External Stakes

The external stakes of your story are what your character externally desires. For example, let’s say your character is on the typical fantasy hero’s journey to search for and obtain a rare and possibly powerful object. The external stakes in that situation would refer to the hero physically obtaining the object and what they risk if they are able or unable to obtain it. Perhaps the object is a book with a spell that will heal an ailment that is plaguing this world (or perhaps more specifically a character that your protagonist cares for). The external risks for obtaining the object would be that the object is cursed or that the quest to obtain it puts the protagonist in mortal peril. One risk for not obtaining the object would be that the protagonist would be unable to save the people of this world from this ailment. In a contemporary sense, the external stakes could refer to anything from something as simple as getting a promotion at work to a character running away to start their lives over.

The main stakes of the story will be the same as your character’s main goal or desire throughout the book and what they risk by either achieving or not achieving that goal. Additional stakes throughout the novel will be other things that your protagonist comes to risk along their journey to obtain their main goal. This could be anything from a friend of theirs resenting their quest (which risks their friendship with the protagonist) or even the simple stakes of life or death.

Internal Stakes

The internal stakes of your manuscript refer to any internal desires your protagonist has and what is preventing them from achieving those desires. Let’s refer back to the fantasy hero’s quest for a healing book as an example. In that instance, while the external stakes refer to the hero obtaining the book, an example of the internal stakes could be the hero’s desire to right a wrong, a time that they could have saved someone but didn’t. That, through the act of finding the book, the hero believes that they will right that wrong.

If the latter is the case, the question then becomes what are the internal risks of both obtaining and not obtaining the book. Although the external risks involve saving lives, the internal risks are completely different. The internal risk of not finding the book would be that they are unable to heal from this past sense of guilt that they’re holding onto. And one internal risk of finding the book is that, though they’re able to heal people externally, the fulfillment of the quest doesn’t alleviate the protagonist of their guilt.

Plot Points

The main way to show rather than tell your readers about the stakes of your story is to make sure your novel is expertly plotted. The stakes of your novel should be at the core of each of your main plot points. Every plot point should connect to at least one of the stakes of your story and your main plot points should directly link or relate to the main stakes of your story. This means that your reader should be keenly aware of what is at stake throughout your story because, if you’ve done your job right, everything that they’re witnessing unfold throughout your story should connect to those stakes.

The best way to make sure to keep track of this is to include the stakes in your outline. If you’ve already made your outline, go back and review it again. Write down what the main stakes of your story are and what the additional risks are as well. Then go through your plot points chronologically and make sure they directly relate to what is at stake in your story. If you find ones that don’t connect, you’ve either stumbled upon an easy scene to edit out of your novel or you need to go back and rewrite to make sure the stakes are clear and connected.

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The statement itself implies that the person who wrote the book drew inspiration from a real-life event or person, but that the audience shouldn’t expect a factually accurate retelling of this event. This statement tells the reader that the author is choosing to prioritize entertainment and good storytelling over staying true to events. Therefore, readers who are interested in these books go in with the expectation that they will be reading a novel that is both entertaining and masterfully plotted. So, if you’re taking on a ‘based on a true story’ novel, here are some tips.

1) Keep the voice neutral

Whether you’re writing a ‘based on a true story’ book about something historical or something from personal experience, you need to remove your own voice from the narrative. You shouldn’t be portraying certain characters or events as right or wrong because readers can very quickly sense personal bias in a novel and, with that, you’ll lose their trust. They want to simply experience the events and have the freedom to make their own judgments about what occurred. So make sure you’re working hard to show the events to your readers rather than telling them how to think or feel about characters and situations.

2) Be the Writer & Editor

This may sound like a writer’s worst nightmare at first, but it’s simpler than it seems. When it comes to the scope of the events that took place in the story, you’ll need to put on an editor’s hat and strategically think about where to cut down. If the event you’re writing about took place over the course of a day you likely won’t have to do this much, but if it took place over weeks or years there will likely be a lot to cut around in terms of scenes and events. As a general rule of thumb, if a scene doesn’t contain a character choice, feeling the effects of a character choice, or someone discovering the motivations behind a character choice, the scene will likely need to be cut.

Just as you may need to omit some scenes, it may benefit the story to combine or eliminate some characters from the story. Remember, since this is a ‘based on a true story’ book, you are allowed to take liberties and make it somewhat fictional. If you know only a few details about a character, perhaps combine them with another character to make them more well-rounded and also less confusing for the reader. If there was someone who was part of the story but didn’t play an integral role, perhaps they’ll need to be cut for the sake of having a well-paced novel.

3) Make Additions Where Necessary

Just as you’ll need to cut events or characters who don’t serve the narrative, you may need to add motivations or events that make the story more exciting or narratively sound. Remember that, in the case of this type of novel, your goal is to tell a good story, not necessarily a true story. So if a character seemingly had a simple unexciting motivation for an action in a story, get creative and add a more complicated motivation that you feel would still make sense for their personality. If the real-life events don’t culminate in a necessarily satisfying way, add to the climax to give it more drama.

Many novels and films of this genre wind up creating stories that have very little to do with the real-life events by which they were inspired, but they created a good story nonetheless.

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Elements of a Story Arc

The first element of a story arc is the exposition or scenes in the beginning that are meant to introduce the reader to the characters, world, and tone of the story. Next, there is the inciting incident which is the event that sets the story into motion. The rising action involves the plot moving toward the climax through a series of events and character decisions made by your protagonist. The climax involves the protagonist making the choice that the story has been leading to, and the action that follows this choice. Finally, the resolution of the story is when the conflict comes to a close and the outcome of the story is revealed. All of these elements are present in every story arc (or should be), but they take many forms depending on which story arc is being utilized.

Story Arc Types

The story arc involves the ups and downs (or positive rises and negative falls) that occur over the course of your plot. Primarily there are six different types of story arcs used. The first is the Zero to hero (or rags to riches) story arc which involves the story starting in the negative access or the character having humble beginnings and it moves up to the positive access. Next is the Hero to zero story arc which involves just the opposite and goes from positive to negative, like a devolution story. Next, there is Man in the hole which involves a story that goes from positive down to negative then back up to positive. So, in this version, a character would hit a low point in the middle of the story and then swing back up for a happy ending. Then there’s the Icarus story arc where the character goes from the negative, up to the positive, then back down to negative. So, for example, Icarus himself who started imprisoned, then learned to fly, then fell.

Next is the Cinderella arc where the story starts in the negative, then goes to the positive, back down to negative, then positive. Sounds confusing, but just look at the story of Cinderella. She starts as a slave to her stepmother & siblings, then she goes to the ball, then she gets locked away as the prince is searching for her, then she lives happily ever after. Finally, we have the Oedipus arc, which is the opposite of Cinderella’s. This one starts in the positive, then goes negative, back up to positive, and finishes negative.

Core Value

In order to determine the arc of your story, you’ll need to determine what the core value of your story will be (or the Y-axis of your arc diagram). So, to use a base example, in a horror the core value is simply survival and how close to that your character is will determine the Y-axis. So instances where they’re put into mortal peril, they’re in the negative. Instances where they’re safer or they escape from danger, they’ll swing back up into the positive.

Your story will likely have a more complicated and nuanced Y-axis. In order to determine what yours will be, think about the emotional journey your character will face throughout the story and what choices the story is leading toward forcing your character to make.

First Draft vs. Second Draft

When utilizing story arc, we don’t recommend attempting to chart it out at first. Of course you should be plotting your work, but don’t attempt to focus on what type of story arc you’re going for in your first draft- just let the story flow. Once you’ve completed your first draft and you’re re-examing your work, this is the point at which you can examine what story arc type your manuscript has become. Once you see what arc you’re either utilizing or you’re closest to, go back and emphasize those rises and falls in action and between the positive/negative access even further to give your story a better flow.

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Identify your market

You may think you’ve already done your work as far as identifying your market when you chose your genre, but it’s actually more complicated than that. Will your story be high fantasy? YA or Adult Fantasy? Urban, steampunk, or grimdark fantasy? A common misconception about fantasy writing is that it all fits into a very J.R Tolkien type of world- elves, dragons, trolls, etc. But that’s not always the case. Many experts, for example, would argue that Star Wars would be considered Fantasy as opposed to Science Fiction.

Essentially the difference between the two genres boils down to the details. If we’re receiving detailed explanations on how the technology works, how the world works, etc. in a story, it’s likely considered science fiction. If, however, the details are vague and/or mythical then it would be considered fantasy. Making sure you know what genre you’re going for and which subgenre will help you know better how to write for your specific readership.

