the craft. raising the stakes.
Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash
When I’m on the edge of my seat because Tina Snow is giving Lil Murda all the flavor in front of Uncle Clifford, it’s because I know the stakes. Lil Murda can’t be exposed in his world as a man that likes other men. But he also doesn’t want to blow up what he’s built with Uncle Clifford. This builds tension. Tension and stakes are necessary in any story if you want it to be interesting. Sorry kids if you’re not a fan of P-Valley.
Maybe your story is not about a hole in the wall strip club in Mississippi, but whatever your story is about, your main character needs stakes.
I loved that in our masterclass this past weekend, Gwen Valerius talked about character being integral to plot. So often we think of these story elements in separate spaces, but they are so intertwined. When we know what’s at stake for a character, it drives the plot.
As you're working on your own stories, you may find yourself getting the feedback that you need to raise the stakes and it’s probably true. We grow to love our main characters and can sometimes walk on the safe side but we honestly need to be putting them through the ringer.
When we talk about the stakes for a character, it’s most simply, what do they have to gain or lose? In Good Morning, Love, Carli was concerned about losing her reputation, losing herself, and more importantly losing her job. When it came to navigating a budding relationship with Tau, this was what was at stake for her.
But the stakes also have to matter. Carli did have bigger dreams than her job. So it could have been easy for that to fall flat. However, she was good at her job, with a great mentor, and living in one of the most expensive cities in the country. She needed the job. If she was a trust fund kid working for fun, making her job as one of the stakes wouldn’t make any sense. What would she really be losing?
When you’re thinking about developing stakes for your character, there are a few things you can consider. Is it a physical stake? I mean honestly, the heaviest stake is life or death. If your character doesn’t achieve their goal, might they be in physical danger?
You can also think about it from a place of discovery. If your character achieves their goal, will they find themselves in a place of discovery or enlightenment? Maybe they’re faced with an impossible choice, their wife or their child. Or their dignity or freedom is at stake. I’m sure you could keep adding to this list of things that can be at stake for your character.
Something else that was at stake for Carli was her friendships. She was so busy lying and trying to keep things under wraps, that she was jeopardizing the trust in her closest friendships.
When we look at escalating the stakes. It’s this idea that there are personal stakes in a story but also bigger societal implications. If the Avengers don’t stop Thanos, it’s not just about them, the entire world is at stake. When you think about your main character, is there a way that their personal stakes affect the larger picture? Again, in Good Morning, Love, Carli was worried about her personal reputation, but she was also worried about the general perception of how women are viewed in the music industry.
Once you have some worthwhile stakes, you want to ask yourself, how can I make things worse! Yes, being a writer is a little maniacal at times. Here, we can add elements that increase the pressure on a character. Continuing with GML as an example. Time was a major piece of the story. Tau was only in town for a month. So it didn’t leave a lot of time for Carli to go back and forth on what she wanted. Is your main character in a time crunch? Have they lost an important ally? Did an important opportunity fall through? All these things create obstacles for your character which results in tension and heightening the stakes.
The stakes are what keep you up until 4 a.m. flipping pages because you just had to know what happened next. And those are some of the best stories, aren’t they? I can’t wait until next Sunday to see how it all shakes out at The Pynk!
Writing/Job Opportunities
Amy Rose Spiegel is the new US Editorial Director for Vice and looking for life and culture stories. amyrose.spiegel@vice.com.
XXL is looking for freelance music writers. Send resumes and clips to Kemet@xxlmag.com.
Tufayel Ahmed is looking for freelance entertainment writers for This is Insider. You can find his guide for pitching here. You can add your name to their roster of freelance writers as well.
Mic is accepting pitches for their life/identity sections. Emma Serran is looking for both features & timely stories that can be turned around rather quickly. Rates vary depending on experience, but start around $400 for essays & go up from there. Send pitches to emma.sarran@bustle.com. Mic pitch guide can be found here.
Alt Press is hiring a music & culture editor who has a passion for alternative music & culture who will help write, edit & assign stories & manage freelancers. 3-5 years exp; Salary is $65K/year. Email your cover letter/resume to ilana@altpress.com.
Mic is also hiring a part-time lifestyle writer.
The Rumpus is accepting submissions for original fiction. (Aug. 31)
Slate is hiring an Associate Writer, Culture.
Lonely Planet is looking for contributors.
New York Focus is hiring a Managing Editor.
To Be Read
Romantic Comedy: Please Go to Therapy
Additional Resources