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That’s what makes the reader care about the protagonist’s goals—because of what’s at
Instead, there are three types of stakes in play, each of which engages the reader in a
So, what are these three types, and how can you incorporate them into your own stories?
This article will explain the three levels of stakes, discuss some examples from literature, and give you
You can figure out the stakes of a story by asking this question: What’s at risk
If there’s nothing at stake in a story, the reader has no reason to care about
For example, imagine reading a story about a man whose car has broken down in the middle
How much do you care about finding out what happens next? The answer depends on what’s
On the other hand, if he’s driving to the hospital for the imminent birth of his
In the second scenario, he could potentially miss out on the moment he becomes a father
What the protagonist has to lose—in other words, the stakes of the story—makes the second
The greatest stories give the protagonist something to lose on three different levels
Public stakes, also called external stakes, are the most obvious level of stakes
It’s the direct consequence of the protagonist failing to achieve their story goals
In a sports story, it’s the risk of losing the big game, which would affect the
In a war story, it’s the risk of losing the war, which would affect the whole
For example, imagine a superhero who’s trying to stop a supervillain from detonating a bomb that
Sometimes the protagonist has something to lose that matters only to themselves, or sometimes to themselves and
Personal stakes are also known as internal stakes, emotional stakes, or relationship stakes
This level of stakes usually involves the protagonist’s internal feelings about a single person, such as
Her father’s disappointment wouldn’t affect anyone else, but it probably matters a lot to her—
Often, personal stakes can grab readers’ attention and sympathy even better than public stakes
As an example, let’s return to the story of the superhero who’s trying to stop
So far, the reader might not be very invested in whether the superhero wins, since losing only
You can create philosophical stakes by establishing two different value systems in the story and letting them
In a family drama where a daring teenager rebels against her overprotective parents, the competing values might
If the teenager ends up accepting her parents’ point of view, she could lose her belief that
In a war story between two countries with different political systems, the competing values might be democracy
Perhaps the superhero believes that human life is sacred and deserves to be protected, while the villain
Crafting three levels of stakes for every story might sound like a lot of work, but it’
That’s because each type of stake engages the reader in a different way:
When one level is missing, the story can feel overly simplistic
When these three levels work together, they create a deeply impactful story that will keep readers turning
Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who constructs a sentient monster, condemning it to
You might see the monster as the protagonist and Victor as the antagonist, or Victor as the
Each of these two characters has a different set of stakes since Victor and the monster are
Public stakes: The monster could lose his life since many people see him as an aberration and
Philosophical stakes: The monster risks proving society right about the idea that he’s a dangerous abomination
Pride and Prejudice is a classic English novel that critiques British society at the end of the
The protagonist is Elizabeth Bennet, whose initial relationship with Mr
Personal stakes: Elizabeth risks losing her pride by accepting Darcy’s proposal because she believes Darcy looks
1984 depicts a society ruled by Big Brother, a totalitarian regime that controls everything their citizens think, say,
The protagonist is a man named Winston Smith, who feels frustrated by the oppression of Big Brother
Public stakes: Winston risks losing his life, as well as the lives of everyone else involved in
Philosophical stakes: Winston risks losing his beliefs in individuality, love, and free thought
Instead, choose stakes that can all be achieved with the same plot goals
For example, if the main character’s primary story goal is to negotiate a treaty with aliens,
Maybe they negotiate the treaty for the public stakes, fall in love with an alien for the
Otherwise, even the most exciting stakes would get stale after a while
Perhaps the villain only threatens a single hostage at first and only later threatens the entire city
Every major plot twist should make the stakes feel even higher until everything reaches a boiling point
At the end of the story, make sure all three levels of stakes are resolved
Keep in mind that the answer doesn’t have to be the same for all three stakes
For example, Batman in The Dark Knight Rises saves Gotham and proves the Joker wrong but fails
In other stories, the protagonist wins the personal and philosophical stakes but loses the public one
Picture Rocky in Rocky, who professes love to his girlfriend and sticks to his values but loses
The important thing is to make sure the reader knows which levels were won and which ones