© 2025 Jessica R. Patch

What makes a novel complex, and how do you as a writer create it to make a compelling story?

Many times, an author chooses one particular circumstance in a story and solely focuses on that. But if you consider your own life, there are far more conflicts going on at once. Conflict from family, work, strangers—like the woman who has 900 coupons when you’re in a hurry—healthcare problems, the car breaks down, etc.

To write a complex novel, give many conflicting issues to your protagonist on top of solving the crime or falling in love. Make these conflicts push the plot forward and force your protagonist into making choices that bring consequences which create even more conflict for them. Bring their backstory and the complications and conflict from the past into the mix as well.

Strap your characters in the hot seat and keep cranking up the heat. Squirming isn’t enough. Set a blaze that drives them to desperation and revel in the dumpster fire!

Also focus on their flaws. Again, authors oftentimes choose one wound or flaw, but that isn’t realistic. I know I have many. How can you layer their flaws and then use them to wreck their decisions. How can you also use them to find a way out of the problems they face? In order to know this, you’ll need to spend ample time on their backstory prior to writing. This will keep you focused and not off chasing squirrels in your first draft.

Ask yourself, what conflicts emerged in their past? What shaped them and the way they now view themselves, the world, and God? Once you know these details, you’ll be able to create a complex character and plot that will suck readers in and keep them turning pages as they’re invested in the outcome.

I encourage you to spend time in prayer and ask God for these details. After all, it’s His story, and you are simply the messenger He’s using to serve the body of Christ.

NOTE: Jessica will keynote, present a workshop, and offer one-on-one appointments at the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference THIS MONTH! (see details below).
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Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of over 25 novels, known for her dry wit, signature twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa with her girlfriends, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and dark, twisty thrillers. Sign up for her newsletter “Patched In” and receive a FREE short thriller.

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Feature photo by Obie Fernandez on Unsplash