Things Get Complicated

Certain short stories have only one obstacle. But a longer account includes several predicaments, and each problem must be more difficult to solve than the previous.

EXERCISE 28 Imagine a complication and how your hero will solve the problem.

Once one problem is solved, your hero can move on to the next stage. But one difficulty can lead to another. The hero may have to deal with an unexpected complication before moving on to the aim he/she set him/herself.

HELP One problem can hide another, but confronting an obstacle can also lead your hero to HELP - objects or information for instance - that will come in useful later on in the story.

The obstacles can’t just follow each other with no connection. They must be linked to one another logically.