Writing Story's with High Stakes

How to keep your readers on their toes with the various different types of stakes.

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

In the realm of storytelling, stakes play a crucial role in captivating readers and keeping them engaged. They create tension, drive the plot forward, and make the characters' journeys more compelling. When it comes to writing, understanding the three stake types - personal stakes, ultimate stakes, and external stakes - is essential for crafting a well-rounded and impactful narrative. Let’s take a deeper look at these three types:

1. Personal Stakes:
Personal stakes revolve around the internal struggles and desires of the characters. These stakes are deeply rooted in their emotions, beliefs, and personal growth. By highlighting personal stakes, writers can create relatable and empathetic characters that resonate with readers on a deeper level. Personal stakes often involve themes such as self-discovery, overcoming fears, or finding one's purpose. They add depth to the narrative and allow readers to connect with the characters' journeys on an emotional level.

Activity:
Choose one of your own characters and take some time to write a diary entry from their POV. Outline there struggles internally and externally making sure to make clear what is at stake for them. Perhaps do this for several key plot moments in your narrative. While you probably won’t use these journal entries in your actual story, this will allow you to ensure you have some solid Personal Stakes to draw from when the time comes.

2. Ultimate Stakes:
Ultimate stakes refer to the overarching goal or outcome that the characters strive to achieve throughout the story. These stakes are usually high and have significant consequences for the characters and their world. Ultimate stakes can involve saving lives, preventing a disaster, or achieving a long-awaited dream. They create a sense of urgency and drive the plot forward, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Ultimate stakes provide a clear direction for the narrative and give readers a reason to invest in the characters' journey.

Activity:
Choose a scene which you think is going to demonstrate the 'Ultimate Stakes’ the clearest within your narrative and spend 20-30 minutes focused time hashing out how the stakes will shine through. How can you authentically show, not tell your readers about the stakes? Note, ultimate stakes will thread throughout your story and create a tension line for your protagonist.

3. External Stakes:
External stakes encompass the external conflicts and obstacles that characters face in their quest to achieve their goals. These stakes can include physical threats, societal pressures, or antagonistic forces. External stakes add tension and suspense to the story, as characters must navigate through challenges and make difficult choices. They provide opportunities for action, conflict, and character development. By incorporating external stakes, writers can create a dynamic and engaging narrative that keeps readers hooked.

Activity:
Hopefully you have some sort of narrative outline for your story (if you don’t, we highly recommend you start with this). Inside your outline, determine which points of your story have clear antagonists/forces that are coming against your protagonist/clear choices they must make (aka your external stakes). Use colour coding (or some sort of key that works for you) to outline these stakes and HOW they will impact your protagonist - remember, each plot point should lead the story forward (create a cause and effect).

Understanding the three stake types - personal, ultimate, and external stakes - is crucial for crafting a well-rounded and impactful narrative. Personal stakes allow readers to connect with characters on an emotional level, while ultimate stakes provide a clear direction and sense of urgency. External stakes add tension and suspense, driving the plot forward and creating opportunities for conflict and character development. By skillfully incorporating these stake types, writers can create compelling stories that captivate readers from beginning to end.

When writing stories with clear and thought-through stakes, here are some key things to consider: