Every time someone says to me, "I'm trying to figure out who's point of view this next scene should be in," I ask, "Who has the most to lose?" Stakes are one of the most important things in a story... and they are what make us care about the characters. And that's how readers get tied into stories that don't let us go (which are my favorite sorts).
Absolutely. I really, really support the 2nd notion - the many times I fell out of stories (both written and on screen) because the writers wanted my sympathy for a character without showing me the cliff.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-16 12:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-16 01:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-18 03:44 pm (UTC)