A couple of weeks ago, I shared ideas about stakes versus conflict and the importance of making stakes and conflict both high and riveting. I also shared examples of pretexts that no one would care to read. Here is one: Reginald just bought a private jet; but the air traffic controllers have gone on strike, meaning he will have to delay his vacation in Paris.  Believe it or not, after I wrote the …

Recently, an author asked me about stakes versus conflict in a novel, and so I thought this blog post might be beneficial. “Stakes” means what is at risk, what will happen, or what will be lost if the character doesn’t meet certain goals. Stakes are presented to make the reader care about the protagonist meeting a major goal. If stakes are low, it’s hard to maintain reader interest. For example: …

When I run errands, I park in the lot’s equivalent of the North Pole, so my car doesn’t get dinged. I walk quickly, with swagger and purpose. I learned to do this in my twenties under the advice of security types who said women can deter attacks against themselves by adopting this attitude. I stride everywhere, thinking nothing of how far I need to walk. I whip around impediments. When I took care …