A story is a character trying to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal, but the reader won’t care unless there are significant stakes involved. Something has to be at risk in order for the story to have an impact. It was really hard to find concrete information on what stakes really are in a story, but I found September C. Fawkes had a great way of explaining them. I echo her approach to stakes and expound a little on them in this article by going over what stakes are exactly, how to make them significant, and two levels of stakes to layer in your story.
Defining Stakes
Stakes are often defined as what a character risks to lose or gain. It’s like a poker game. A player risks losing his money for a chance to win someone else’s money. Money is what’s at stake. But in a story, we can put anything at stake. Losing or keeping a house. Breaking or deepening a relationship. Ruining or maintaining one’s dignity. As September Fawkes says, the key is to remember that stakes are potential consequences. It’s what might happen, but that doesn’t mean it has to happen. Stakes are less about the real conflict in the story and more about the emotional impact the character foresees if he succeeds or fails in reaching his goal. It’s the protagonist’s projections for the future, regardless of what really happens.
Creating Significant Stakes
So, if stakes are perceived threats instead of real conflict, how you do create significant stakes in your story? You build off of your protagonist’s hopes and fears. What does your protagonist hope will happen? What does he fear will happen? If his greatest fear is threatening him or there is a chance he could lose his greatest desire forever, the protagonist’s story matters. The reader will be invested in the character’s arc to see what happens.
To make the stakes significant, you have to give them a sense of finality. The greatest stakes are life and death. Why? Because there is no going back (well, unless there’s magic involved). But that doesn’t mean life and death is the only significant stakes you can put in your story. Sometimes, losing your greatest desire or facing your greatest fear is more impactful than death. When creating stakes, make sure your character has to make a choice, and there is no going back. Think of it like a road that splits in two directions, and your protagonist can only take one. Once he steps in one direction, there is no predictable or easy way to undo it. The sense of finality is what makes stakes matter so much to the protagonist, and therefore the reader.
Pro Tip
The important thing to remember about stakes is that readers won’t care if they don’t know the potential consequences. Stakes aren’t something to hint about in your story. You need to clearly spell them out or very heavily imply them. There needs to be no doubt in your readers’ minds what is at stake.
The easiest way to tell the reader the stakes is a “If…then…” statement. If he tells the police the truth, his mother will go to prison and he will be put into foster care. If he doesn’t get to the meeting on time, he will be fired from his job. It’s easy to throw in a simple statement in your narration that clearly defines the stakes. If you don’t want a direct sentence about the stakes, make sure you imply emphatically what the stakes are so the reader doesn’t miss it. A story without stakes is forgettable. Make yours impactful.
Layering Stakes
There are two types of stakes you can put in your story: personal and societal. You cannot write a fully satisfying story without both of these levels.
Personal stakes are potential consequences that impact the protagonist’s life. It can be an embarrassment, a home burning down, or losing a loved one. The point is it has to have an impact on the protagonist. Personal stakes in a conflict make it so the protagonist is invested in the outcome. He needs a reason to not only fight for what he wants, but to put everything he has into it.
Societal stakes are potential consequences that have widespread ramifications for a group, community, or even the whole world. Examples are a family’s reputation, financial success or ruin of a business, or the fate of a kingdom. While personal stakes are great for getting readers invested in the character, societal stakes are what make what the character does feel important. If the main conflict only affects the protagonist, the story won’t feel as urgent as when others will suffer or gain by the outcome as well.
Final Thoughts
Stakes are what make stories feel like they have purpose. They answer the “So what?” question. But remember, stakes are potential consequences. It’s what the protagonist perceives will be affected by his choices and does not have to be what actually happens in the story. Likewise, there could be unforeseen consequences to his choices as well, which aren’t stakes because he had no way to see they might happen. Stakes are a mental game, supposed outcomes. They pull readers into your story, making people look forward to what will happen.
Thanks for reading!
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