To raise stakes in your story, toss in a few plot Gremlins, and let the little monsters unleash chaos on your main character.
What’s at stake in your story? If giving readers likable characters in a lovely setting kept them engaged, then Biblo (and later Frodo and Sam) would’ve stayed in the Shire. By raising stakes, writers pull readers into the plot with reasons to invest–the characters must be removed from their comforts and plans to achieve a larger important goal, like saving the world. It’s not a story without conflict, without something at stake.
Consider adding plot Gremlins.
“So if your air conditioner goes on the fritz, or your washing machine blows up, or your video recorder conks out, before you call the repairman, turn on all the lights, check all the closets and cupboards, look under all the beds, ’cause you never can tell. There just might be a gremlin in your house.” ~ Gremlins & Me, metaphorically.
What would you pick if you described yourself as a Christmas movie? I’d be Gremlins. For me, Christmas, projects, and events begin with a positive, hopeful attitude–a Gizmo attitude. “Ah, he’s so cute, so much fun! He’s so warm, cuddly, and sweet. Awww. I love him! Taking care of him is no big deal at all!”
But then something happens.
The cute lures of Christmas multiply and soon turn into monsters.
How am I going to get all this done? There’s too much to do, too much money to spend! The traffic! The lines! The madness!
“Tell me something, Billy. How come a cute little guy like this can turn into a thousand ugly monsters?” ~ Gremlins.
“I know, right?” ~ Me.
The clock is ticking. Christmas Spirit left on vacation. And instead of a cute and cuddly Christmas, I’m hoping to survive. I’m the mom in Gremlins, Mrs. Peltzer. Just trying to bake my damn gingerbreads but stopping every few minutes to battle little demon interruptions. And now, I’ll have to clean out the microwave, too! Argh!
The same could and probably should happen to your protagonist as your plot builds and the pressures mount.
There should be gremlins or monsters hiding in the woodwork. Whatever good intentions she started with should blow up in the microwave. Think about other Christmas favs where characters enter the story with the best intentions only for expectations to fly out the window:
- Home Alone begins with a family about to have an amazing Christmas vacation that gets sidetracked when Kevin gets left behind.
- Elf starts with Buddy expecting a happy reunion with his father, but nothing goes as planned.
- Clark dreams of a perfect family Christmas in Christmas Vacation, but it’s ruined mostly by, well, family.
- The Grinch intends to steal Christmas from the Whos by raiding their presents and decorations but discovers those things don’t matter after all.
- John McClane expects to “fly out to the coast, have a few laughs” but ends up in a battle with terrorists. (Yes, Die Hard’s still technically a Christmas movie)
Bringing in Gremlins for your character to battle provides an opportunity to show your readers what she’s really made of. Besides, it’s fun. Seriously, have you ever seen a better Mom-battle scene than Mrs. Peltzer fighting Gremlins in her kitchen?
She gets one in the blender, stabs another to death, and zaps another in the microwave, turning it into liquified chunks! That’s what they get for eating her gingerbreads! Damn Gremlins. It’s probably the best scene in the movie, and she’s not even the main character!
Consider your character’s Gizmos–that is, their cute expectations–and give them Gremlins–troubling, challenging, dirty reality. Of course, these don’t have to be monsters, though why not?
Here are other Gremlin-like reality checks to add to your plot:
- A flat tire on the way to the prom, court date, wedding, funeral, big presentation, Oscars, Post Malone concert.
- An unexpected answer… not getting the job, promotion, award, lottery, boyfriend, check in the mail.
- An old flame reaching out days before the perfectly planned, long-awaited wedding.
- Or hell, getting jilted at the altar altogether.
- Repressed childhood memories making a sudden & shocking return.
- A sinkhole, hurricane, dragon, earthquake, or tornado.
- Lost keys… is that pesky ghost playing games with you again? More hauntingly good writing prompts here.
- A Meet Cute that turns sinister.
- A car accident, a diagnosis, a robbery, a fire.
- Wrong place, wrong time, too much wine.
- A friendship gone wrong.
- An upsetting phone call, letter, telegram, text, special delivery… maybe blackmail?
- A Ms. Ruby Deagle (the mean lady from Gremlins), an unreasonable boss, a dishonest co-worker, a nosy neighbor, a creepy professor, a villain
“Start with characters. Throw in Gremlins. Let characters battle Gremlins. Now, you have a story.” ~ Me on how to write a story, smirking.
Your turn. What Gremlins could you throw at your main character to raise the stakes in your story? Share your plot monsters below!
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