As authors, we all strive to create stories that resonate deeply with readers, pulling them into our characters’ journeys and making them feel truly invested. One of the most powerful tools for achieving this is sacrifice. Whether it’s a physical loss, a shattered belief, or giving up a cherished dream, sacrifice elevates the stakes and compels readers to care about the outcome.

The key lies in understanding why sacrifice is so essential in storytelling—because not all sacrifices are created equal. When done poorly, it can feel hollow or forced, leaving readers unsatisfied. But when done well, it becomes the emotional anchor of your story. Today, Ginger walks us through the crucial role of sacrifice, how to determine what your characters should give up, and offers tips for crafting those moments to make a lasting impact.

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I’m obsessed with the structure of storytelling. Although every story is unique, I love being able to recognize the essential elements that have to come together to make a tale really satisfying. This is why I’ve written so much about tools like Dan Harmon’s Story Circle.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how one of the essential elements of a truly satisfying story was a moment of helplessness – a part of the adventure in which it seems not only impossible for our heroes to triumph, but they might not even survive the experience!

This was my one criticism of the otherwise excellent movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – which had no real “oh, God, they’re all going to die” moment and therefore ended up like watching a wildly entertaining playthrough of a single-player WWII shooter game.

Writing that article got me thinking about other elements of storytelling that really make a tale engaging, and one of the first to spring to mind was sacrifice. It reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite books – an old Saint adventure by Leslie Charteris called The Saint Closes the Case.

In it, moments before sacrificing his life to save his friends, the character Norman writes a note to The Saint and explains to him: “Nothing is won without sacrifice.”

How true is that? It hit me like a ton of bricks when I first read that line as a teenager – and it’s stuck with me ever since, especially when it comes to storytelling.

I believe that in every good story, the protagonist has to make a sacrifice. He or she has to give something up before they receive the power, wisdom, or knowledge they need to reach their goal or overcome their nemesis.

I’m definitely not the first to come up with this idea. It’s the Take step in Dan Harmon’s Story Circle – where the hero gets what they want, but have to “pay a heavy price.” Likewise, it’s the basis of the Atonement and Apotheosis steps in Joseph Campbell’s storytelling structure The Hero’s Journey. 

Sacrifice is as old and essential a part of any story since “Once upon a time…”

So this week, I wanted to look into the concept of sacrifice in storytelling a little more, give some examples of my favorite sacrifices in popular fiction, and then give some pointers on how to get the most out of the moment in which the heroes from your stories have to pay the price to win the day.

Sacrifice in Storytelling

In the realm of storytelling, the journey towards victory isn’t supposed to be a smooth and effortless path. The best stories demand that the protagonist confronts impossible challenges and is forced to make difficult sacrifices before they get to their “happily ever after.”

This concept underscores the very idea of storytelling itself – a way to use fiction to pass on the values and ideals that unite us as a society. One of those, rightly or wrongly, is the idea that true triumph requires a cost.

Throughout literary history, countless of our favorite fictional protagonists have faced the necessity of sacrifice. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker wasn’t truly able to harness the power of the force until he’d witnessed Darth Vader murder his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Likewise, Harry Potter was forced to witness the death of his godfather, Sirius Black, before he was able to embrace the full power of his magic and defeat Voldemort. The significance of this change was represented in the novels by Harry’s ability to see Thestrals – magical horses that pulled the flying chariots of Hogwarts, but were only visible to those who’d witnessed death.

Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is another character who endures immense physical and emotional suffering to protect her loved ones and challenge the oppressive Capitol, and in the end of the first book she and Peter stand willing to sacrifice their lives rather than abide by the cruel and arbitrary rules of the game.

These examples illustrate a fundamental truth in storytelling: Not just that the stakes must be high for the reader to truly care about the outcome, but also how when our protagonist faces the loss of something valuable, whether it be a loved one, a cherished possession, or a deeply held belief, the reader’s investment in the story intensifies. Their sacrifice grants us a sense of urgency and tension, propelling the narrative towards a climactic resolution in which victory has been earned by paying a terrible price.

How do you write a good sacrifice?

The nature of the sacrifice can vary widely, depending on the story and the protagonist’s character. In some cases, it may be a literal death, as with Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. Sometimes, it can be a physical sacrifice, like how Frodo Baggins lost his finger at the climax of the The Lord of the Rings trilogy – giving him a daily reminder of what he’d gone through to defend Middle Earth.

In other cases, though, the sacrifice might be a more abstract loss – the sacrifice of the protagonist’s innocence, idealism, or sense of self.

For self-published authors, incorporating an element of sacrifice into your stories is a powerful way to enhance the narrative’s impact. As you work on your current project, here are some tips and tricks to consider about making that sacrifice seem worth it:

• Identify the Protagonist’s Deepest Desire: What does your protagonist truly want to achieve? Understanding their ultimate goal will help you determine what they might be willing to sacrifice to attain it. Normally, a good story ends with the hero sacrificing what they think they want for what they and the people they love actually need.
• Create a Significant Obstacle: Place a formidable barrier in the protagonist’s path. This obstacle should be challenging enough to force them to reevaluate their priorities and reconsider making difficult choices. A good example is how Harry Potter had to place the people he loved at great risk in his fight against Voldemort, and lost many of them as a result.
• Introduce a Personal Cost: The sacrifice should have a direct and meaningful impact on the protagonist’s life. This could involve the loss of a loved one, a cherished possession, or a deeply held belief. It’s very unsatisfying when the ultimate sacrifice ends up being meaningless – like how the climax of the Twilight saga (spoiler alert) saw several major characters die, only for it to be revealed that their deaths were part of a premonition, and they actually all survived. The sacrifice should be significant, real, and permanent.
• Make the Sacrifice Relatable: Even if the sacrifice is seemingly extreme, it should be understandable to the reader. Help the audience empathize with the protagonist’s decision by showing how it is driven by love, loyalty, or a greater good. Would you risk the lives of your friends and family to lead a revolution? Would you sacrifice safety and security to reveal a dangerous truth? What is it you’re most scared of losing? That should be the level of what your protagonist has to sacrifice.
• Explore the Emotional Fallout: Finally, you need to make sure the sacrifice has lasting consequences for the protagonist. Explore the emotional toll it takes on them and how it affects their character development moving forward. All stories are supposed to bring their hero back to where they started, except “changed for the experience.” What part of that change is driven by the sacrifice they had to make?

Sacrifice is so important to a satisfying story. Just remember, though, that the sacrifice shouldn’t be gratuitous or contrived. Not only should it be a painful process for our hero, but it should serve a purpose within the narrative and contribute to the protagonist’s growth and transformation. 

But when written well, a sacrifice makes or breaks a story. By carefully crafting the what, how, and why of their hero’s sacrifice, self-published authors can create more compelling and memorable stories that resonate with readers on a profound level and help keep them front-of-mind long after they’ve turned the final page.

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