Complication—The Main Events

Complication is the middle of your story. These are the main events where your main character is trying to deal with, solve, the problem.

The trouble is that usually the problem does not want to be solved easily. Maybe it gets worse. Sometimes the character has to have a series of adventures to deal with it, like going on a journey, a mission, or escaping from a prison.

During this part of the story, your character encounters difficulties. An excellent way to make this part of the story fun and interesting is to introduce one or two (or more) Antagonists.

An Antagonist is a troublemaker, somebody who makes things more difficult for your main character. Not all Antagonists are bad, by the way. Some are helpful.

Here is a list of some Antagonists:

The Villain—a bad guy like a school bully or the giant in “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Think of Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket or Draco Malfoy or Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter.

The Trickster—someone who misleads your main character. The trickster can be a villain, too, of course, but can be good, too. The little man trading the cow for magic beans in “Jack and the Beanstalk” ends up having been helpful to Jack and his mother.

The Taskgiver—a character who gives the main character a job to do that he or she would not otherwise have done. Jack’s mother sends him to town. This sets off all his adventures, and some real trouble like being chased by a giant.

A Natural Force—not all antagonists are human. Some are animals like bears or snakes. Others are snowstorms that make travel difficult or mountains characters have to cross, rivers that flood, earthquakes that destroy cities, fires that burn out of control.

The Pest—anybody with a younger brother or sister or has fought off mosquitoes knows what a pest is.

Bad Choices—my favorite! Your character might do something he or she knows is not right or kind or smart. He or she may give in to peer pressure or just not know what is right in a situation.

Your Challenge
As you do this part of your rough draft, try using one or more of these antagonists.
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