Thread by @astarte73

#ammteasers All right hopefuls! I've got some notes to thread on some of your craft questions, and it might turn into one long one, or might need to be split up.

Let's talk STAKES or *what happens if your MC doesn't rise to the challenge you're presenting them with?*
1/15

#ammteasers Sometimes the stakes in a book are clear: "If MC doesn't accomplish X--the world will be destroyed" (or some variation of that theme).
And that's all well and good for some genres, but it is too unwieldy for most stories, so you've got to get micro!
2/15

#ammteasers Whether you pants or plot, you're going to have to weave this stuff into the opening of the book...lay the groundwork so that when your plucky MC finds out what's happening, we're vested in how they're going to tackle this.
3/15

#ammteasers I know I sling around the TENSION word a lot, but it's what keeps your reader reading past their bedtime, and you need to find the balance that keeps that tension alive.
Creating a character who feels like a fully realized person (or facsimile) is vital to this
4/15

#ammteasers I like knowing what my MCs emotional wounds are going into my story, but all this advice can be used when editing a draft that you pantsed!
If you can breadcrumb in some indicators of this wound early, your reader will say AHA when the stakes are defined
5/15

#ammteasers In the MS I'm querying, the MC grumbles internally about being broke--and bitter about it because his sperm donor is loaded. He's been emotionally neglected and is pretty closed off. But he has the opportunity to take a financial gamble & potentially get rich
6/15

#ammteasers The wounds here build on each other, and I make it clear in the opening chapter that he's about to be in dire circumstances unless he can get his hands on cash—quick. STAKES! He’s got 4/5 (big) problems if he doesn’t succeed.
7/15

#ammteasers So, these stakes are PERSONAL, IMMEDIATE and are going to challenge my MC in terms of his character & emotional wounds. All of this brings tons of tension into play ASAP--which is what hooks a reader.
8/15

#ammteasers The opening pages of your MS are prime real estate & they need to be treated as such. Most agents/editors/mentors will give you about two pages tops before deciding to scrap your MS, so you CAN'T WASTE THE PAGES on trivialities. You need to build that story!
9/15

#ammteasers You must get your readers involved from the first paragraph, & the next thread will be about deep POV to do that. We don't need the inciting incident ASAP, but we need to understand that there is something your MC is working to achieve from the get-go
10/15

#ammteasers Because then, when the inciting incident arrives, the reader has an inkling what that is going to cost your MC--emotionally/physically/etc. And the more the challenge clearly works against your MCs comfort, the more satisfying their arc will be
11/15

#ammteasers In my MS, the inciting inc happens in Ch 2 when he's teased w/an opportunity to make his dreams come true--but it might be coming from his father whom he despises (and craves love from on a subconscious level).
So it's clear that he's in a pickle.
12/15

#ammteasers Going long here!
You can't just rely on one big challenge, however. How your MC copes is their character arc, but it's realized step-by-step by constant challenges in each scene. Why? TENSION!
Your goal is for a reader to say, "Just one more chapter!"
13/15

#ammteasers Your job is to constantly shift the hurdles your MC faces by playing on those wounds and their reaction to the challenges they're confronted by, so you can keep "upping the stakes", right?
Sort of diabolical, but hey--it's entertainment.
14/15

#ammteasers Ok, recap:
STAKES need to be personal, immediate, irritate your characters emotional wounds, keep evolving so the tension keeps rising, and are hinted at early on so you don't lose your readers.
Hopes this helps! Deep POV is my next thread!
15/15