@dr.sharpwrite ・・・ The stakes that you come up with may feel like they are huge and maybe even give the protagonist a hard time to overcome them, but you might also still have the feeling that it’s still not a powerful story after all. Why? What happened? Doesn’t everyone say it’s all about the stakes in your second act? Well, yes it is, but the most important aspect about the stakes is that they are personal. They need to be important to the character. That’s the only thing that really matters to the readers. Take the latest The Rock movie Skyscraper. Yes the stakes are high and The Rock is in to save the huge tower and fight the terrorist off, but there are two moments that are crucial in engaging with the whole effort: (spoilers ahead!!!) 1. His old buddy betrays him, that’s the moment we connect with him as a character and 2. While the terrorists start taking over the skyscraper his family is still in the tower. That’s what makes the stakes personal and we engaged more to this than just that fact that some super rich guy wanted to play god and created this huge tower that needs to be saved now. Btw if you feel like this premise feels awfully familiar to you it’s because it definitely is: It’s basically Die Hard ;) Photo by Hayden Hunt #Writing #writer #screenwriting #screenwriter #screenplay #screencraft #filmmaker #filmmaking #writersnetwork #quote #stories #spilledink #writerslife #wordcount #writersedit #wordsmithing #amwriting #goodreads #igwriters #publishing #publishers #wordart #creativity #writerssociety #artsy #instaquote #poetic #life #craft #plot #character https://www.instagram.com/p/BoyY0wNFfTZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12terq0tn4j6y