Pitch Dictionary by pitch.dog
Conflict, stakes, wants & objectives · Core

Obstacle

Also called: barrier

ELI5

Something that makes a character's objective harder to achieve.

Used in conversation

“The obstacle needs to land without a long explanation.”

Pitch context

Use this when explaining how the story works on the page or across the finished screen experience.

Why it matters: Helps describe how a story works on the page and how its dramatic parts fit together.

Connected terms

  • ConflictConflict is the active clash of forces; an obstacle is a specific barrier blocking an objective.
Sources & evidence · 6

Direct term-level sources and supporting source families.