Tip Sheet: The Stakes of Storytelling

The risks your main characters face will propel both them and the readers into the story. Here's how to take your characters to the edge.

Today, I’m sharing some craft information that took me years to grasp. I realized I was naturally using this technique in storytelling, but I couldn’t explain what it was or why it worked. And because I couldn’t define it, I struggled to shape it in my stories.

As is my nature, I made the whole practice of adding “stakes” to a story more difficult than it needed to be.

So, I thought I’d break down the concept with you here, just like I did for myself when I was trying to figure it out.