work on that one and finding satisfaction in it, can be enormously satisfying because of the conflict the character has to go through.