This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss the relationship between stakes and agency. How do these aspects of plot and character work together to create forward drive in your story?
This episode is from our library. It was previously published as episode 73.
Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
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VIDEO
AUDIO
SHOW NOTES
What we talked about:
What are the definitions of stakes and agency? (1:12)
Your character must be making the choice to move forward – make the stakes personal to your character. (2:45)
Your character agency has to be believable. (4:55)
How do you keep increasing the stakes across a series? (6:08)
Stakes must come down to the individual. (10:04)
Does every scene need something at stake? (12:15)
How to use stakes to evaluate your story. (17:10)
Are stakes win/lose? (18:45)
Are the stakes changing with every choice the character makes? (21:55)
Stakes are about moving the story forward. (23:35)
Each new revelation the character need to play out in the story. (26:08)
Your protagonists agency must be the thing that ends your story! (27:44)
LINKS
Shawn Coyne
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The War of the Worlds by HG Wells
Arrival
Story by Robert McKee
The Story Works Guide to Writing Character
Want more about these topics? Check out:
SWRT 32: Stakes & Tension
SWRT 8: Active Protagonists