When Characters Chase the White Whale: Tips for Writing Obsession

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Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Steven Weber in Single White Female

Whether it involves a passionate romance gone dangerously awry or a one-legged ship captain hunting a white whale, obsession is a mainstay of powerful fiction. In an article for Writer’s Digest, Kiare Ladner shares 10 things to consider when writing about characters who are never satisfied with what they have. They include:

  1. Why is the obsession useful to your character? In other words, what do they get out out it?
  2. Why does the obsession cause problems? What’s at stake for the character?
  3. Who stands in the character’s way?
  4. Where and when does the character cross the line? Do they go too far?
  5. Who wins in the end?