A good novel has plenty of tricky situations – plot points that engage the reader and keep the story moving. Part of the fun for a careful reader is to see the challenges the author has set for herself, and wondering, “How is she going to find her way out?” Delight ensues when the situation resolves and the story continues.
Of course, all of these roadblocks are artificial – put in by the author herself. Arguably it might be easier to write the story without roadblocks, without anything to write herself out of.
But the joy of the novel comes, in large part, from getting back out of these situations. The author puts them in, just so she can get back out.
Any creative person can take a lesson from the novelist who writes herself into a corner – and then writes herself back out.
Give yourself creative challenges. Eliminate obvious solutions, force yourself into a corner. Create obstacles, just so you can surmount them.
And when you do, delight ensures.