By:
C. S. Lakin
We’re
looking at conflict in our fiction, and last
week I touched a bit on this essential “corner pillar” of novel construction.
Conflict is crucial to having a compelling story, for if our hero has no
obstacles as he tries to reach his goal, the story will be bor-ing. What would The
Wizard of Oz be like if, once Dorothy arrived in the Land of Oz, she
had only to take a walk in the park without incident to arrive back in Kansas?
Well, there wouldn’t be a story, and story is everything.
So
I’ll assume we’re in agreement that we need conflict in our novels. I talked last weekabout some
different types of classic scenarios that pit man against other forces
(opposition), and how conflict doesn’t necessarily imply a bad guy or
antagonist blocking your hero’s way. But what conflict should do
is present high stakes for him.
The
Truth about High Stakes
So
just what are stakes? Stakes come in two forms. You may or may not have heard
the terms “public stakes” and “personal stakes,” but those are, in a nutshell,
the two types of stakes at play in a story. Public stakes affect the world at
large (in your story). They are stakes that affect others besides your
character.
The
best stories, in my opinion, are the ones that have both public and personal
stakes in spades. And I’ll even say the stories in which the personal stakes
are the highest are the better stories. I’ll explain why in a moment.
Stakes
are what is at risk for your character. In general, stakes can be for gain or
loss. Characters make choices and initiate action as they go after their goal,
and every choice and action should have something at stake—something to gain or
lose.
You
might assume high stakes (big risks, big losses) only come into play in genres
like international thrillers or action/adventure novels, but I disagree. Any
story, however small scale and personal, can present huge stakes and huge
consequences.
How
can that be? Because it’s all about the
character and her goal.
.
. .
Read the full article HERE!
~*~
If
you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they
are again:
- The Subplot - Not Second Place, but Side by Side - Writers Write http://ow.ly/zgo8I
- Should Secondary Characters Change? http://ow.ly/zgojd
- Written Words: Microsoft Word versus Apple Pages—A comparative review http://ow.ly/zgorm
- How to Write the Perfect First Page: Part II http://ow.ly/zgoxE
- Screenplay Structure: The Five Plot Points - YouTube http://ow.ly/zgoEg
- The Rise of Crowdfunding and How to Produce Your Next Project - The Script Lab http://ow.ly/zgqtH
- All Character, No Plot http://ow.ly/zgqDB
- Fiction University: The Key to Creating Suspense Is... http://ow.ly/zgqIq
- Is Honesty the Most Important Trait in a Likable Character? - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/zgqLw
- 45 ways to avoid using the word 'very' - Writers Write http://ow.ly/zgqWE
- Karen Woodward: Crafting Interesting Characters http://ow.ly/zgr0M
- The Secret to Crafting High Stakes | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/zgr5C
- Writing Fast and Slow: Creative Writing Lessons from Daniel Kahneman http://ow.ly/zgr9a
- Words and Such: Revision's Mountain and More http://ow.ly/zgrdY
- 6 Fixes For Repetitive Writing | Grammarly http://ow.ly/zgrjK
- Can an Author Co-Op Work For You? | Wise Ink's Blog for Indie Authors about Self-Publishing http://ow.ly/zgrVH
- What is the Shelf Life of Your Social Media? | The Violet Femmes http://ow.ly/zgsbA
- What You Need To Sell More Books -- Basic Overview http://ow.ly/zgsWA
- Southern Writers - Suite T: Publishing Here’s the Deal http://ow.ly/zgtpy
- July 2014 Author Earnings Report – Author Earnings http://ow.ly/zhcVp
- Mythcreants » The Pros and Cons of the Learn by Doing Method http://ow.ly/zgtxV
- How to Get More Leads With Creative Social Tactics | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/zgtBR
- 5 Subtle Writing Strategies That Drive Email Signups - Copyblogger http://ow.ly/zgtEW
- It is hard for publishers to apply even Harvard B School advice in their struggle with Amazon | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/zgtNp
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