Write your novel/series bible

The ‘bible’ for your series or novel is the history of the world or realm you’re writing about. Any legends or lore that are important to your story need to be written out in great detail because these legends and histories will greatly inform the current state of the world you’re writing from. For example, take the highly acclaimed series Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin creates an incredibly detailed and rich history for the world and for each of the families that play a large role within that world. He details the period of time where the ‘mad king’ brought the downfall of the Targareyan house, the time where the Baratheons fought for the crown, etc. You can even find detailed family trees going back generations for each family. Now, obviously, this whole history isn’t detailed in its entirety in the series so you’ll likely only use bits and pieces of your own ‘bible’. However, having all of these details solidified and relayed through dialogue and action throughout your series will make it feel more like our own world, which also has a rich history.

Plot everything before writing

This is true for essentially every genre but is especially important for fantasy writing. You’ll likely have several character threads going, several species to introduce and explain, and several versions of history at play simultaneously. For the series to read as effectively as possible, you must plot out each thread as you’d like it to unfold as well as the POV and how and when the information will be revealed to the reader.

Use all five senses

Fantasy writing, regardless of the subgenre, should be incredibly detailed. It’s a very romanticized genre, and avid readers want to be fully immersed in the world and completely escape from reality. In order to create this to its fullest extent, all five senses must be utilized. If you’ve done your job right, your readers should be able to see, taste, smell, hear, and feel some aspect of every scene you’ve written. If you have the tendency to miss a few of the senses, make sure you do exercises to practice as you prepare to tackle your book(s).

Give the world internal rules

Although fantasy books shouldn’t have detailed explanations on how certain elements such as magic work, creating rules for the world will allow it to feel more real. For example, how is this world governed? Is there one person ruling on an iron throne or is there a magical government that exists right beneath our noses? How did this power structure originate (something to be answered in your book bible)? How does this power structure effect or dictate how citizens live in this world?

Let’s say your world includes some type of magic or power. While you don’t need to answer how magic works, there are a few questions that you can answer that will help the world feel more realistic- where does the magic or power come from? What are the limitations of the magic or power? Is it different for everyone or the same, but some are just more powerful than others?

It’s important to be organized and careful not to break your own rules throughout the story (unless you do it on purpose). For example, you can establish a rule that people have a certain limitation on their powers, only for us to later realize that our protagonist doesn’t have this limitation in true ‘chosen one’ fashion. However, if you establish early on that someone’s powers will drain if used frequently, you can’t have them using them frequently in an epic battle without them draining and with no explanation whatsoever. Make sure that any breaking of established rules is both acknowledged and explained in your story.

Choose meaningful character names

OK here comes the fun part, guys. One of the most enjoyable aspects of fantasy writing is getting to choose your character names. Keep in mind when you’re doing this that fantasy readers are very astute. They’ll research character names, the prefixes/suffixes, the meanings in different languages, etc. Therefore, knowing this, it’s fun to give them little treats. As one example, J.K. Rowling chose her character names with great care. Each name has a specific meaning that gives the reader a clue into either the personality or nature of the character itself. For example, take the character name Remus Lupin. The name Remus is in reference a mythological character who was raised by wolves, while the last name Lupin comes from the Latin ‘lupus’ which translates to ‘wolf’. The name is very fitting seeing as (spoiler alert) we find out that he’s a werewolf in book three.

Make your characters complex, not archetypal

Although worldbuilding and plot are extremely important in fantasy writing, characters and character development are equally important. You can have the most well-crafted plot in the world, but if your readers don’t care about your characters then they won’t care what happens to them. Therefore, when you’re doing your bible work prior to writing, make sure you create detailed character summaries and create characters with complex personalities, wants, and desires. Don’t rely on cliche archetypes like ‘the loyal best friend’ or ‘the wise old man’…readers have seen simplified versions of these characters in fantasies too many times before. Part of making your series or book stand out is making your characters stand out too.

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1) What is a frame narrative?

