Yard Lines, Trees, and Rocks

I know you're wondering about this title. Well, as most of you know, I recently attended my regional SCBWI conference. It was nothing short of amazing, so I have some things I want to share from it.

First, one of the speakers--I want to say it was Donna Gephart--said she almost quit without realizing she was on the one yard line. What does that mean? She was so close to publication, and she didn't even know it. Imagine where we would be today if great writers quit just moments before they got their big breaks. It really gives you something to think about when you're feeling down about rejections. What if you are on the one yard line and don't even know it? Don't give up.

The other thing that really stood out to me was something Jennifer Rofe told us in a workshop. She said, "Chase your character up a tree, throw rocks at him, and then help him down." I thought that was amazing! We have to remember to put our characters in tough situations and then, make things even worse. Only then should you help them out of it. As Ms. Rofe said, things must get worse before they can get better.

What do you think about these two pieces of advice? Could you be on the one yard line? Do you make your beloved MC suffer before you help him/her resolve their problems?