Expert-Secrets full book

One of my favorite stories that shows this transformation of a character is
from the animated movie Cars. Lightning McQueen has a very real goal he
wants to achieve—to win the Piston Cup. The whole movie is centered around
him getting to California so he can win. He stumbles upon conflict along the
way, but eventually he gets to the big race.
In the last scene, he’s racing and about to finally achieve all his desires, but
then the car he is racing against (The King) gets into a huge wreck. McQueen’s
win is guaranteed. But because he’s been on a journey of transformation, he
chooses to slam on his brakes just inches before the finish line and watches as
Chick Hicks races past him for the win. He then backs up, drives over to The
King, and pushes him across the finish line.
The King then says, “You just gave up the Piston Cup.”
To which McQueen responds, “A grumpy old racing car once told me
something—it’s just an empty cup.”
Through this journey, he has been doing everything possible to achieve his
greatest desires, and then at the last minute, he gives them up to become
something more. We see the death and rebirth of his identity. We see the new
beliefs he has created. We see his essence. That is the key to a great story.
3. Introduce the conflict. Desire is essential to the story because
it shows the end goal. It provides a reason for the journey to move
forward. But emotion doesn’t come from the desire. It comes
from the conflict the hero faces while trying to gain the desire.