Go Ahead — Write This Story: Frustration

[mount_oregano]

It’s so frustrating! How can you show you character's frustration when you're writing a story? Lots of ways, since people react differently. Your character might drink heavily, give up, work harder, work smarter, get angry, blame fate, blame someone else, complain, get depressed, pretend it doesn’t matter, or seek revenge. Emotions may vary widely and be mixed. The point is, your character reacts, and this moves the plot forward.

If you need a story to frustrate a character with, here are a few ideas:

• This is a retold fairy tale in which the fairy godmother’s promises do not come true as expected, and the godchild’s life spirals down into debt and failure.

• This is a horrific family drama about Take Your Child to Work Day, and the child soon realizes that what the parent does is repugnant – and may be evil.

• This is an experimental stage play that re-enacts a computer game, and the characters, aware that it is a game, do everything in their power to subvert and ridicule it, but rules are rules.

— Sue Burke