Raising the Stakes in Your Story

As writers, we know that the three basic elements of a fictional story are character, setting, and plot. We spend a lot of time planning and developing each of those elements. However, if we want to create a story that really captures readers, we need to be mindful of the stakes.

When we talk about stakes, we’re referring to what might be gained or lost in the story. The higher the stakes, the more compelling the story. If the protagonist fails to achieve the goal, what will happen? Or in other words…

What’s at stake?

Your character has a goal to achieve, and if they don’t achieve it, what will be lost? In an epic battle between good and evil, perhaps your character must succeed or the world will be taken over by dark forces. Those are pretty high stakes!

But all stories are not centered around epic battles. Many times, the goal is much more realistic. In a detective story, your protagonist must succeed, or justice will not be served. In a journey of emotions, perhaps your protagonist will never be able to find happiness unless they learn to overcome their grief.

The stakes are different in every story, but if you want to hook readers and keep them turning those pages, you need to make sure the stakes are high.

How do you analyze the stakes?

If you’ve ever tried to write a one-sentence blurb to explain what your story is about, you know how hard it can be to write one sentence! However, this practice forces you to refine your treasure down to its purest gold, and that’s a worthy exercise.

The same can be done with analyzing the stakes. Fill in the blanks to complete this sentence:

_(Your protagonist)_________ must succeed at _(your protagonist’s task)_________or else _(What happens if they fail?)______________.

If you have difficulty completing this sentence, you may need to work on character development to determine what truly motivates your character’s actions and propels them forward. Or, you may need to outline your plot and figure out how you might be able to make the stakes more clear-cut.

If you determine that the stakes might not be high enough to keep your readers turning pages, there are some strategies for raising the stakes.

Raising the Stakes

Increasing tension raises the stakes, and there are definitely tricks of the trade designed to put some pressure on your protagonist. Consider the following and see if one of these will work for your narrative.

1) Tweak the plot.

You can raise the stakes by tweaking your plot. It doesn’t have to be a major restructuring of the story. It might be adding one element that suddenly makes the mission more critical.

Perhaps your protagonist needs to find a lost locket that belonged to her grandmother. Your character is very sentimental about the locket, and she really wants to get it back.

But what if that locket contains the only copy of a family recipe that may be lost forever? Now the stakes are higher, and your reader is more likely to be hooked.

2) Add a character flaw.

Another way to raise the stakes is to make sure your protagonist is flawed. They can’t always know the right answer, and they can’t be depended upon to do the right thing in every circumstance. If you embed a character flaw early in your character development, you can use it to raise the stakes when conflict comes along.

For example, perhaps your protagonist is a detective with a fear of heights. She could have nabbed the suspect early on, but she allowed her phobia to get in the way. Later, she will need to overcome this fear in order to ensure that justice is finally served. Her fear of heights raises the tension, and therefore, it raises the stakes.

3) Set a time limit.

Another way to raise the stakes is to set a time limit. Most of us can recall the anxiety produced by timed tests in school. Tap into that feeling by giving your protagonist a time limit in which the goal must be achieved.

Think about that character who is trying to save the world from evil forces. The stakes are already pretty high, but you can dial up the tension with a time limit and make the stakes even higher.

If your character is trying to intercede and stop dark forces from taking over the world, an open-ended time frame is not going to put much pressure on them. However, if a mind-controlling gas is set to be released in 24 hours, suddenly, your protagonist is under pressure, and the stakes have risen dramatically.

4) Increase the conflict.

You have a major goal that your character is trying to achieve, but of course, there would be no story if they don’t face some conflict along the way. Take a look at the obstacles your protagonist must overcome in order to achieve the goal.

For example, let’s consider the lost locket. Maybe someone found a locket and agreed to meet your protagonist at a specified time and place. Your protagonist is delayed by a traffic accident and is unable to make the meeting. Now it seems all hope may be lost, or in other words, the stakes just got higher.

Look for ways to increase conflict along your protagonist’s journey, and you’re sure to raise the stakes.

Try it out.

Okay, it’s time to take out that Work-in-Progress, and write a one-sentence statement to identify the stakes. And if you determine that the stakes might not be high enough to hook the reader and keep them turning pages, try out some strategies that will help you raise the stakes.