From Dud to Delicious: Deesha Philyaw on Raising the Stakes in Fiction

In 2006, the author began writing a novel featuring Rebecca, a 35-year-old divorced woman co-parenting with her ex-husband and dating again. The draft was criticized by a friend as 'boring' because the main character lacked compelling stakes. The author had just left an unhappy marriage and avoided writing about it, but the friend pointed out that Rebecca’s life lacked drama or meaningful conflict. The character’s name, Rebecca, was described as uninspiring, and the draft suffered from what the author calls no-slash-low-stakes-first-draft-itis, a term for stories where characters have little to lose or gain. The author realized the story needed higher stakes to engage readers, as a protagonist with nothing at risk makes for a dull narrative.

To fix the draft, the author gave Rebecca a past by moving her back into her marriage with a megachurch pastor, a role known as a first lady in some religious communities. This change introduced significant stakes: if the marriage failed, Rebecca would lose social status, material comforts, and public respectability. The author also made Rebecca’s husband 15 years older and less interested in sex, while Rebecca’s libido remained high, adding personal conflict. However, the author realized Rebecca had already achieved her goals by marrying 'up,' so she needed a new desire. The solution was creating the First Lady USA pageant, where Rebecca—renamed Scharisse—could compete to gain acceptance from other first ladies who ostracized her due to her unconventional background as the daughter of an unwed teenage mother.

Adjusting the timeline of a story can heighten tension and stakes. In the novel, the author aged Rebecca’s daughter Gabrielle from 5 to 15 years old, which changed how the character would be affected by public scandals or marital problems. The author also introduced a ticking clock with the First Lady USA pageant, a deadline set months in the future. This created urgency, as Scharisse had only 8 days to win over the other contestants who disliked her. Deadlines like pageants, trials, or weddings force characters to act quickly, adding pressure and raising the narrative stakes. Multiple ticking clocks can further complicate the story.

The author emphasizes that characters should not be purely good or evil, as this makes them feel unrealistic. Scharisse, the protagonist, was initially written as a reflection of the author’s own values, but this made her predictable and uninteresting. By giving Scharisse flaws, differing values, and questionable choices—such as parenting in ways the author would never—she became more compelling. Similarly, antagonists like Sheila Battle, the head deaconess, were initially written as one-dimensional villains but later developed layers and contradictions. The author argues that flawed characters, whether protagonists or antagonists, create richer stories because their complexity makes their struggles and conflicts feel more authentic.

To maximize drama, the author advises writers to ask: What is the worst thing that could happen to my character? and then make it happen. In the novel, this meant introducing a scandal that threatened both Scharisse’s marriage and her chance to win the pageant. The author also suggests considering unfair or unexpected obstacles, such as an ex-partner reappearing at an inopportune time. By consistently making things worse for the protagonist, the story becomes more gripping. This strategy ensures that readers remain invested, as the consequences of failure are severe and the path to resolution is challenging.