A frame narrative, to put it briefly, is like a story within a story- story-inception! There are a few different versions of a frame narrative or frame story. First, it could involve a narrator or main character of a story relaying various smaller stories over the course of a book like in the novel The Book of the One Thousand and One Nights. On the other hand, it could be a specific character from a story selected to relay the events of the novel as opposed to simply telling the story objectively. In this second option, it may be a specific character that has a connection to another character or characters. An example of this would be Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, where the story is told from the perspective of Robert Walton as the information was relayed to him by Doctor Frankenstein. On the other hand, the framing could simply be that the story is told from the protagonist’s perspective, but after the events of the story have already taken place. Using this perspective allows the protagonist to relay information with insight as (s)he is an older and wiser version of him/herself.

2) Determine the purpose

When used well, a frame narrative creates an incredibly fascinating and multifaceted tale with many perspectives to delve into. If used incorrectly, however, this can create a confusing and continuity-impaired story. Therefore, a writer should employ this technique only if it will truly benefit the story to do so. Before you go any further, ask yourself honestly, how will a frame narrative better my story? The main benefit of a frame narrative is to tell a story (whether it be the entirety of the book or individual stories throughout) using the voice of a specific character who exists outside the confines of the story. Whether that’s a future version of your own protagonist or a side character who would give good insight to the story’s events, ask yourself, how would this structure strengthen the events or themes of my story?

3) Choose a narrator

As stated previously, the main purpose of the frame narrative is to use a specific character’s voice to convey the events of the story as opposed to using an impartial narrator or first person present perspective. Once you’ve decided to use the frame narrative structure, you must first choose who will be telling your story (or stories). Think about what your goal of using the technique is and who will be the best voice to accomplish that goal. Possibly the most popular version of this structure is using a future version of the protagonist to tell the story of what they’ve gone through. One of the major setbacks of employing this technique, however, is that it completely does away with a lot of the suspense created in a story. When your reader is hearing a story from someone years in the future, it lets them know right away that your protagonist survived the events of the story. However, remaining aloof about the protagonist’s present circumstances can allow a certain amount of suspense to remain.

If you choose a narrator who isn’t your protagonist, you must ask yourself what connection this character has to the events of the story. What unique perspective will they be able to provide that no other character can? For example, in William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, William uses himself as a frame narrator, but a fictionalized version of himself who is simply editing a pre-existing story that another author, S. Morgenstern, already wrote. This creates a unique reading experience because you’re reading this swashbuckling tale and suddenly you get a little note from Goldman telling you ‘this part was too long, so I cut it,’ or ‘this was always my favorite part.’ It creates a strange line between the editing and writing process but also allows you to feel like you’re reading the story along with its biggest fan.

4) Get organized

As we’re sure you can imagine, creating a story employing this technique can be extremely confusing. Since the story will be told using one person’s perspective as opposed to an omniscient narrator who can jump perspectives, you have to make sure each character’s arc is thoroughly plotted before you even begin the writing process. If done correctly, the stories will likely intercept with one another, so make sure you know where in each person’s timeline each interaction takes place.

Once you have all of this thoroughly organized, the next step is to make sure your narrator is believably privy to all of this information. He/she has to be the piece of the puzzle that fits all of this together. Is the story being told this because the narrator happened to be there to witness all of this as it unfolds? If it’s not believable for the character that you chose to be in every single scene you’ve mapped out (and it likely won’t be), how will they be getting this information in order to relay it to the reader? Did they receive a letter, text, or phone call from someone who relayed the information to them?

5) Allow your narrator to interject and have opinions 

One of the most important and advantageous aspects of writing from a frame narrative is the character’s voice. When using this technique, allow your narrator to interject on the events as they occur. Allow them to reflect on them, have opinions, and be angry or happy or annoyed. Use them to foreshadow the climax of the story or have them give their opinions on the nature of certain characters. This is where you create intrigue. Imagine you’re using a future version of your protagonist to tell the story. The future version shows a lot of animosity towards the current protagonist’s best friend, and this allows the reader to wonder, what did that character do? thus creating suspense that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

Another aspect that you may want to consider playing around with is the reliability of your narrator. Perhaps the narrator of your story clearly hates a certain character (maybe even the protagonist), but as the story unfolds, you start to see that the character is actually really kind and harmless. Or maybe the narrator is really down on him or herself, but as the story continues, the audience can see that they’re actually just being too hard on themselves. Or perhaps the narrator doesn’t remember how a certain event took place, and instead just gives the reader the gist of it. This creates another added layer to the story and allows the reader to form opinions and judgments of the narrator and their role in the story as a whole.

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