In a post on the Killzone blog, Sue Coletta offers some examples of character obstacles and complications drawn from the wild kingdom. “As an animal lover, wildlife documentaries are my jam,” Coletta says. “My husband and I often joke about one particular aspect that is true in the natural world—there’s always a ‘but.'” For example:
- Bears can kill with one strategically placed swat of the paw, but they have terrible eyesight.
- A giraffe’s long neck helps them reach leaves at the top of trees, but that same neck that aids them in gathering food also causes the highest blood pressure of any animal.
- A rhino’s horn is their greatest asset in a fight, but that same horn makes them targets for poachers.
- Skunks use an overpowering odor for defense and can spray six times in succession, but once their foul-smelling liquid runs out it takes up to 10-14 days to refill the glands.
“All these complications and obstacles make the natural world even more interesting,” Coletta says. “The same is true for writing. So, while crafting your storyline—plotted or pantsed—keep ‘but’ in mind. Because without complications and obstacles, you risk boring the reader.”
