What’s at Stake in Your Novel?
Will he hide his past?
Has she found her sister?
Can they arrive at the headquarters in time?
Did she find out who poisoned Madame Persephone?
The stakes in your novel are different from the motivations of your character. Your character has the motivation to solve a dilemma that they may or may not accomplish.
bet is the consequence of failure. That's why they try and why the story is important to you, to your characters, to your readers.
- Will he hide his past?
bet: If debunked, his child will be taken away from him.
- Has she found her sister?
Bet: Family unit breaks down and past trauma remains unresolved.
- Can they arrive at the headquarters in time?
bet: If they fail, radioactive waves will engulf the East Coast.
- Did she find out who poisoned Madame Persephone?
bet: If she doesn't do this, a crazy killer will attack again.
"I have to do this - but I can't." A powerful story combines things at risk with the same force that prevents the character from achieving his goal. What is
that hinders the protagonist's performance? The protagonist of the story faces a dilemma of personal importance. To meet the challenge, they have to take risks. How your protagonists achieve their goals and face obstacles in the process makes them fun and memorable. Their past history, personal flaws, or fears may all need to be overcome to achieve the goals of your book. This is the hero's journey.
In blockbuster novels, the protagonist's personal interests are often entangled with larger-scale conflicts.
Plots, characters and themes blend into the emotional bets of this book. The reader must be fully focused and concerned with the desired outcome.
Smaller bets
A novel includes bets of size, internal and external. In the first few pages of the book, less important dilemmas will be found, and the risks will continue to increase.
Check the various scenes in your book to see what their stakes are.
Some bets may be completed in the process, and some may not. However, the ending of the novel should somehow solve and solve all loose problems.
Improve bet
maintain awareness of rhythm. As your book reaches its climax, the bets get higher and higher. In the thriller, there may be less elaboration and more action in the second half. (“The time of the conversation is over…”) No matter the stakes of the novel, they are more important now than ever, and readers should be fully committed to the results of the story.
When your characters work hard to achieve their goals, their situation may change, thereby increasing the ante: they are deprived of the problem-solving tools they rely on, the threat is more dangerous or more important than originally thought — possibly even a survival problem — or a timeline changes.
Adding a ticking clock will add suspense. Speaking of which, should you try to write three pages before the end of today? What are the risks?
We would love to know the stakes in your writing. Welcome to leave a message below and share it with us.
Translation and editing: Mannong
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