By Beth K. Vogt
Do you know what’s at
stake in your novel?
No matter what type of
story you write – romance, suspense, fantasy, women’s fiction – the goal is
always to seize your readers’ attention. To keep them flipping through the
pages, chapter after chapter, ignoring all the other things they need to do.
Ignoring the ticking of the clock. Yes, they’re tired at work or school the
next morning – but they’re also satisfied readers who are telling other people
all about your book.
One key way to engage a
reader is to weave risks for your characters through your story. Think about
your work in progress (WIP) and ask yourself: What is at stake for my
hero and heroine in this story?
If you’re not certain
how to answer that question, consider these three different kinds of stakes:
1. Public: Public stakes involve things we care about as a nation or a
culture. Think alien attacks like in the movie Independence Day or
a toxin that is going to pollute the world’s water like in the movie Sahara.
In Margaret Mitchell’s classic novel Gone with the Wind, the
country is at war – and freedom is a definite Public stake. To begin to
discover a possible Public stake ask: What do I care about?
2. Personal: Personal
stakes involve things – or people – that touch the heart of your hero and/or
heroine in some way. In almost every single super hero movie, from Superman to Ironman,
the love interest of the super hero is threatened. Put Lois Lane or Pepper
Potts in danger? Perfect example of Personal stakes. In the first book in the
Narnia Chronicles, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Edmund’s
life is in danger – albeit because of his own bad choices. His sisters and
brothers, as well as Aslan the Lion, are all concerned about his safety.
3. Private: Private
stakes force your character to choose between two competing values, such as
family and work or honesty and protecting something or someone they care about
by keeping a secret. Doing so creates inner dissonance or turmoil. At the end
of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by C. S. Lewis, the hobbit Frodo has to choose
between what he wants – the ring – and what is best for the
Shire and the whole world – destroying the ring by throwing
it into the fires of Mordor. He has to choose between selfishness and selflessness.
In the classic novel, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Elizabeth
Bennet has to choose between her prejudices against Mr. Darcy and her growing
love for him for a chance at happily ever after.
As a writer, you can
weave one, two, or all three of these stakes into your story. Increase the
number of stakes and you increase tension. Take a closer look at your WIP. Who
knows? Maybe you’ve already woven compelling stakes into your story and didn’t
even realize it.
_____________________________________________________________________
Beth K. Vogt believes
God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A 2015 RITA® Finalist
and a 2015 and 2014 Carol Award finalist, Beth is a contemporary romance
novelist with Howard Books. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of
Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. In 2015 she introduced her
destination wedding series with both an e-novella, Can’t Buy Me Love (May)
and a novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (June). Connect with
Beth; bethvogt.com. Website: http://www.bethvogt.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bethkvogt/?ref=badge
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/beth_vogt/
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