So your sleuth has a murder to solve. Unless you have a really boring story, the road to achieving that challenge will be blocked at every turn with danger, hardships, and difficulty. Those obstacles though are often what makes the story memorable — Indiana Jones running from a giant boulder comes to mind.

Obstacles aren’t always physical. Sometimes emotional and psychological obstacles make an effective barricade. Some stories offer a combination of those obstacles. Whatever the case, a strong plot gets the hero up the tree, throws rocks at him, then gets him back down again.

Here a few different types of obstacles and a few examples to get the creative juices flowing:

Obstacles caused when the Protagonist

• has a fear to overcome
• promises not to do or say something
• makes a mistake
• becomes a suspect
• is pinned down by enemy fire

Obstacles caused when the Antagonist

• starts a fire to inhibit progress
• causes an explosion
• takes a hostage

Obstacles caused when a secondary character

• is unable to tell the truth
• is unable to reveal critical information
• makes a mistake
• accidentally gets in the way
• comes between the sleuth and something or someone
• is a returning old lover
• is a witness who disappears or is murdered

Obstacles caused by external influences

• Bad weather hinders a search
• Bad weather prevents an escape
• Bad weather prevents the execution of a plan
• An earthquake occurs
• A vehicle breaks down
• A vehicle runs out of gas
• Innocent people are in the way
• Transportation is unavailable
• Evidence is destroyed or disappears
• A weapon cannot be used
• Ammunition has run out
• Supplies have run out
• A bridge is washed out
• The road is out