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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/12655
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/12655
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I have recently read an article (_The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing_, chapter 7) concerning plot twists, or complications. It discusses the difference between twists and mere situations. The concept seems clear enough: a situation is an event that occurs, but a complication is how that event influences the character to act. A complication either illuminates, thwarts, or alters what the character wants. All seems well to me.

The author of the article then presents an example, however, that goes as follows:

> Ralph's beloved wife is terminally ill. The complication is that she asks him to write her will. (What Ralph wants is to avoid facing the rest of his life alone)

The author says that this is not a complication because it includes no 'point of departure.' But it seems to me that it _is_ a complication, because it thwarts what Ralph wants. It makes him face the fact that he will have to live his life alone. Hence my question:

Am I understanding this wrong? Is there some important difference between situations and complications that I am missing?

An extension of this question may be found [here](https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/16175/twist-complication-situation-whats-the-difference).

Original score: 3