Tag: stakes

6 Questions to Make Sure Your Story Has Stakes

Once upon a time I was working on a revamped novel idea – a fun, scary, action-packed revenge story. It was going to be great. I was feeling especially confident after reading this blog: “Why Revenge is Such a Brilliant Plot for Beginner Writers.” I pictured myself pounding out this simple revenge story while my other …
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F is for False Stakes

Let’s face it, space is a risky business. I always considered every launch a barely controlled explosion. — Aaron Cohen, NASA Administrator Before writing this post, I Googled “false stakes” to see what other people had written on the subject and found… nothing! Not a single article or blog post on false stakes of the non-vampire …
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Death: The Highest Stake for a Writer

I’m postponing the next installment on my series, Fiction as Art, as we’ve embarked on a Halloween themed week.  The Grim Reaper broke into my house on a frigid January night  when I was five and stole the body and perhaps the soul of my four-year-old brother. I had no understanding of death at such …
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Screenwriter Tips for Novelists: 3 Things that Keep Your Story on the Road (not the Goat Path)

Last week I talked about Mapping the Mushy Middle of a story so that your characters don’t get waylaid on some meandering goat path of grass-eating boredom before finally arriving in Act III. Or worse, get stuck in the swamp and never reach The End! It comes down to knowing your destinations in Act II: …
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