Raising the stakes in your story
When it comes to writing your novel, you know that your protagonist has to have a goal and motivation to achieve that goal. But, no one wants to read the story where nothing stands in the way of the protagonist reaching their goal and there are no consequences for the protagonist’s choices.
Stakes are what keep your readers hooked and invested in the ebb and flow of the story. They know what’s at stake if the protagonist does not reach their goal and they want to make sure the protagonist doesn’t suffer or lose too much in their journey.
If you’re not sure or set on what the stake are in your story, ask these questions:
- What is the protagonist risking if they fail to achieve their goals?
- How much does achieving their goal matter to the protagonist?
- What will happen to other characters or the world at large if they fail? What are the external consequences for other characters based on your protagonist’s choices?
- Does your story tell readers about the most important time or thing in your protagonist’s life?
Each choice the protagonist makes has to have consequences to make that choice matter to the protagonist and to the story overall. Often you’ll need to have the protagonist’s choices questioned, even if it’s just the protagonist second-guessing themselves.
So, how can you make sure those choices matter and that the stakes are raised? Let’s dive right in.
5 ways to raise your story’s stakes
1. That is the exact opposite of what the protagonist wanted
Have something go wrong with a character’s plans that either puts them in more danger or knocks the protagonist down a peg. They need to go into the situation expecting to be the victor and everything goes wrong. This could rattle their confidence so they’re scared to make a future choice or this could make them double-down on bad behaviors or being reckless with their choices, leading to future failures.
2. Let’s get personal
When we care about the protagonist, we care about those around them or what they hold near and dear to their life. I cry every single time I see Ever After and Danielle’s book is burned by her evil stepsisters because I care about Danielle and I know how much it means to her. It was extremely personal and made me root even harder for her to get her happily ever after. Whether it’s a sacrifice they chose to make or something that was made for them, make it personal.
3. Light the match
Have your protagonist make a choice without an immediate payoff but it comes back and bites them in the ass later. It’ll be a harder blow to them as they connect the dots and realize it was their own action that caused this awful situation.
4. Start the clock
Nothing ramps up tension or raises the stakes quite like a countdown or ticking time bomb. Add a time limit or due date for a specific choice or course of action and then make that choice a hard one. It’s often why superhero moves utilize this tactic, capturing the love interest and saying the hero can rescue their partner or let a bomb blow up a few buildings. The reader wants both the love interest and the other victims saved and the protagonist is literally battling the clock to see if s/he can do so.
5. Slow your roll
Always be sure to build up to bigger stakes. You can’t come right out the gate and tell me it’s a battle between Heaven and Hell and then have the next stake be smaller. It won’t work. The reader won’t care as they’ve already gotten the final battle. Start small with your stakes and slowly put the pressure on your protagonist.
For example, in a YA book the stakes might start out that the protagonist can’t go to the Homecoming dance if she fails her next math test. Then, the stakes are raised when she cheats, gets to go to the dance but now the person who helped her cheat is threatening to tell her parents, and so on, and so on.
How do you raise the stakes in your story? Share your writing tips in the comments below!
