StoryNotesNewsletter #24

Give your interesting character
a strong desire to solve a tough
problem &/or achieve a difficult
goal ... add opposition or
competition, and then strew the
path with obstacles ... and
you're well on the way to
creating a solid story.

In this issue, we'll explore
"obstacles" -- what they are,
and why they are so helpful.

And ... if you might be interested
in a $99 evaluation of your
screenplay, check out the info at
the end of the article.


ISSUE #24


GENERATE INTEREST WITH


* * OBSTACLES * *


Obstacles -- along with complications, reversals, and
revelations -- are one of the most valuable tools in the
storyteller's toolkit. We don't like them much in real
life, but in stories, they're essential.

An *obstacle* is something that blocks a character from
doing what he or she intended. It stands in the way of a
goal. This is true whether it's an immediate, fleeting
goal, a scene goal, a sequence or subgoal, or the overall
goal. Anything -- or anyone -- that gets in the way of a
character can be considered an obstacle.

Obstacles slow the character down (even if just
slightly) and require increased thought, time, and/or effort
in order to overcome the obstacle.

In order to proceed toward the goal, the obstructed
character must bypass, scale, solve, go over, tunnel under,
go around, burrow through, blast apart, sweet talk,
persuade, deceive, eliminate, or smash through the obstacle.

In short: even though they are often short-lived,
obstacles act as hurdles or barriers to a character's
intended course of action. Thus, obstacles are a major
source of conflict for your screenplay.

There are three basic types of obstacles:

1. Objects/things
2. Events or situations
3. People (or any kind of sentient being)

Furthermore, obstacles can be short, intermediate, or
long-term in duration. In addition, there are both foreseen
and unforeseen obstacles.

EXAMPLES

Some obstacles pop up quickly and are disposed of,
overcome, or dodged just as quickly -- in just a few
seconds, or at most a minute or so. These short-lived,
momentary obstacles might be as simple as garden tools on
the lawn, toys strewn on the stairs, or patches of ice on
the sidewalk. Other short-term, object-oriented obstacles:
a car that makes someone sharply alter course to avoid
hitting it ... or a street that must be quickly crossed but
is jammed with traffic. These "quickie" obstacles can add
zest to a scene or action which would be bland or lacking
energy if it unfolded without any such obstructions.

Here are some more examples.

A stuck or locked door that prevents easy access and
immediate entry, a detour sign and the road construction
beyond it that causes one to go around or to roughly barrel
through them, the blisters making it more difficult to pull
someone up on the rope, the shards of glass on the ground
that your barefoot character must cross, the fallen tree
blocking the path. All of these are object-obstacles, of
the short-lived variety. They are vital for making action
and scenes livelier and more unpredictable.

Some object-obstacles could take longer to overcome --
several minutes, several scenes, even a whole sequence or
act. For instance, a crippled plane blocks the only
available runway which is needed for an emergency landing.
A mountain stands in the way of an intended destination. A
desert must be traversed.

When obstacles take a long time to surmount, they are
usually not just obstacles, but *complications* as well.

Some obstacles don't involve an object or a thing;
rather, an event or situation generates the obstacle.

For instance: not having money to pay for a vitally
needed commodity is a situational obstacle. Or not having a
tool necessary to perform a critical task. Other examples:
a jammed gun, or a malfunctioning weapons array or hyper
drive. A car that runs out of gas, gets a flat tire, has a
burned-out alternator, or otherwise breaks down at an
inopportune time. The message that wasn't received, or
which was intercepted. The static on the phone line. The
illness or lack of sleep that makes carrying out the plan or
accomplishing a subgoal more difficult. The 911 number is
busy.

Other situational obstacles: a student wants to
achieve, but dyslexia, attention-deficit disorder, or some
other learning difficulty poses an obstacle -- or maybe it's
problems at home.

An athlete's broken leg could be an obstacle to getting
that sports scholarship. Or the coach is alcoholic, or just
burned out and apathetic, and his poor job performance
affects the team's ability to do well. Or perhaps the
athlete has some kind of fear that is sabotaging his
performance.

Desperately needing to communicate with someone, but
both parties speak different languages -- the language
barrier becomes an obstacle.

So event-driven or *situational* obstacles can be just
as effective as object-obstacles. Both should be employed.

And people, too, can function as obstacles. An
unsympathetic boss. A clumsy waiter. A clerk who won't
help. A guard blocking the path of someone trying to
escape. Or a guard stationed in front of the place you wish
to enter or cross without anyone seeing or knowing. An
angry bully you bump into. These would be examples of
short-term human obstacles. Someone competing for the same
goal is a human obstacle of the long-term variety -- also
known as an adversary or an antagonist.

