The last few weeks we’ve been looking at the third corner pillar of novel construction: conflict with high stakes. Conflict is crucial in a novel, and it doesn’t have to come from just one main source or one clearly defined antagonist. We explored the topic of stakes, and looked at how high stakes are measured by the value the protagonist puts on the thing at stake (and this applies to all other characters in your book as well). In essence, the stakes are high if what is being risked is highly valued. These are personal stakes.
Although I haven’t yet gotten into “public” stakes (what is at risk for others in your novel or “the world at large”), just keep in mind that any and all stakes have to concern your hero. If there are going to be large consequences to his choices—ones that affect others on a small interpersonal level, community level, or even global level—he has to care about those repercussions—because the book is essentially about him, his choices, and his goal. Depending on the genre, stakes and their consequences will vary. But a great novel will have conflict and high stakes at its core. Continue Reading…
