Nicolas Winding Refn Quotes

Good stories are driven by conflict, tension, and high stakes.

Tension is the cornerstone of any good story.

Here's what happens in a play. You get involved in a situation where something is unbalanced. If nothing's unbalanced, there's no reason to have a play. If Hamlet comes home from school, and his dad's not dead and asks him if he's had a good time, it's boring. But if something's unbalanced, it must be returned to order.

Judgments and secrets are what make a good novel.

I believe that the writer should tell a story. I believe in plot. I believe in creating characters and suspense.

We like drama. Even in our comedy, we like drama.

Listen to great storytellers; slowly, you will learn about voice, timing, tension, structure, climax - all the things you need to tell stories that will capture the imagination of your audience.

I love a really good storyline.

If you have a beautiful story, it has to have conflict. If you don't have conflict, it can't be a good story.

In order to have a plot, you have to have a conflict, something bad has to happen.

The way I express ideas is through the plot, Suspense is an important part of expressing an idea.

The audience wants to be attracted not by the critics, but by a great story. You must deliver to the audience emotion - and when I say emotion, I mean suspense, drama, love.

Beginnings and endings are not interesting; audiences want the high point, which means you've got to get to it and get to it now - get the gun out fast, the clothes off quick.

If you can have a great story that people can follow the mystery and get the suspense, and then you have those moments of tension and a splash of visual fun, then you kind of get everything. You get your money's worth.

The essence to me of all good drama is argument.

If you have no conflict, you have no story. That's number one. That's a rule of novels.

There's conflict in every story.

If you're telling a story it's always best not to play the ending.

People love to be told stories, but it's the sugar that draws you into the theater.

I can be so blown away by story lines.

For feel-good fiction to work, there has to be an element of darkness.

A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is - full of surprises.

I love good stories; you have to have a good plot - characters which intertwine with a good plot.

I seem to gravitate toward the dark side of things when it comes to directing. I love action, but I love the drama as well.

Conflict and character are the heart of good fiction, and good mystery has both of those in spades.