By the way, obstacles aren't just for main character(s).
A screenplay will benefit if all the major characters --
including antagonists -- encounter obstacles.

Some obstacles can be foreseen: the mountain or desert,
for example. The security guard. The fact that the loot is
in a safe. So even if obstacles are anticipated, they can
be of value to a story, since they still create
difficulties. Most, however, pop up unexpectedly, forcing
the characters to think and react quickly.

And sometimes anticipated obstacles can still contain an
element of surprise: it's a new or substitute security
guard with a different routine, or the safe combination has
been changed, or it's a new safe with a different mechanism
... or a storm strikes the mountain while we're climbing it,
and in addition, some gear is lost (situational obstacles).

So obstacles can be objects (things, places, or
animals), they can be situational, or they can take the form
of persons who obstruct another character. They can be
either anticipated or unforeseen (or a mixture of both).
And they can be over in a flash, or take several minutes or
longer to play out, depending on whether they are short-,
medium-, or long-term obstacles.

HOW THEY CONTRIBUTE

Obstacles are valuable in a story for several reasons:

1. Obstacles are realistic.
2. Obstacles challenge the characters.
3. Obstacles can reveal character.
4. Obstacles add variety and unpredictability to the
story.
5. Obstacles can surprise the characters and the
audience.
6. Obstacles increase curiosity, tension, and suspense.

OBSTACLES & REALISM

A smooth road or easy path can be wonderful in real
life, but actually, such a situation is rare. Therefore,
such a course, if depicted in a story, is rather
unrealistic.

OBSTACLES CREATE CHALLENGES

Obstacles, along with opposition and a difficult goal,
serve to *challenge* a character. This is desirable for
several reasons. It's not very compelling to watch
characters solve problems and achieve goals if they are able
to do so quickly and easily. We also tend to identify and
sympathize with a character who is forced to sweat and
strain, hustle, endure pain, and to be mentally nimble.
Furthermore, a challenged but persistent character makes us
feel he or she deserves to succeed. If there is a happy
ending, we'll feel the character has *earned* it.

OBSTACLES REVEAL CHARACTER

Challenges -- which obstacles help provide -- also help
to *reveal* character. By being willing to deal with
obstacles, characters demonstrate the strength of their
desire and determination. Obstacles test a character's
resourcefulness. They can even reveal modes of thinking,
priorities, and values.

For instance, sometimes there's only one obvious or
rational way to traverse an obstacle. If a character does
something different, that's quite telling. And even if a
character does the logical, normal thing, that *still* is
revelatory. It tells us that the goal is important to this
person. It shows that he or she is persistent.

And when there is no one way to deal with an obstacle,
then the manner is which an obstacle is overcome can be
highly revealing of character. How resourceful or
imaginative is the character? Are any values or until now
little-seen (or unseen) traits displayed in how the person
gets past the obstacle? Also revealing is the person's
general reaction to a specific obstacle, or to the obstacles
in general. The character may be stoic, angered, undaunted,
astonished, disheartened, or whiny. It's possible the
character almost relishes the obstacle: it may trigger an
adrenalin rush, or be a way to prove competence, to be
competitive.

Thus, the attitude displayed as a result of the
obstacle, and the fashion in which it is overcome, can tell
us something -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot -- about
the character.

OBSTACLES VS. PREDICTABILITY

Obstacles also help prevent predictability. If there
are too few obstacles, the events of the story will proceed
in an overly linear, overly predictable fashion. Plans
would go too smoothly (no hitches). Actions would proceed
as announced or intended. It would all be too easy, too
flat, too ... predictable. Obstacles are the fly in the
ointment. The monkey wrench jamming the machinery. The
thing that trips us up, or at least threatens to. Obstacles
help keep the characters -- and the audience -- off balance.
We never know what is around the corner, what might happen
next, or how things will work out. Predictability is poison
to a plot, and obstacles -- both large and small -- are one
of the antidotes.

OBSTACLES & SURPRISE

Every time we defy expectations, every time we avoid the
predictable, we are creating at least a small surprise for
the audience. And surprises are a key ingredient to
effective stories. But a true "surprised reaction" goes
beyond unmet predictions and expectations: it's a stronger
sensation, one which creates something of a jolt or shock
(pleasant or otherwise). Surprise in a story can be
achieved by unforeseen actions of characters, by means of
revelations, through sudden reversals and unanticipated
complications ... and by significant, unexpected obstacles.

