Gift Wrapping a Bicycle: How to Add Conflict and Tension to Your Story (And Tell a Short Story!)
A few weeks ago, I gave a workshop at a beautiful library in New York. The attendees ranged from aspiring novelists to people looking to become better storytellers and speakers. As the group worked through applying story structure, one participant raised a common question:
“I don’t know what to do for conflict. There isn’t any in my story!”
Internally, I cackled, “Oh but there is Mwa hahahahaha!” These are my favorite moments because there always is something to lean into. These always result in a-has as I help people learn to recognize those pieces. I asked her to share her story.
“My first job was wrapping presents. I had never wrapped a present before. On the first day of work, my very first customer brought a bicycle over and asked me to wrap it.”
And you think there is no conflict or tension in your story! Let’s break this down:
The first two sentences have layers of conflict. Mentioning a job wrapping presents sparks a visceral reaction in many audience members. Some love wrapping gifts and brighten at the thought. These people love perfect edges, curling ribbon, and seamlessly hiding tape. For them, wrapping the gift is as important as the gift itself.
The rest of us immediately feel uncomfortable—our edges are never perfect, the paper doesn’t line up, and ribbons exist solely to hide the mistakes from botched tape jobs. Add on top of that the empathy we feel for someone tackling this as a first job and our eyes widen. We know something is coming—we just don’t know what. In these simple sentences, the audience leans in and picks a side.
Then, the stakes rise with the arrival of the first customer. We’d wonder how she fared on her first present, even if it were something simple like a book. But when it’s revealed to be a bicycle, the moment becomes an “Ohhhhhh noooooooooooo!” The audience collectively wonders, “What did you do?” and “What happened?!”
This is how you uncover the conflict and tension in a story. Questions and thoughts like, “And then what happened? How did you handle this?” are signals that you’ve landed at the point in the story where the stakes are raised, and the audience is hooked. They’ve placed themselves in your shoes, feeling what they imagine you experienced, and they need to know how it resolves.
“How do you even wrap something in that shape? Did you put it in a large box and wrap it? Did you call for backup? Was it suddenly time for a break? Did you get fired?” Countless questions swirl in the audience’s mind as they try to figure out how they would handle the situation. Which is exactly what you want them to experience with your story.
Conflict doesn’t have to be a big, dramatic, movie-worthy moment. It can be a small challenge—a character facing an obstacle, grappling with the inner turmoil over not being where they want to be, or navigating a misunderstanding between two people. It’s that moment when something happens, and the audience wonders, “What did you do?”
The difference between a good story and a great story is the space you make for the audience to experience the conflict and tension. The example above consists of just three sentences, yet you can instantly place yourself in that scene. To create that connection, focus on answering:
What is happening?
How did you feel about it?
What is at stake? What makes this hard? (And ensure it’s relatable to the audience!)
As the day progressed, we added a few sentences into the setup of her story, describing the nerves of a first job—especially where you lack the necessary skills. We included how it felt like her heart was slowly sinking to her toes as the first customer asked her to wrap a bike, and the fear of being fired on her first day.
If there is no tension and conflict in your story, the audience’s lazy brain will take over. The moment that happens, they’ll disengage. But when you build toward the tension and conflict, your audience in, desperate to know if she managed to wrap the bicycle. Their curiosity becomes insatiable until they learn how the story ends.
And you can achieve that in just three sentences.
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The fastest way to accelerate storytelling development is to work with someone who can help hold a mirror up to what's working and what to expand upon. Reach out for a keynote, workshop, or coaching sessions in 2025 to help your organization build memorable communicators.
