No story goes along smoothly for the main character. In fact, how they respond to adversity is how we get attached to the people in the novels we love. If they don’t struggle to get what they need, we won’t want to read to the end. There are innumerable ways for conflict to occur in a story.  I’ve listed the 75 I’ve come across in my or another author’s writing.

1. Everything has been working fine, until now.
2. The best friend is disloyal/undermining/lying
3. They aren’t his parents
4. The power goes out
5. The car beaks down
6. What she thought she knew is wrong
7. Injury
8. Attack
9. Not everyone made it to the agreed upon site
10. What was safe once is no longer safe
11. Supplies are lost or stolen
12. Weather change
13. Ambush
14. The character’s arrival is expected
15. The character’s arrival is unexpected
16. Sibling jealousy
17. Paralyzing fear
18. The parameters are changed
19. She refuses to go
20. Misplaced information
21. Locked door/cabinet/safe
22. Locked out of the city/house/business
23. Sabotage
24. Time is running out
25. He gets lost
26. Incorrect assumption
27. Malfunction
28. Loss of food supplies
29. Dangerous terrain
30. It is believed impossible
31. House burns down
32. Loss of parents/family
33. Loss of faith
34. Poison/illness/plague
35. Arriving late/early
36. Flight/bus/train cancelled
37. The store is closed
38. Misplaced keys/ticket/passport/spell/identification
39. Difficult terrain
40. Battery runs out
41. Old injury/illness flairs
42. Toothache/pink eye/infection
43. Curiosity
44. An immovable object
45. Prejudice
46. Mugged
47. Lost luggage
48. Missing vital ingredient/material
49. Lacks a skill/knowledge
50. A telegram/email/missive/letter
51. Inheritance
52. Loss of fortune
53. Ostracized/disowned/ignored
54. Waking up to a major change
55. Loss of memory
56. A misunderstanding
57. Death of a loved one
58. A major decision
59. Uncertainty
60. Phobias
61. A tool/skill/talent/gift has special powers, but the character can’t figure out how to work it
62. War
63. The craft is spinning out of control
64. The world is coming to an end
65. The phone/communication device goes dead
66. Someone has released the dogs/lion/critters with unfriendly intent
67. Things just don’t look/smell/feel/sound right
68. The other character would not normally say that
69. An unfamiliar vehicle has parked outside and the people in it appear to be watching the house/business
70. S/he won’t/doesn’t answer the phone
71. Heart-broken
72. Lack of confidence
73. Impatience
74. Tied up/trapped
75. supernatural/unnatural change of self/enemy/friend/general population (i.e., Zombies)
UPDATE to list provided by Marcy Peska.
76.  curses and other magical obstacles 
77. trolls
under bridges
78. gastric distress from eating too many
sugar-free candies
79. small and uncooperative children
80. hobbits too
interested in mushrooms and second breakfast
81. abrupt changes in mental
status/consciousness
82. being unable to act effectively due to being
grounded or having to go to work.  
83.  Oh…and having a small bladder which requires frequent bathroom breaks.

If you are a writer or a reader, you are aware of many conflicts that characters have faced. What  conflicts have your favorite characters faced? What other conflicts can you add to this list.

#conflict
#plot
#writing

The post 75+ Ways to Make Things Tough on a Character first appeared on L. Darby Gibbs ~ Author.

start with something & keep writing

What better post to discuss beginnings on than In the beginning….  Where to start the story?

1. Start with any word that comes to mind — the beginning is just that: a place to start.
2. a character talking to another character
3. the character talking to the reader
4. the character talking to the self
5. start when things went wrong
6. start when things finally went right
7. begin with the ending
8. begin with an argument
9. describe an image
10. the main character meets someone new
11. a favor is called in
12. start with an article of clothing and have your character put it on
13. describe what the main character sees
14. describe a smell
15. start with a cup of coffee, a glass of juice, a piece of toast
16. have him place groceries down before the cashier
17. describe everything but the visual in a scene
18. start with a woman crying
19. start with a man laughing
20. a fretful child
21. blow something up
22. knock something over
23. land a plane with difficulty
24. have the car skidding out of control
25. drive around the circle of a town’s central square looking for a parking spot
26. stand up from being knocked down
27. have the cat licking its paw seated next to a severed hand
28. roll up a garden hose, water spraying everywhere
29. wake up to the sound of a dog barking 
30. have him pack his clothes into a grocery bag
31. the family scrambles to exit a house when a car pulls into the driveway because it is not their house
32. pull a ticket from beneath the windshield wiper
33. a stack of papers on the desk,and an empty out-box
34. run out of staples and cry about it
35. the chair leg breaks
36. pick at a sore
37. dye her hair another color and put on clothes that don’t quite fit
38. a pipe burst in freezing weather
39. the car breaks down 500 feet from the entrance to the drive way
40. the car loses power while your character is driving down the highway
41. lock their keys in the car
42. the character checks every day under the car for rattlesnakes.  One day one is coiled beneath.
43. step in a mudpuddle
44. step off the curb and be struck by a bicyclist
45. set a stone in a cobbled walkway
46. draw money from the bank
47. the loan goes through
48. go looking for a new car
49. quit his job
50. walk away
51. run away from something dangerous
52. run away from someone who loves her
53. break a promise 
54. bury a pet
55. talk to God, tell him how things are going since last the two talked
56. ask your character a question and write down what she answers
57. have your character describe someone he doesn’t like

The post The variety of the story beginning — 57 and counting first appeared on L. Darby Gibbs ~ Author.