20.08: Character Stakes and Fears

Writing Excuses

Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

Fiction, Business, Careers

4.7 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, we’re continuing our conversation about the lens of who. On last week’s episode we talked about a character’s motivation and goals. Now, we’re starting to think about tension in the form of a character’s stakes and fears. The fears that a character has and the stakes that they face create the story that exists around them. These tensions also help move them through the story. So, how can you use stakes and fears to start– and build– your story? The answer may surprise you. Hint: you may not want to open with your character dangling off a cliff. Homework: Make a list of all the major fears that your main character has. Take your MC (main character), and draw a map of all the characters that your MC is connected to. Now, describe those relationships in one sentence or less. Now, compare this list of relationships with the list of fears. See if these two lists are in conversation with each other. Are they supporting each other or are they completely disconnected? If they are disconnected, start thinking about how you could bring these two lists closer together to establish a feedback loop between relationships and fears. P.S. Want to come write with us in 2025?! Our retreat registration is open, and we are starting to fill up! We are going to unlock our creative processes in Minnesota and explore Story Refinement as we cruise down the Mexican Riviera! Learn more here. P.P.S. Are you tired of ads?! You can join our $5 tier on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes each week! Sign up for our newsletter Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Dongwon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson. Join Our Writing Community! Patreon Instagram Threads Bluesky TikTok YouTube Facebook Our Sponsors: * Check out Acorns: https://acorns.com/WX * Visit kinsta.com to get your first month free when you sign up today! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of writing excuses has been brought to you by our listeners, patrons, and friends.
0:05.6	If you would like to learn how to support this podcast, visit www.com.
0:11.8	We're excited to announce that our 20-25 retreats are open for registration.
0:23.4	Join us in Minnesota, June 15th through the 21st, for a regenerate retreat where you will learn new skills, generate new ideas, or
0:30.3	focus on your writing. With lots of opportunities for restoration and networking, you'll leave refreshed
0:36.0	and reinvigorated. Ticket start at $1,500 per person.
0:40.9	You can also sail the high seas, September 18th through 26th. We'll sail out of Los Angeles on the
0:48.0	Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas and explore the Mexican Riviera while refining our writing. Whether you're revising a story,
0:57.0	reworking a character arc, or tweaking your prose, you'll leave more confident in your current
1:01.8	story. Tickets start at 2650 for writers and 2350 for family members. To learn more, visit
1:09.7	writingexcuses.com slash retreats.
1:13.2	Season 20, episode 8.
1:17.3	This is writing excuses.
1:20.0	Character stakes and fears.
1:22.0	I'm Mary Robinette.
1:23.0	I'm Dongwan.
1:23.8	I'm Dan.
1:24.6	I'm Aaron.
1:25.4	And I'm Howard.
1:26.7	This week, we're continuing a conversation about
1:29.6	sort of the lens of who, talking about character. And the thing that I wanted to focus on this
1:34.7	week is talking about how the fears that a character has and the stakes that a character faces
	...

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