Unforeseen obstacles, which by nature spring up
unexpectedly, afford at least a small (but still gratifying)
surprise. Some -- ones that are potentially threatening and
which strike lightning-fast, or ones that are both
unexpected and especially formidable -- can be quite
surprising, indeed.

And so obstacles, along with other story techniques, can
be used to generate surprises, both small and large, which
good stories thrive on.

OBSTACLES & CURIOSITY, SUSPENSE

Finally, obstacles add uncertainty, provoke curiosity,
and can create or augment suspense and tension. Will the
character be able to deal with this obstacle? Will the
character be willing to continue despite all the frequent
and continuing obstacles? *How* will the character handle
*this* obstacle? In this way, obstacles raise questions,
pique curiosity, and -- if we care about the character and
the central problem or goal -- they also raise the level of
our concern and make us wonder and worry as to whether the
character will get past the immediate obstacle and thus be
able to succeed. In other words, they help create tension
and suspense.

OBSTACLE RATIONALE -- SUMMARY

So there are many reasons that obstacles contribute to a
story. Their presence reflects reality (which is seldom
obstacle-free), they can both challenge and reveal
character, they help avoid linear, predictable actions and
events, they can help create surprises, and can stimulate
curiosity and raise the level of tension and suspense.

Bottom line: a story with too few obstacles is boring.
And that's the cardinal sin for storytellers.

PROGRESSIVE OBSTACLES

One last thing about obstacles: if you use two or more
in close succession, generally they should be progressive in
nature. That is, each hurdle or barrier in any group should
be higher, tougher, or more formidable than the last.
Otherwise, there's not as much suspense: if we know someone
can jump a four-foot wall, what's the point of placing a
two-foot obstacle in their way a few moments later? Reverse
the order. Plus, there's just more tension when the "degree
of difficulty" increases, rather than decreases.


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Progressive Obstacles


If a diver performs a series of dives, and does all the
most difficult ones first, we're not going to be much
interested in the later, simpler dives. The same holds true
with the various moves of a gymnast or an ice skater. If
the simpler, easier moves come last, *after* the tough ones,
then those later, less-difficult ones wouldn't hold much
fascination. They would provide little curiosity or
suspense. And it would be anti-climactic.

Let's apply this to a scene in a film.

If someone's running away from a group of bullies, first
he might have to avert or push past a few bystanders. Then
he might skid somewhat on a slippery floor. Once outside,
he may have to dodge a car or two (harder to avoid than a
stationary person, and potentially more of a problem if he
fails). Finally, he faces a high fence or wall, as the foes
bear down on him. These are *progressive* obstacles. If
the order were reversed, the later obstacles would be
ineffective.

In short, when you have groupings of obstacles, start
with the easier ones, and make them higher or greater as
they continue. Keep increasing the degree of difficulty.
Save the worst for last.

SUMMARY

Obstacles interfere with a character's path, course of
action, plan, or goal. They stand in the way of what a
character wants to do. They can be fleeting and short-lived
-- sometimes they last only a minute, or even less: a few
seconds, or even just one second -- and then they're over.
Or they can take several minutes to overcome. And sometimes
even longer: a whole sequence, act, or more.

Obstacles can be objects (things or animals),
situations, or people (or beings). Some are foreseen, but
most are unanticipated.

Generally speaking, when you have two or more obstacles
in close proximity, they should be progressive.

And regarding their rationale and purpose? Obstacles
are just as important as opponents for generating
difficulty, and for challenging your characters. Obstacles
demand something of a character: time, thought, and/or
effort.

Obstacles provide variety and surprise. They can create
or intensify tension and suspense. And they can demonstrate
the talents and tenacity of the characters who encounter the
obstacles. And sometimes much more: their judgment, their
intelligence, the depth of their desire to achieve the goal,
and even their values can be revealed by how characters
react to obstacles, and how (or if) they overcome them.

A screenplay without sufficient obstacles would be an
obstacle to character development -- and to audience
enjoyment.

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Copyright 2003 by Jeff Newman

NOTE: Jeff Newman now offers a $99 evaluation in addition to
the other levels previously offered. If what you are
looking for is a concise summary of the quality and
effectiveness of your screenplay and a discussion of its
main strengths and any major weaknesses or problems, then
you may benefit from the 8-page feedback (4 pages of written
analysis, and a 4-page checklist) that comes with this
evaluation option.

Supplementary articles (addressing any significant
deficiencies) are included at no additional charge -- for
instance, if theme seems missing or poorly integrated, a
20-page article on the subject will be provided. Similar
articles are available dealing with structure, exposition,
formatting, and more.

For more info: http://storynotes.com


NEXT ISSUE of this StoryNotesNewsletter: "Complications."