High stakes can also be the survival of a character or a group. Take 'A Song of Ice and Fire' as an example. The Starks are constantly in danger of being wiped out. Their family's honor, lives, and the future of their house are all at stake, which drives the complex and thrilling plot.
High stakes make the story more exciting. Readers are more engaged when they know that the consequences are huge. For instance, if a hero fails to save the princess in a high - stakes situation, it's not just about the two characters but could lead to a war or the end of a kingdom.
You can create stakes by putting the characters in situations where they have a lot to lose. Maybe it's their life, their relationships, or something they deeply care about.
You can introduce higher consequences for the characters' actions or raise the level of difficulty they face. Maybe have a time limit or a more powerful antagonist.
One way to do it is to increase the potential loss for the protagonist. For example, they could lose something dear to them or face a threat that affects not only them but also the people they care about. Another approach is to set a time limit or add more powerful antagonists.
You can raise stakes by introducing higher consequences for the characters. Make their goals more difficult to achieve or put more at risk for failure.
You can raise the stakes by introducing time limits or unexpected obstacles. Maybe the hero has only a short time to achieve their goal, or a new enemy shows up that makes the situation much harder.
Tension - filled narrative. This term emphasizes the presence of high - stakes situations that create a lot of tension, much like in a suspense novel. For example, in a story where a character's life is constantly in danger, the narrative is filled with tension, similar to what we expect in a suspense piece.
Story stakes add depth to characters. When characters have something important at stake, like their reputation in a small town in a Faulkner novel, we understand them better. We see their values and how far they'll go to protect or achieve what's at stake. It also helps in developing the plot as the characters' actions to meet or avoid the stakes drive the story forward.
The stakes drive the plot forward. High stakes create tension. For instance, if a character's life is in danger in a literary work, it forces the character to take action, which in turn moves the story along.