Goals, Conflicts, & Stakes: Why Plots Need All Three

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A great plot has multiple story elements working in tandem. 

Goal - Conflict - Stakes. They're the Holy Trinity of plotting. They're the pieces that make up every scene and every plot in a novel, and without them, you're likely to find yourself lost in the literary woods trying to figure out what to do or where the story goes.

No matter what type of story you're writing, the goal-conflict-stakes trio is there. A character will want something (goal), there will be something preventing them from getting it (conflict), and a consequence if they fail (stakes).

What trips up many writers, is that all three of these have more than one use. For example, a novel will have both plot and story goals, internal and external conflicts, personal and story stakes. Knowing which one fits the scene you're working on will help you create a much tighter and more interesting plot.

Goals: The Fuel of the Plot

The goal is the driving force of the plot. The protagonist (or protagonists if you have  multiple POV characters) wants something. Probably a lot of somethings. Some of them will be small, such as finding something to eat, while others will be huge, such as stopping a terrorist attack on the White House. Whatever they are, they will determine how the protagonist acts, and that will determine how they plot (and thus story) unfolds.

Story Goals vs Plot Goals

There's a difference between story goals and plot goals. 

Story goals are the larger thematic goals that typically describe the character growth or the idea behind the tale. They're more conceptual, and work as a guide in determining the types of plot goals your protagonist will encounter. 

Plot goals are the physical things your protagonist does to achieve those more lofty story goals.

Story goal: To find love again after a bad breakup. (This is what the story is about)

Plot goal: To go to the museum and talk to cute guys. (This is one thing the protagonist does during the story)

These goals work in tandem to create the novel and give the protagonist things to do between page one and the end. The protagonist knows what she wants, then she takes the steps to get there. 

What plot goals are not

Vague thematic statements, such as "find love again" or "learn to trust others." Those are great motivators for a goal, and are important to your characters, but from a plotting standpoint, they don't help figure out what happens in a scene.

Think of it like this: Go out right now and find love again. Um, you can't, not really. It's not as if "love again" is something you can go buy at the store. But you can "go to the museum and talk to cute guys." This will hopefully lead to love, and it's an external action a character can do.

That's why trying to ploy with story goals often leaves us hitting a plot wall at page 100. We know conceptually what we want our protagonist to do, but there's no concrete, actionable plan, because we have no goals to drive our scenes--just the end goal.

The story goal is an end desire, and the plot goals are the steps that will get the protagonist to that final desire. Sometimes the story goal and the plot goals are the same, especially in more plot-driven novels. Then, those thematic elements often become part of the character's growth.

(Here's more on plotting with goals)

Conflicts: Making the Story Interesting

Conflicts are the things standing in the way of the protagonist's goal. These obstacles must be overcome for them to get what they want. Conflicts can be a person, a situation, or a personal struggle. 

Pretty much anything that prevents the protagonist from getting their goal or doing what needs to be done.

Internal vs External Conflicts

Again, there are two types here. Internal and external conflicts. 

Internal  conflicts are the issues the protagonist faces on a mental or emotional level. They want that new dress they can't afford, but stealing is wrong. They love the girl, but she's from the rival family they're in a blood feud with. 

External conflicts are the physical things in the protagonist's way. Things that require action to get around or overcome. Getting past security to steal the dress. Suffering through detox to get clean. Trying to plot using only internal conflicts will leave you frustrated, because there's no actionable thing in the way to overcome.

Internal conflict: Loving the girl, but knowing his family would disown him and her family would kill him for doing it.

External conflict: To sneak off and meet the girl, he has to get past his suspicious father.

Internal conflicts drive the character growth, external conflicts drive the plot. You need both, but only the external conflict is going to hold up the plot and make things more challenging to accomplish. The internal conflict is going to make that plot more emotionally difficult to achieve.

What conflicts are not

Fighting or arguing. Yes, sometimes fighting or arguing is required to deal with the conflict but "arguing with Bob" isn't something that's standing in the way of getting a goal. You might argue with Bob as a distraction so your buddy can sneak past him, or beat up the guard standing between you and the cell door so you can escape, but the actual fighting part isn't the conflict.

(Here's more on creating conflict in a scene)

Stakes: The Reason the Plot Matters

Stakes are the motivating factor for the protagonist's goals, and why they have to overcome those conflicts right now. Stakes are what happens if they don't succeed. Stakes are bad. Stakes are killer. The higher the stakes, the more tension you create and the more compelling the plot. They're the "or else" in every threat.

Personal Stakes vs Story Stakes

You guessed it -- there are two here as well. 

Personal stakes are the stakes the protagonist doesn't want to have happen because it will hurt them personally. They'll lose their job, the bad guy will kill them, it goes against everything they believe in. 

Story Stakes are those things that matter to the world at large. Often, it's part of the story goal. If the cop doesn't catch the killer, he'll kill again. If they can't find the bomb, the school will blow up. If he can't get past the death of his son he'll wind up committing suicide.

Personal stakes are the stakes that really drive a story. They make the reader care about the outcome as much as the protagonist does. They keep the reader reading. 

They're also what's keeping the protagonist from running away when it gets tough. What stops them from saying, "Yes, we don't really want the evil sorcerer to take over and enslave the city, but if we take off right now, we can be far away when it happens and we won't have to die." 

It's better if they can't run because a loved one is being held captive by that evil sorcerer and if they run, that person dies. Personal risk is much more compelling that faceless tragedy. That's why one family dying in a car crash on Christmas Eve hits us harder than millions of people dying of a terrible disease every year.

Personal risks are also things that can and likely will happen. They move the story forward and can be legitimate things for readers to worry about. Story stakes are often the bigger, more horrible outcome, and something the protagonist is trying to stop, but odds are it won't actually come true. We know the hero is going to stop the serial killer in the end, though he might kill the hero's wife or child before he's caught. 

Personal stakes: Save his child from the serial killer or save his wife. (Consequences to either choice that matter personally)

Story stakes: Stop the serial killer before he kills again. (A terrible consequence, but doesn't really affect the protagonist on a personal level)

What stakes are not

Trying to decide between two different things when either choice gives basically the same reward. 

For example, being torn between two women who are both great women, and you just don't want to hurt one of them. Taking a job in New York vs California where you'd have to choose between staying with your friends and family or striking out on your own. 

Stakes are also not having to decide between two things where the answer is obvious, such as pull the level and save the world, don't pull it and everyone dies. Well, duh, you're going to pull the level. 

Good stakes force the protagonist to make a choice, and all options have a consequence.

(Here's more on crafting strong stakes in your novel)

Having solid goals, conflicts, and stakes will give your story a strong foundation on which to grow. The stronger that foundation, the more you can put on it and the more interesting the final story will be.

Do you make sure every scene has all three?

Find out more about conflict and tension in my book, Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means).

With in-depth analysis and easy-to-understand examples, Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means) teaches you what conflict really is, discusses the various aspects of conflict, and reveals why common advice on creating conflict doesn't always work. It shows you how to develop and create conflict in your novel and explores aspects that affect conflict, as well as clarifying the misconceptions that confuse and frustrate so many writers.

This book will help you:

• Understand what conflict means and how to use it
• Tell the difference between external and internal conflicts
• See why conflict isn't a "one size fits all" solution
• Determine the type of conflict your story needs
• Fix lackluster scenes holding your writing back

Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means) is more than just advice on what to do and what not to do—it’s a down and dirty examination and analysis of how conflict works, so you can develop it in whatever style or genre you’re writing. By the end of this book, you’ll have a solid understanding of what conflict means and the ability to use it without fear or frustration.

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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