Inner Obstacles

Having explored inner wants, we now turn to their counterpart: inner obstacles. These internal barriers play a crucial role in character development and story progression.

Let’s define inner obstacles and distinguish them from inner wants. We'll explore various inner obstacles, examine ways to show them in your storytelling, and discuss how they interact with WOARO.

Defining Inner Obstacles

Inner obstacles are similar to external obstacles. The critical difference is that they don’t operate in the external world or the body but in the mind, heart, and soul.

They can be anything internal that stands in the way of your character's external or internal wants.

For example, a fear of heights can be an inner obstacle that can get in the way of a detective catching the criminal or their desire to be respected by their peers.

Inner obstacles can also drive a story, such as a character haunted by memories of a friend's death, spurring a journey of revenge.

Like inner wants, characters may not be conscious of their internal obstacles and manifest them only through actions and responses.

Internal Obstacles vs. Internal Wants

A trickiness of inner obstacles is that they sometimes can be confused for inner wants—or vice versa. Some examples:

Self-esteem: Seeking self-esteem can be a good thing, driving personal growth. However, too much can lead to overconfidence or arrogance, becoming an obstacle.
Redemption: This goal can inspire a character to right past wrongs and strive to become a better person. Yet, it could become an obstacle if it consumes a character, preventing them from moving forward.
Power: The pursuit of power can motivate a character to develop their abilities and take on greater responsibilities. Conversely, it can lead to morally dubious choices or become an obstacle if it forces characters to compromise their values.

These examples illustrate how the same trait can function differently depending on context. What appears as an obstacle to one character might be seen as a want or even a strength by another.

Consider how your character's perception of their wants and obstacles might differ from those around them, adding depth to your storytelling.

Examples of internal obstacles

Let’s look at some internal obstacles that may hinder a character’s pursuit of their goals.

Weakness and Need

Returning to John Truby, he believed that from the very beginning of the story, a hero has one or more great weaknesses that are holding them back. This weakness is a profound flaw or lack that is so significant, it's ruining the hero's life. It serves as a fundamental inner obstacle.

Crucially, Truby suggests that this weakness creates a need within the character. The need is what the hero must fulfill to overcome their weakness and grow. In this way, weakness and need are deeply interconnected:

The weakness acts as the inner obstacle.
This weakness creates a need for change or growth.
The need then drives the character's journey throughout the story.

For example, a character might be haunted by the death of their parent. This weakness—their inability to move past this loss—stands in the way of their personal growth.

However, this same weakness also creates a need within the character, such as a need for reconciliation or acceptance. This need, which the character may or may not be consciously aware of, becomes a driving force in their story.

Flawed Mental Models

To comprehend and control the world, we create mental models of how we believe the world works. As Will Storr explains in The Science of Storytelling, these models are built from our observations and beliefs about cause and effect.

However, our mental models are often flawed due to:
• Biases
• Errors in judgment
• Prejudices
• False assumptions
• Misunderstandings
• Misperceptions

These flaws can weaken our grasp on reality, causing us to struggle in our interactions with the world and others. Characters may be unaware of their flawed mental models, which can become significant internal obstacles.

For example, a character might believe that showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness. This flawed model could prevent them from forming deep relationships or seeking help when needed.

If a character fails to recognize and overcome their flawed mental models, these could become fatal flaws that prevent them from achieving their goals.

Wounds, Scars, and Internal Ghosts

These internal obstacles stem from a character's past experiences. Common in many genres, especially action movies and blockbusters, they include:

Wounds: Traumatic events
Scars: Lasting effects of past experiences
Ghosts: Persistent memories or regrets

Examples might include the death of a loved one, a past failure, or a betrayal. These obstacles often drive a character's actions as they attempt to overcome, avenge, or come to terms with their past.

Unlike some other internal obstacles, wounds, scars, and ghosts are deeply rooted in specific past events, shaping the character's worldview and behavior throughout the story.

