High-Stakes Writing

With the Powerball lottery now up to like a bajillion dollars (half a bajillion after taxes), most people who don't have that kind of money have occasionally entertained the thought, "What would I do with that kind of cash?" This is always a fun flight of fancy, and we go over the usual things - big house, give to charities, pay off friends' debts, etc. This is something everyone can relate to, but would it make an interesting story? Chances are it would not - at least not in this form. The reason is pretty simple, but perhaps not obvious.

When me and my friends were teenagers, some of us would write stories involving someone who was given great powers - money, strength, whatever - and they would go and right the wrongs of the world. They'd face a lot of adversities, and ultimately triumph. It was excellent writing practice, and even provided a challenge to new writers. However, these stories, at their core, were weak (or at least mine were). They had the hero, the obstacle, the conflict, the conclusion - what more could you want in a story, right? Well, if you haven't figured it out, there was one thing missing - the stakes at hand.

In our story of someone winning the lottery, following their madcap adventures as they spend all that cash might be fun but it's kind of empty at the end. Where a story takes flight is when the writer shows what's at stake for the main character. The character should have to make choices and face consequences for those decisions. Win the lottery? Interesting premise - but now highlight the challenges that bajillionaire must face: Do they go public? If so, what complications arise from their newfound public persona? If they want to keep it on the DL, how do they do the things they really want? Do they trust an inner circle to know this secret? How many friends hit him up for cash, or assume they'll be taken care of? What strains are placed on those friendships now that money is flooding the scene?

It might sound like raising the stakes in these stories makes things unnecessarily complicated. Why can't a person just get a big pile of money and be happy? Well, they can, but it doesn't make very gripping reading. A reader will get involved with the character when they see them making decisions - perhaps even forced to do so - that have severe consequences regardless of whether they choose the right thing. The reader might ask themselves what they would do in that situation, or what anyone would do, and compare the character's choices and outcomes to how they feel life works. There should be a constant sense of engagement between character and reader through this decision process, and it gets better the more the writer raises the stakes. 

Now sometimes, we just like to play around with an idea and write it down for fun. That's fine - go at it. But when a writer approaches an audience with an idea, make sure the reader gets invested in its progress and outcome. Raise the stakes as the reader works through the piece, and they'll stay in the game until the last page.

Now I am off to buy a Powerball ticket. I do not yet have a bajillion dollars, so this would be a great way to get it (half a bajillion after taxes).