Source: Greenwald (1999) adapted by King (2004)

Generating a complaint list may sound like a funny way to develop new ideas for your writing, but it can actually be a very powerful tool to discover more about your characters, see holes in your plot and find new subplots that await exploration.

This tool is best suited for authors who have some material already written and have a character in mind.

You can do this exercise either by hand or via computer. Using a word processor may be helpful to generate a steadier stream-of-thought from your character. Put yourself into the mind of one of your characters and try to see how things are from their point-of-view. Give them a chance to bitch a little, to rant and rave about all the things that they think are wrong—about their own self, or the situation, or the people with whom they interact. This is essentially a very directed brainstorming session, so let your character really cut loose…don’t censor, just write. Try to be a conduit for your character’s voice.

For example, in a story that I am developing, my character, Sarlic, is a thief who is breaking into an ancient tomb with several other people. Sarlic’s specialty is detecting traps. He is also a surly little man and the other characters often barely tolerate him. Here is small sample of Sarlic’s complaint list:

• The only reason they take me along is because I can keep them alive.
• Varden thinks he’s such hot stuff—always boasting about his tracking skills, always having his way with the ladies, always has Cadis’ ear.
• No one pays attention to me. I could fall into a hole and no one would notice until a trap ripped off one of their heads.
• No one listens to me anyway. Why the hell am I helping them?
• They don’t care about the warnings on the tomb—that it might be cursed.
• We shouldn’t be messing with the gods.
• I shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to incur the wrath of that god and they shouldn’t make fun of me for being rightfully afraid. You don’t mess with the gods!
• They are going to get us all killed.
• Evan is unreliable. I don’t trust him.
• Tessa ignores me. When I talk to her, she won’t look me in the eyes.
• Varden always seems annoyed with me. What did I ever do to him? I’ve saved him from falling into pit traps more times than I can count.
• I should demand a bigger cut of the loot for this. It’s too dangerous, walking into the face of such curses.
• These wool pants itch like mad.
• It’s too damn bloody hot outside.

From this short list, I can discern several things that I hadn’t really thought about before. One, Sarlic is jealous of Varden and two; he’s very distrustful of everyone around him. He’s also truly afraid of what will happen if the tomb is cursed—and angry because they tease him about his fear.

After analysis, I can begin to draw some of these traits out as I write. Or, potentially, I can decide the opposite as well, which is what I did in this case. After looking over the full list, I realized that I had made Sarlic too surly and unlikable and as a result, I changed his character to better reflect a more mild-mannered person, which for the purposes of my story, is a better fit.

The full list also gave me other insights into Sarlic’s character that surprised me. I discovered that he wants to seek revenge on his brother (why? I am anxious to find out!), that he’s terrified of bears, and that he has a strong bond with his aunt and his mother. All of those discoveries will change and greatly enrich my overall story, creating at least one full subplot at the same time.

There are other ways that you can use a complaint list to help you flesh out your stories. You could easily take a particular situation that you are frustrated with and have a variety of characters voice their opinions. Let’s say that you have a wedding scene that you are writing but feel unhappy about the way it is unfolding. Start a complaint list that includes all of the characters involved. What would the bride have to complain about the situation? What would the mother of the bride say? What would the groom be upset about? What about the caterers? The minister? The neighbors next door to the church or reception hall? Your discoveries could be instrumental in helping develop your story.


(Original page by Mary Frangie)