The Inner Critic

As writers, many of us are aware of how the inner critic can be a powerful internal obstacle that can significantly hinder a character's growth and actions. This self-critical voice constantly judges and undermines the character's efforts and worth.

Built from past experiences or internalized external criticism, this obstacle creates self-doubt and fear of failure leading to indecision, procrastination, and perfectionism.

The inner critic often creates a false want for perpetual improvement or external validation, while the true need might be self-acceptance or creative expression.

Want as Obstacle

Sometimes, a character's perceived want can become an obstacle to achieving what they truly need. This occurs when they pursue a surface-level desire without recognizing their deeper, underlying want.

For example:

A character might pursue wealth (surface want), when what they truly desire is security or respect (deeper want).
Someone might chase a prestigious job title, when their real need is for personal fulfillment or work-life balance.

This misalignment becomes an internal obstacle, diverting the character from addressing their true needs and potentially leading to continued dissatisfaction even if they achieve their surface want.

To uncover a character's true wants, continually ask "Why?" Why do they want this specific thing? What need are they really trying to fulfill?

This concept aligns with Truby's ideas of desire versus need, where the surface want (desire) can obstruct the deeper need if not properly understood.

Approach-Avoidance Conflict

Remember from our discussion of inner wants that two simple principles drive our survival:

attain rewards
avoid threats

Sometimes, these principles conflict, creating what psychologist Kurt Lewin called an "approach-avoidance conflict." This occurs when a single goal presents both a potential reward and a potential threat.

For example:

Pursuing a promotion (reward) vs. fear of increased responsibility (threat)
Seeking a relationship (reward) vs. fear of vulnerability (threat)

Characters might initially pursue their goal strongly, then retreat as the threat aspect becomes more prominent, creating a significant inner obstacle.

Some other inner obstacles

Frustration
Confusion
Addiction
Grief
Longing
Anxiety
Impulses and Instincts
Lack of knowledge
Helplessness
Incapacity to realize free will
Moral weakness
Conscience
Mental health issues (e.g., depression, schizophrenia)
Habit
A memory that can't be reclaimed
The past or future (neither is truly reachable)

Remember to approach any obstacles with empathy and understanding. You don't want to reduce someone's experience to a stereotype or caricature.

Ways to show inner obstacles

Now that we’ve compiled a list of inner obstacles, how do we integrate them into our stories with the least friction?

Here are several techniques for showing inner obstacles in your narrative:

Characters use actions and dialogue to navigate around inner obstacles

When characters are self-aware of their internal obstacles, they often use actions and dialogue as strategies to circumvent or confront these challenges. This approach can reveal much about a character's inner struggle and growth.

Examples:

Fear of intimacy: In Good Will Hunting, Will Hunting pushes people away with his caustic wit and deliberately sabotages job interviews, avoiding the possibility of success and close relationships.
Fear of failure: In Whiplash, Andrew Neiman practices drumming until his hands bleed, pushing himself to extremes to avoid mediocrity.

These actions not only illustrate the characters' inner obstacles but also often motivate their wants.

An internal obstacle can create false external wants and actions

Inner obstacles—often stemming from past ghosts, wounds, or scars—can drive characters to pursue wants or actions that don't align with their true needs.

For example: A character haunted by a past betrayal (ghost) develops trust issues (inner obstacle) and an intense desire for control in relationships (false external want). They believe control will protect them, but what they truly need is to learn to trust again.

This misalignment occurs because the obstacle motivates a character to seek external solutions that seem logical but don't address deeper issues.

This dynamic is similar to a horror movie where the monster (inner obstacle) forces teenagers to develop new wants (survival, escape) they wouldn't normally have.

Without the monster, they'd be pursuing their normal desires – going to school, hanging out with friends. But the monster's presence forces them to develop new wants (survival, escape) and take actions they wouldn't otherwise consider.

This creation of false wants adds complexity to characters, often driving their actions throughout the story until they recognize and address their true needs.

An internal obstacle provides a stimulus to responses.

A more subtle approach has the character only revealing their inner obstacle through responses.

