Follow That Dream
Creative Writing Workshop with me, Tracy Culleton
28th/29th January 2012
Full details here.

Story Climax

The story climax is what all the rising action has been leading to. The incidents and events of the story are becoming more and more dramatic, with more and more riding on them. And finally, the high point of the story is reached.

It's the point when the protagonist completes the growth of her character arc, coming into her new stature.

It's where everything changes - and the new way of being is created - i.e. the problem is solved, or the attempts to solve it finally fail.

It's the point at which the major dramatic question has been answered. It is usually - but doesn't have to be - the most exciting part of the story, where the most dramatic action takes place.

Examples might help explain this better.

In the first Shrek film, it's the scene in the church where the dragon comes to save the day.
In traditional Westerns, it's when the Cavalry comes riding over the hill to save the day.
In a romance, it's when the blocks to the couple getting together are swept away.
In a thriller, it's the final battle.
In a detective story, it's the moment when the murderer is revealed.

Are you beginning to see how this works?

Falling Action

And then you have what's known as falling action. It deals with the fall-out: as everything shifts then, everything is different afterwards, and the falling action shows us that.

Falling action leads us to the denoument of the story - the tying up of the loose ends and subplots.

If you're serious about getting your plotting right, then you absolutely need Holly Lisle's Create A Plot Clinic. 200 pages of specific, easy-to-follow tools and techniques on coming up with intriguing and interesting plots - all for $9.95. I also absolutely recommend her Create A Character Clinic, also only $9.95.

Or buy them both, along with Create A Language Clinic and Create A Culture Clinic, as Holly Lisle's Writing Clincs Bundle for a discounted $34.95.

Return from story climax to Plots

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If you've got value out of this website, I'd so appreciate if you'd help me by spreading the word about it. Thanks! Tracy

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