DCosta - how to use story stakes to transform readers into raving fans

Story Stakes

How to Use Story Stakes to Transform Readers into Raving Fans & Keep Them Turning the Pages of Your Screenplay or Novel

Kindle Edition, v 1.0

H.R. DCosta, Copyright 2014

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Story Structure Made Simple

Introduction

Youre a writer. You know the dream.

It goes something like this:

Sell your screenplay for six figures or write a bestselling novel

tell your boss, From now on, you can get your own coffee

take a much-deserved vacation, to Paris, or perhaps to Hawaii, and

when you finally return home, make a living through your writing.

Lost in these fantasies, its easy to lose sight of one basic truth: it all starts with one reader .

How does that big spec sale happen? How does one book enjoy massive sales?

First, someone becomes so captivated by your story, he cant put it down. He keeps turning the pages, faster and faster, till hes reached the very end.

Second, once this reader has finished reading your screenplay or novel, he doesnt promptly reach for the next story in his stack of unread scripts or books.

Nope.

Before beginning his next reading adventure, he passionately recommends your story to everyone he knows.

His boss, his colleagues, his friends, his niece, his grandma, to all of them, his message is the same:

Read this screenplay. Watch this movie. Buy this book.

Master story stakes and you will accomplish both goals in one fell swoop.

Writers often believe that readers will keep on turning the pages because they like the protagonist, or think that hes cool.

But thats a big mistake.

Theyre not going to spend hours with James Bond while he sips one of his signature martinis just because hes a badass.

Theyre not going to hang out with Jerry Maguire while he feeds his goldfish just because hes found his conscience.

Theyre not going to stick around with Erin Brockovich while she gets a manicure just because shes funny and feisty.

I know, I know. These scenarios are boring. I made them that way to drive home my point.

But even if you jazz up these scenes with more exciting genre elementsthrills, action, romance, humor, or dramaits still not enough to keep audiences interested.

They need something more than just fun. They need something more than just entertainment. They need a reason to care about what happens in your story.

This is where story stakes come in.

They make readers wonder if your hero will succeed or fail at his goal.

Its a whole new ball game.

Now, your readers are going to be worried about him. Now, theyre under tension. Finishing your script or novel is no longer optional for them. Its mandatory .

Thats because the ONLY way to relieve that tension is to keep on turning the pages till they reach the end.

They cant check their voicemail or wash their dishes or fold their laundry or even go to sleep.

They MUST keep reading (or watching).

They need to discover how Bond saves the world, how Jerry wins the girl, and if Erin brings justice to a small town.

To put it another way, likeability (or coolness, etc) may get your readers in the door, but stakes are why they stay for supper .

Even if youve included nail-biting stakes in your story, youre not home-free yet. Thats only the first step. Youve still got to get readers raving about your screenplay or novel.

To do this, you need to understand one simple little thing: readers become passionate about the stories that give them the most intense emotional experience .

Look at TAKEN, for instance. Kidnapping plots are hardly unique. Yet, this film blew away the competition and became a blockbuster success. How?

The filmmakers took the basic premise, which was emotionally-charged to begin with, and amplified its intensity. They made audiences root even harder for the heros success.

At first, this may seem impossible. Bryan was trying to rescue his daughter from a prostitution ring. This is a high-stake situation. How could audiences be even more invested in its outcome?

Through story stakes, thats how.

If you know how to use stakes wisely, you can easily craft stories which bring readers to the emotional edgeand thus stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Master stakes, and the storytelling world could be your oyster.

So, what will you specifically learn from this book? It will teach you about:

11 Types of Story Stakes Which Increase Tension and Reader Engagement

Some of them you already know. A few will be new. At the very least, youll have a convenient list to check the next time you need a new reason for your hero to save the world or trick the heroine.

Plus, well cover best practices. That way, youll get the most mileage out of the stakes you choose to include in your story.

8 Modulating Factors Which Affect the Emotional Impact of the Stakes

Think of modulating factors like the knobs on your stereo system or the buttons on your mp3 player. They can either turn up the emotional volume, orthey can mute it.

To put it another way, through modulating factors, audiences will feel more (or less) intensely about the same set of story stakes .

Oftentimes, modulating factors are the secret to wringing out that extra drop of emotion which will give your story an advantage over others in its genre.

The Story Stake Matrix

This is where we put everything together. Its a tool which will show you:

• how to use stakes to craft a premise with more commercial appeal
• how to raise the stakes (even when theyre already high)
• how to avoid an anticlimactic ending

Lets focus on that second benefit for a minute.

Several writing guides will tell you that to keep readers interested, youve got to raise the stakes. But, these books are frustratingly vague on how to accomplish this.

This book is not vague. This book will give you specific strategies you can use right away to make high stakes feel even higher.

Sounds good, right?

But before we continue, you should be aware of the following:

1) Unless otherwise indicated, the tips in this book apply equally to screenplays and novels.

Despite this, I primarily use film examples to illustrate my points. Thats because movies are more universal.

Chances are higher that youve watched, rather than read, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

Even if youre a romance buff, its more likely youve rented THE PROPOSAL than skimmed a novel entitled Andrew and Margarets Fake Engagement .

2) Ive done my best to pull examples from a variety of genres. But, Ill admit, there is a slant towards stories which include action, mystery, and thrills (including hybrids like action comedies, sci-fi thrillers, and romantic suspense).

That being said, Ive included several examples from comedies and romantic comedies. Additionally, there is a special section with tips just for romance novelists.

Oh, of course, using lots of examples means there are some spoilers too.

3) This guide focuses on a) the stakes associated with your protagonists overall goal and b) how to use them to increase tension and emotion.

However, stakes can be used for other purposes. Ill discuss five of them in a special bonus chapter at the end of the book.

4) I analyze movies using three-act structure. You might not like using three-act structure. Regardless, you can benefit from this writing guide.

Just think of Act One as the beginning, Act Two as the middle, and Act Three as the end of your story.

Sometimes, Ill refer to the end of the second act as the heros trough of hell. This is my term for the setbacks he experiences prior to the climax. You might call this plot point the all is lost moment. Theyre the same.

5) Im an outliner, or a plotter. This writing guide has been pretty much written from that point of view. Its going to be a lot easier to incorporate a particular modulating factor, for instance, when your storys in outline form.