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I would bet that everyone who writes fiction has some basic rules that they follow. Probably, a lot of them are rules learned from courses or instructional books on writing. At least a few of them will be something the writer came up with themselves. Some might even be unconscious or at least unvoiced directives.

I have a few rules for myself. They are simple things. Rules with lots of room in the margins. Here is a very short list.

The only grammar rule is clarity. Characters can get into trouble by accident, but they have to get out of trouble on purpose. Stakes are always personal.

I think the first two rules are fairly self explanatory. You could run any collection of words, use any punctuation, even modify spelling, but as long as your intentions are clear to the reader and it conveys the story you are intending to tell in the way you are trying to tell it, you’re good. Anyone who thinks that intentionally breaking grammar ‘rules’ is wrong, is a pedant who wouldn’t enjoy your story anyway. Shakespeare would have ignored them, and you can too.

The second one, I won’t get too much into. You know accidental solutions when you see them, and it never makes a story better.

The third one, I think needs some explanation, because I don’t think that people fully understand the concept of stakes.

Stakes in a story are not ‘the world could end’, ‘the universe is in danger’, or ‘someone could die”. None of those are stakes. They are plot. They are the answer to ‘what is happening in this story?’, not ‘why should I care?‘. Or, more important, why does a character in my story care, and why do I empathize with them. Stakes are about empathy.

You read a lot about things like superhero fatigue or that people find action movies boring. Often, they will often follow with, ‘If the audience knows the hero will succeed, there are no stakes’ , or that the stakes don’t feel realistic so they are taken out of the story. Of course it’s always painfully easy to point out exceptions, superhero movies that those same people enjoy, action movies that get them excited. Stakes are not about levels of danger, they are about empathy.

This is why the last rule on my list is there. Stakes are always personal. Stakes are not about the external events that put pressure on the protagonist. They are about the way the protagonist feels about them. They are not about the external people and things they could stand to lose. Stakes are about the parts of the character that could break as a result of those losses. The parts of their heart that couldn’t bear that level of suffering. Stakes are about burden. As an audience, we have to feel that burden too. Stakes are always personal, and stakes are about empathy.

So the next time you watch a show or read a book that leaves you feeling flat or unsatisfied, think about the stakes. Did they drive you to empathize with the protagonist. Did you feel what they feel. Did the writer make it matter to you. I think you will find, most attempts at stakes were only plot. They were an excuse for the action. They weren’t stakes at all. They weren’t personal.

If you really look at your favorite moments in any story I would guess that most of them don’t hinge on mortal danger. The risk isn’t life and limb. That can all be present, but the stakes will be emotional. If the hero survives this without saving the world, will they be able to live with themselves. Maybe it’s just a conversation. Is there something significant and personal to lose. Love, status, sense of self worth. Those are personal. Those are stakes.

When you write, make the stakes personal.

This post is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 by the author.