Every story is about overcoming obstacles in your protagonist’s way to her goal. There should be numerous obstacles to face throughout the book, and you’ll need various types to make it seem more realistic. If the only issue the protagonist has is her love life, then the story will grow bland for the reader.
Below is a list of obstacle types you can put in your story. Let’s go through each one with a simple plot line in mind.
Story Scenario
Anna is running away to Los Angeles to become a movie star. Let’s look at ten ways we can put obstacles in the character’s path.
1. Knowledge
An obstacle of knowledge means the protagonist doesn’t know something she needs to learn in order to reach her goal. For our example, maybe Anna doesn’t know how to get to L.A. Or, maybe she has to take the bus and doesn’t know how to get a ticket. There is a million things Anna may not know that she needs to learn before she can achieve her goal.
2. Physical
Physical obstacles are external barriers in the way of getting to the goal. Perhaps there is a wild fire blocking Anna’s path to Los Angeles. Or her bus could break down, stranding her on the side of the road. Any physical object keeping Anna from her goal would be this type of obstacle.
3. Time
Time is when the protagonist has a deadline to achieve her goal. Ann must get to L.A. in four days, or she will miss her chance to become a movie star. Many books use a counting down clock to add tension and conflict in their plots.
4. Society
A societal obstacle means the protagonist has to go against societal rules to achieve her goal. Anna lives in a small town, and everyone thinks movies stars are rude and drug addicts. If she goes, her family and friends will judge her harshly.
5. Romance
A romance obstacle is when the protagonist’s love interest hinders her getting her goal. Anna’s childhood lover was on the verge of proposing, but he won’t if she leaves to become a movie star. Now she has to pick between her potential husband and her dream.
6. Politics
Political obstacles are when government rules hinder the protagonist’s goal. Anna is only seventeen and doesn’t have the proper government papers to act without her parents’ permission. She is going to have to get emancipated before anyone in L.A. will take her seriously.
7. Emotions
Emotional obstacles happen when a protagonist’s inner feelings get in the way. Fear is one of the biggest ones. Anna may want to be a movie star, but she is afraid of being on her own in a big city. She could also feel insecure about her looks compared to other Hollywood stars. There are numerous emotions that could cause a stumbling block for the protagonist.
8. Money
Monetary obstacles occur when the protagonist lacks the proper funds to achieve her goal. Anna may not have the money to get a bus ticket to L.A. or be able to afford a place to stay in the city. She’ll have to earn the money or find a creative way to get around it.
9. Morals
Moral obstacles occur when the protagonist must go against her own beliefs to achieve her goal. Anna was raised to think movie stars are sinful. She was told to honor her parents. She knew runaway children always ended up living on the streets and falling into dangerous lifestyles. Anna will have to choose between her goal and everything she grew up believing.
10. Self
Obstacles of self are all the things the protagonist does to handicap herself. Usually, this ties into the character wound—a big past emotional trauma that she must overcome. Let’s say Anna had a bad experience in a big city when she was little. She got lost, maybe ran into a gang. Now she fears cities but knows L.A. is the only place to become a movie star. So, she plans to go but does little things to slow her progress. Maybe she is bad at money management and makes excuses to spend her money on things other than a bus ticket. Or, she always oversleeps and misses the one morning bus to L.A. each day. These are all bad habits she could correct if she was determined to reach her goal.
11. Others
Other characters in the story can also be obstacles to the protagonist. The biggest one will be the antagonist whose goal should be opposite to the protagonist in every way. Let’s say Anna’s antagonist is her boyfriend. He wants her to stay home and marry him so he does everything he can to stop her from getting to L.A.
Final Thoughts
Every story should have numerous obstacles from several different categories. Ideally, you should have at least one of each. By varying the obstacles, the story will read more realistic and draw the reader further into it. Having all these obstacles will also make the protagonist achieving her goal more fulfilling for your readers.
Thanks for reading!
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