3 Tips To Make The Stakes Matter in Your Story

Charlene has been slaving away for years at her job, and if she didn't land this big promotion she was sure she'd never get another opportunity. Jackson's had a crush on Kira since the day he met her, and if he didn't say something to her this summer he's sure any chance he had will be gone. Captain Hraska has died of his wounds, and if Sergeant Steiner doesn't step up and hold the city of Karatoss against the Varasin horde until reinforcements arrive then she and every soldier under her command will be nothing but picked bones under the alien stars.

Every one of these scenarios presents something that's at risk. What's at stake in a story is often what keeps your reader's interest, but it's important to understand that the stakes also affect everything from the actions of your protagonists, to the reactions of your audience. Which is why you need to pick appropriate stakes, and to understand how to ramp them up effectively. Otherwise you end up jumping the shark, which for those who haven't heard the term, is when you take things too far and you've lost your audience's ability to suspend their disbelief.

And just like your characters, you want them locked in.

First Things First, We Need To Care About The Characters

You've probably seen a slasher movie at some point. If you have only heard of them by reputation, the concept is that a group of (usually) young adults finds themselves the target of a dangerous murderer. As the film progresses the slasher picks them off one by one, until only a few (or only one) of the victims manage to escape, typically wounding or supposedly slaying the slasher in the process.

Damn kids, get out of my woods!

You could argue that the stakes are the highest they could be in these kinds of films, as they're literally life or death. However, more often than not the audience is completely indifferent to the story, only watching it for the gruesome murders. There's no investment in the struggle of the characters, often because the only one the audience cares about is the hulking brute in the mask... and we know he's going to be fine because there's going to be another sequel.

If your audience doesn't care about the character in question, then it doesn't matter what the stakes you're setting out are. So keep in mind that the fate of the world could be on the line, but if we think the guy playing your lead is a smarmy jerk, a lot of us would rather watch the world burn if it means he dies, too.

Second, Your Actions Need To Underline The Stakes

You ever read a crime novel where the detective we're reading about has to take serious, decisive action in order to bring down the bad guys? What makes you accept that these kinds of actions are necessary? Usually, it's that a serious crime was committed (or is going to be committed) and there's no time to follow protocol, right?

That's because big actions need to be backed up by big stakes. Otherwise the story falls apart.

Jaywalker... I repeat, we've got a jaywalker!

If you want extreme actions to make sense, there has to be something major at risk. For example, a cop trying to beat information out of a suspect is doing something blatantly illegal, and it's a guaranteed way not just to get a case thrown out, but it will likely result in that cop losing their badge, and possibly going to jail. If the individual is a gang member who knows where the cop's kidnapped wife and daughter are, though, then the audience can sympathize with that situation. And, if you spin it right, it can be a moment that's extremely dramatic, and shows us a lot about the character.

But what happens when you start decreasing those stakes?

Let's say it's not the cop's wife and daughter, but just a random woman he's never met who's been kidnapped. Sure, we can understand a strong sense of justice, and perhaps the attachment one might feel trying to track down people who've been kidnapped or trafficked, but if we don't set those motivations up beforehand then your detective isn't going to look like someone delivering righteous wrath... he's going to look like a loose cannon. And the less serious the crime, the more their reaction is going to paint the detective as someone who doesn't deserve their badge.

This applies to basically every kind of story you could tell, and the characters involved in it. Someone getting divorced is painful and messy, but it may not have huge stakes attached to it. But what if your ex is a stalker who refuses to let you go? What if you'll lose your kids if you can't find an appropriately well-paying job? Those things create context for a character's actions, and they add extra tension to a situation.

Third, There Needs To Be Some Kind of Challenge

The city is in the grip of a madman! He has his finger on a button that will release a deadly toxin, and kill everyone unless his demands are met. Those demands? He... ugh... he wants five dollars, a kitten from an animal shelter, and an ice cream cone.

My time has come!

This should go without saying, but the third important thing when it comes to your stakes is that they require a genuine risk. Even if the stakes are high by themselves, all the drama is immediately sucked out of the situation if all your protagonist has to do is walk across the room and push a red button marked Resolve Plot.

If your protagonist loses their business and has to pay a huge bill for back taxes to the IRS, that's a pretty big deal. You know, unless they have some illicit nest egg they've hidden away for a rainy day that they can access without repercussions. Entering a fighting tournament where you could die by the end of a match sounds dramatic, but if your protagonist has mastered secret techniques that make them unbeatable in a match then there's no real risk of them losing. Even if your fiddler wagered his soul to the devil, we all know he's the best there ever was, and there's no chance he'll lose the bout.

Even if the stakes are high, there has to be a real chance the protagonist could lose. Think of every scene you've ever witnessed or read about a card game. From Casino Royale to Rounders, there was always a serious chance the protagonist was going to lose. Especially on the last hand, where they've usually gone all-in. If it was revealed to the reader that the lead had drawn a royal flush, or had all four aces, then there wouldn't be any tension. They have the highest possible hand, so it's all over but the crying.

Keep that in mind, too. Because there needs to be a real chance of losing in order for the stakes to have any real impact on the story, and on your readers.

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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my short story collection The Rejects!

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