For example, in a script like Manchester by the Sea, the main character's grief or emotional inability to handle the situation (internal obstacle) leads to various destructive responses:

Picking meaningless fights
Being rude and unfriendly
Pushing people away
Drinking too much
Being emotionally distant
Hurting others to punish himself
Holding himself back in his career and relationships
Forcing himself into similar circumstances that draw out his struggle

The crucial aspect of this example is that the character isn't in control. They only respond to the obstacle and do not take direct action to resolve the problem. This creates a cycle:

The character tries to move towards a goal
They encounter an external obstacle
Their internal obstacle (e.g., grief) is triggered
They respond in a destructive way, often sabotaging their own progress

For instance, the character might try to form a new relationship (goal), face a minor conflict (external obstacle), which triggers their unresolved grief (internal obstacle), causing them to push the person away (destructive response).

Often, the character doesn't realize this pattern is happening or can't identify the root obstacle driving their behavior. This unconscious reaction to internal obstacles can create complex, realistic character behaviours that drive the story forward.

Through the actions of other characters

Another way to represent the obstacle is through the actions of other characters.

For example, in The Shawshank Redemption, Red's goal is to leave prison, but his obstacle is his loss of hope. However, his friend Andy is all about hope and all his actions are motivated by it: working on the roof, building the library, and finding his wife's killer. Each time Andy fails to achieve hope, it reinforces Red’s perspective. Andy’s eventual escape forces Red to confront his obstacle.

This dynamic shows how outcomes reveal inner obstacles: the struggle continues until one side prevails. Even after Andy's success, we follow Red's journey to resolution through transformation—which is why it is Red’s story, not Andy’s.

This technique also shows how the struggle between want and obstacle can shape and drive a larger story, as characters continually win or lose (lose the battle but not the war) but continue to try.

Other characters represent wants and obstacles

Often in a story, your character will face other characters—usually friends or threshold guardians—that represent the internal fears or doubts a character feels.

In Star Wars, Luke's uncle voiced his indecision about fighting in the Rebellion, while Obi-Wan Kenobi echoed his desire to go. When he finally decides, he must lose his aunt and uncle and battle against Stormtroopers and TIE fighters to prove his commitment.

If you are interested in more of this, look at Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell or The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler.

Negative wants bring about positive inner obstacles

Not all internal obstacles are negative. Sometimes, a character's morally questionable want can trigger positive internal obstacles.

For example, consider a character who wants to commit a crime like theft or murder:
• The want: To steal or kill (negative)
• The inner obstacle: Guilt, conscience, or self-doubt (positive)

This conflict between a negative want and a positive inner obstacle creates complex character dynamics. Characters often need to reconcile these opposing forces—or let one side overwhelm the other. They might:

Reconcile the conflict:
- A thief becomes a security consultant, using their skills legally
- A violent character channels their aggression into boxing or military service
Let the want overwhelm the obstacle:
- A character suppresses their guilt and commits the crime, potentially leading to a darker character arc
Let the obstacle overcome the want:
- A character abandons their criminal intentions and seeks redemption

This dynamic illustrates how inner obstacles can serve as a moral compass or a catalyst for change, even when the initial want is negative.

Tying it all together

Similar to inner wants, inner obstacles stretch far past the edges of your story. They are likely with your characters before it begins and will likely continue afterwards. The internal obstacle can be resolved, but the story represents a small step on the longer journey.

Again, when writing Inner Wants and Obstacles, the same rules of external wants and obstacles apply:

Always ask yourself: What does your character want? What obstacle stands in their way? What actions do they take? What are the responses? Do they get it or not?
In a story, nothing should ever come easily. It is about struggle—no matter what.
Remember, want and obstacle are two sides of the same coin. Be very clear about your characters' wants and obstacles.
Adding inner wants and obstacles is one way to complicate your story. But don't overcomplicate the writing process. Always default to WOARO to organize your thoughts.

By weaving inner obstacles into your characters' journeys, you not only deepen their complexity but also create richer, more compelling narratives that resonate with audiences.