The term 'stakes' refers to what could be lost if the hero of a novel does not succeed in whatever his endeavors are. They provide the impetus for the hero to attain his goal; because if he doesn't, whatever is at stake will be lost. Questions using this tag should be about how to incorporate, develop, or generate stakes.
Questions tagged [stakes]
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In a series, do the stakes have to be higher than in the book before?
Imagine you have a series of books: Book 1 through Book 6. Do the stakes in book 2 have to be bigger than the stakes in book 1? The same question applies with each book in relation to the one before it.
I know you don't have to, but would it be best…
Wyvern123
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Is it uncompelling to continue the story with lower stakes?
A big piece of criticism I've seen directed at the last season of Game of Thrones was the fact that
they killed the Night King before the finale, and the last episodes had Cersei, a mere mortal, as the enemy. Considering the Night King wanted to…
A. Kvåle
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How can I get readers to accept more than 1 "buy" in worldbuilding?
An alternative "Occult Universe"
I open my occult detective novel in what is ostensibly a "noir" style, but through worldbuilding I attempt to show that the story is set in an alternate occult universe which diverged from our own sometime during the…
wetcircuit
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How can I create deep personal stakes?
Note: This question deals exclusively with personal stakes (what the character could lose). It does not deal with public stakes (what the world of the novel could lose).
In my mind, there are two levels of stakes (not to be confused with the kinds…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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What does the death of a fictional character mean?
When should a writer kill their protagonist off?
Inspired by a question about character lifetime and another about what makes the death of a character satisfying for the reader, I have begun to wonder whether there are clues inherent to a story I…
user29032
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How can I raise the stakes and make a character's decision compelling?
I am currently writing a short story in which the story's climax revolves around the protagonist making and carrying out a decision to take action.
I have come to realise that the decision I originally set up is a win-win situation for the…
manyaceist
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How can I raise the stakes for my villain protagonist?
I'm currently writing a story about a psychopathic serial killer that meets a detective (the murderer owns a restaurant and the detective and his wife meet him there) that is investigating the victims of his. One thing that has me inching is that I…
Miguel Jurko
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I'm using the same formula for stakes over and over - is this a problem?
First of all, let me explain that I am a plotter, and that I am an extreme case. This means that I develop my novels basically down to the scene before I even think of writing a first draft. This is how I write.
Every novel needs deep stakes. This…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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How Can You Include Public Stakes in a Character Novel?
In Donald Maass's book Writing the Breakout Novel, he talks about stakes. He goes over how a breakout novel needs two kinds: personal stakes - what the hero could lose - and public stakes - what the world of the novel could lose. Together, they make…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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Aside from military, how do I write strategy in seemingly ordinary settings (something going on beneath the surface)?
The question says it all, but the only results I'm getting are battlefield scenarios that wouldn't translate well into the themes of my own story--which is more about escape, scheming, tactics, strategies, betrayal, the battle of the wits, over…
Yuyuuko
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