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I talked about this a little yesterday, but let's talk about it a bit more. Not only is it important for your story to be interesting and not predictable. It's also important that the stakes be as high as you can make them.
Don't just make the character's life in danger if you can threaten his entire family. Don't just threaten his family if you can threaten his whole world. Don't just threaten the world if you can threaten the universe.
The higher the stakes, the more you can ratchet up the tension, and the bigger the payoff when the hero saves the day.
That being said, stakes should be appropriate to your genre and the scope of your story. If your story is set entirely in a single small town, even if it is a science fiction story rather than a romance or drama, it'd be strange if the whole universe were threatened. If the story is about a serial killer threatening the town, the whole world is probably not going to be at stake in the end game. But the main character's family and/or loved ones should almost certainly come into play.
Whether the scope of your story encompasses a galaxy-spanning Empire or a single high school chess club, don't make the stakes small and easy to overcome. You want to push your characters to the limit of what they can endure, and then it'll be far more satisfying when they overcome it.
Don't just make the character's life in danger if you can threaten his entire family. Don't just threaten his family if you can threaten his whole world. Don't just threaten the world if you can threaten the universe.
The higher the stakes, the more you can ratchet up the tension, and the bigger the payoff when the hero saves the day.
That being said, stakes should be appropriate to your genre and the scope of your story. If your story is set entirely in a single small town, even if it is a science fiction story rather than a romance or drama, it'd be strange if the whole universe were threatened. If the story is about a serial killer threatening the town, the whole world is probably not going to be at stake in the end game. But the main character's family and/or loved ones should almost certainly come into play.
Whether the scope of your story encompasses a galaxy-spanning Empire or a single high school chess club, don't make the stakes small and easy to overcome. You want to push your characters to the limit of what they can endure, and then it'll be far more satisfying when they overcome it.
