Writing Tip of the Week: Conflict & Stakes
Over the last several posts, we’ve discussed conflict and its importance in a story. One way to escalate conflict in a story is to raise the stakes for the main character and increase the difficulty of their journey.
Let’s talk about it!
What will the main character lose if they fail to reach their goal? This is what’s “at stake” for the main character as the central conflict shifts into gear. Even with what’s at stake established, the main character will have to deal with several conflicts and problems that often lead to increased stakes and make their journey even more of a challenge.
It’s not enough that they have one problem to solve; they must also deal with opposing forces that continually prevent them from getting where they need to go. Every move and decision leads to a new problem or conflict, and these only lead to higher stakes for the main character, which either makes them more determined to fight or question if they should give up.
Nothing should ever be easy for the main character. They must constantly push through problems and difficult situations as they seek their goal. Even when they think they have a chance to achieve their goal, the rug should be yanked out from under them, tossing them back into the conflict and increasing the stakes once again.
If you raise the stakes, you ratchet up the tension, keeping the conflict alive and the energy running through the story. If you’ve ever watched a movie or read a book that has kept your attention until it’s over and you collapse in an exhausted heap when it ends, the stakes in that story were likely high enough to keep you fully engaged.
A great example of escalating stakes is the movie Speed. While it’s a basic premise – if the bus goes below 55 miles per hour, it will explode – the levels of conflict, tension, and how the stakes are raised throughout the film keep us watching. So many obstacles and problems are thrown at our hero, Jack, that it’s hard to breathe as the story escalates to its climactic finale. If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend watching and observing how the filmmakers keep upping the stakes as the story unfolds.
It's also important to layer stakes for the hero to fight against. Having them deal with one issue at a time can become repetitive, but having many problems thrown at them simultaneously keeps them active and the audience interested. How will they deal with all these problems? What will get resolved first? Will all these stakes be enough to break the main character and make them give up, or will they find the strength to keep fighting?
Giving your hero something to lose if they don’t reach their goal establishes what’s “at stake” for them as the story begins. As the story unfolds, escalating the conflict and the stakes for the main character increases the suspense and tension, and keeps the reader or viewer engaged with the story as the main character fights to achieve what they’ve set out to do.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
More conflict-based posts are on the way, all throughout the month of May!
Let’s talk about it!
What will the main character lose if they fail to reach their goal? This is what’s “at stake” for the main character as the central conflict shifts into gear. Even with what’s at stake established, the main character will have to deal with several conflicts and problems that often lead to increased stakes and make their journey even more of a challenge.
It’s not enough that they have one problem to solve; they must also deal with opposing forces that continually prevent them from getting where they need to go. Every move and decision leads to a new problem or conflict, and these only lead to higher stakes for the main character, which either makes them more determined to fight or question if they should give up.
Nothing should ever be easy for the main character. They must constantly push through problems and difficult situations as they seek their goal. Even when they think they have a chance to achieve their goal, the rug should be yanked out from under them, tossing them back into the conflict and increasing the stakes once again.
If you raise the stakes, you ratchet up the tension, keeping the conflict alive and the energy running through the story. If you’ve ever watched a movie or read a book that has kept your attention until it’s over and you collapse in an exhausted heap when it ends, the stakes in that story were likely high enough to keep you fully engaged.
A great example of escalating stakes is the movie Speed. While it’s a basic premise – if the bus goes below 55 miles per hour, it will explode – the levels of conflict, tension, and how the stakes are raised throughout the film keep us watching. So many obstacles and problems are thrown at our hero, Jack, that it’s hard to breathe as the story escalates to its climactic finale. If you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend watching and observing how the filmmakers keep upping the stakes as the story unfolds.
It's also important to layer stakes for the hero to fight against. Having them deal with one issue at a time can become repetitive, but having many problems thrown at them simultaneously keeps them active and the audience interested. How will they deal with all these problems? What will get resolved first? Will all these stakes be enough to break the main character and make them give up, or will they find the strength to keep fighting?
Giving your hero something to lose if they don’t reach their goal establishes what’s “at stake” for them as the story begins. As the story unfolds, escalating the conflict and the stakes for the main character increases the suspense and tension, and keeps the reader or viewer engaged with the story as the main character fights to achieve what they’ve set out to do.
Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!
More conflict-based posts are on the way, all throughout the month of May!
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