Upping the Stakes

Bondi Beach Report: Cloud, rain, little swell, nothing to see here, move along.
Listening to: The appropriately titled Rainydayz Remixes by AmpLive (of Radiohead's In Rainbows)
Writing Status: Wandering, coming up with a plan.


My writing status today says it all. I have a support character I really like. I want him to facilitate a few key plot point as well, so I like him even more - he's useful as well as affable. I want to take him all the way on my protagonist's adventure. I want them to become fast friends, because I want to be friends with him. The problem is that he's not integral to the story right now. He doesn't increase the stakes.


This brings me to my point. How does one increase the stakes?


It is not my intention to describe what stakes are. We should know this already as living breathing conscious humans. Stakes are simply what a character's got on the line: what he/she may win or lose.


As writers we want to write about interesting characters. We need to invest them with desires. Ever met someone without any interests or desires? That's right, they're boring as bat-shit. We sort of feel for them - at least I do - but I do not really want to join them on their day's journey. I couldn't think of anything worse. So why would I want to read about a similar character - a guy/girl who doesn't want anything?


When you meet someone and you ask 'what's news?' and they tell you they are embroiled in a court case, are in the middle of a potential relationship breakdown, have lost a prized possession, are negotiating a publishing  contract, any of these things, you are probably going to be a little interested. Something is on the line.


But that's not enough. You figure everything will work out, or perhaps you don't really empathize as mcuh as you could. That's how we're wired, at least when it comes to the plight of another (I would argue a typical person's neurosis makes them ever more so cynical about their own circumstance). We have to make an effort to be more compassionate, empathetic, caring, all these things. To some it might come naturally but in my experience these people are the exception rather than the rule (and beware the dreaded people pleasers - their empathy may not be what it seems).


Instead of relying on the reader to make and effort to care, the writer must do that for them. That involves upping the stakes.


What if, in the case of the missing prized possession used as an example above, it was a possession that was crucial to the protagonist's existence. What if the possession (to use a well-worn example) was a briefcase full of money. The character, like most of us, is partial to lots of money, so he/she certainly wants that briefcase back. Ok, so I am a little interested now. I'd read that article in the newspaper, before flicking to the sports section.


Attach that briefcase with the character's strong desire though, such as he/she needs to deliver it to a street gang or forfeit his life and I'm now more interested. The stakes have been increased.


What if the briefcase has been stolen by a rival gang. What if this rival gang are going to use the money to hire more thugs who they intend on moving into the main character's neighbourhood, placing more pressure on his business to make protection payments. Now the main character really wants the briefcase. If he manages to avoid being killed he's still going to be under pressure.


Now that's all well and good, we know what's going on here. It's a relatively familiar tale. It's passable. I'll read that. But what's going to make this great? Elevated stakes of course. How do you take that even further?


One way would be to invest in the predicament: raise a moral dilemma:


If the main character gets the money back he/she will have to give it to the street gang. They're going to use it to buy more drugs and entrench more innocent victims in drug abuse, like his addicted mother. So he/she may save his life but he'll entrench his/her beloved mother into her addiction, and others like her as well.


The other way to raise the stakes is the obvious one: throw tension and stress at your character in the form of opposition. Make it difficult for him/her to achieve their goal. (The rival gang stealing the briefcase is an example of this). The gang that captures his mother now threatens her life: if he/she doesn't get the money back to them the gang will kill her. His/her main opponent has put even more pressure on the protagonist - the stakes have been raised.


Now I'm a lot more interested in the contents of that briefcase and how the main character is going to get it back, and that's not even allowing for good writing! And that involves, for one, a decent sequence of events in the form of scenes. The set-up scenes, complications, then the pay-off, ensuring there is some resolution to the predicament. Then we raise another stake, then another, and another until we reach the final resolution.