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Writing for Children: Throw Obstacles at Your Characters
Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com

Successful children's fiction begins with the main character. Many writers create a biography or detailed character sketch, listing every physical and personality trait imaginable, so they have a clear picture of who their character is. Then they give their main (and important secondary) characters a list of goals. What does he/she want to accomplish? What does he/she need to do in order to grow as a person? The goals must be believable within the realm of who this character is. These goals are as important in picture books as they are in novels. How your character reaches his large and small goals provides the bare bones of plot.

But in order for a story to be really interesting, your character can't just think of a goal and then effortlessly reach it. As a writer, it's your job to throw obstacles in your character's way. By developing obstacles that make sense, you add conflict and tension to the plot. If you progressively raise the stakes for your character throughout the story, you'll keep your readers turning pages to see what happens next.

The first obstacle your character will encounter is that of the critical situation.

This is the point in the beginning of your story at which the character's life changes. Without this critical situation, the character's life would have gone on as before; but with it the character is forced to experience the story's events and challenges. This critical situation should relate directly to the character's goals, creating major shifts in the character's life. Once you select the critical situation, get out your list of goals and select several that lend themselves to creating opportunities for relevant obstacles throughout the story. Some of these obstacles can be developed into sub-plots. For example:

• Does the character have to be somewhere at a specific time? Make him late, or make him miss the appointment altogether.

• Does the character need to find something? Make the search difficult or fruitless.

• Does the character need to communicate with someone? Have the note destroyed by weather, stolen by a bad guy, or misinterpreted by the receiver.

Copyright © 2000-2001 Laura Backes

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