The Highest Stakes
Posted by annastan on August 14th, 2009. Filed under: Books, Craft, Writing Rants.So often writers are told to “raise the stakes” in their stories, but sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what that means. As I was reading The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams last week, I realized that the story is a perfect example of how high stakes can pull you right into a story.
In the first chapter we learn that Kyra, the main character, has been chosen to marry a much older man who repulses her. The minute we learn this information, we know Kyra’s life can never be the same. If she marries this man, she’ll have to leave her family and face a lifetime of misery. If she refuses to marry him or if she tries to run away, she will put herself and her entire family in danger. There is no “right” answer and there’s no way she can ever go back to her previous life. This, to me, is the essence of high stakes.
When the character is faced with a conflict she doesn’t know how to solve, it’s almost unavoidable that she’ll have to give up something of great importance to her. This is why books with high stakes are so engaging, because you know that in order for there to be a resolution, a lot of difficult (almost impossible) choices have to be made. That’s why when the stakes are at their highest, the audience is at its most rapt.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I couldn’t put THE CHOSEN ONE down. It had me hooked from the first word, and I think you nailed it as being such high stakes. And when innocent children are involved, the stakes always seem so much higher.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:25 am
You’re absolutely right about the stakes being higher with innocent children in the picture. Kyra’s struggle was so great because we knew it affected not only her, but her siblings as well. I’ve been recommending this book to everyone I know!