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Dictionary by pitch.dog
Conflict, stakes, wants & objectives · Working

External stakes

Also called: plot stakes

ELI5

Consequences involving events, goals, status, safety, money, relationships or the wider world.

Used in conversation

“Can we make the external stakes clearer in the next draft?”

Pitch context

Use this when explaining how the story works on the page or across the finished screen experience.

Why it matters: Helps describe how a story works on the page and how its dramatic parts fit together.

When the words have to travel

Need a deck, treatment or show bible?

Bring the script, brief or half-formed thought. We help find the shape people need to understand.

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Sources & evidence · 6

Direct term-level sources and supporting source families.