The climax. This is the moment your reader has been waiting for.
They’ve spent hours immersed in your story, falling in love with your characters and becoming increasingly invested in your plot. Tension has been building as they anticipate that something big, something life-changing is about to happen for your protagonist, and your reader will finally be rewarded with a resolution to the dramatic question that set your protagonist out on their journey.
What is Climax
The climax of a story is the moment where the protagonist makes a difficult choice, thus resolving their inner dilemma.
It is a battle scene for the protagonist – in a mystery story it could be the moment the detective reveals who the killer is – in a romantic comedy it could be the moment that the couple realize that their one true love has been right in front of them all along – in a horror story it might be the moment that the protagonist is finally rescued from the supernatural forces besetting them – in a thriller it could be the moment that the protagonist finally triumphs over the seemingly undefeatable villain.
The climax answers the thematic question the reader has been desperately waiting for in this moment of unmatched suspense.
In other words, the climax is not necessarily the moment where the protagonist gets what they want, but it is where they get what they need – they understand something about themselves and/or the world that they didn’t understand previously. And in getting what they need, it becomes possible for them to get what they want, but only if what they want still ‘belongs’ in their life.
For example, in the film, It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey wants to leave Bedford Falls so he can have a wonderful life, but by the end of the film he realizes that his life has value because he has saved the town. In the end he no longer has a desire to leave, because he has reframed his relationship to his desire.
The climax is usually played out by a confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist where the conflict gets “resolved,” whether the protagonist succeeds or fails in their pursuit. (But this is not always the case – remember, the battle scene is an internal battle for the protagonist between what they want and what they need. )
The word “climax” originates from the Greek word “Klimax” meaning ladder.
It is used in relation to literature in Gustav Freyag’s Pyramid in which he lays out five main sections of story – Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
As you can see, he places the climax as the central peak of the story. While he is right in that the climax is the highest point of the story – it is not the ending – it is the moment that results in a tipping into the falling action, the climax typically occurs about 90% of the way into a story.
If the climax occurs too soon, it is likely tension was not properly built and the resolution will be too long for the readers to remain engaged. If it occurs too late in the story, there is little space for wrapping up loose ends, resulting in an unresolved feeling for the reader. Like we discussed in falling action, sometimes this abrupt ending is intentional, especially in genres like thrillers and horror. However, in most cases, the author wants their reader to have a satisfied feeling at the end of their story.
After spending hours investing in the story, a reader expects a pay off. The climax doesn’t have to mean the protagonist was successful or the events are all butterflies and roses. It just has to be a crucial moment where tension pops and the characters are forced to move towards resolving the dramatic question that was built in the first act.
Examples of Compelling Climatic Moments
Atticus Finch prevails and Tom Robinson is declared guilty by the jury in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Winston and Julia are captured by the Thought Police for torture and brainwashing in George Orwell’s 1984.
Katniss and Peeta live to fight another day by threatening to eat the poisonous berries together in Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games.
These are powerful, surprising, and unforgettable climactic moments in literature that stay with you.
The climax is the moment in the story where everything comes together – for better or worse. Everything in your protagonist’s journey has been leading them inexorably toward this moment, and whether your reader is surprised, furious, elated, or undone, it’s the piece of the story you just can’t put down. In fact, the key to writing an unforgettable climax, is that it is both a total surprise, yet also utterly inevitable.
What is the purpose of the Climax?
The main goal of the climax is to release the tension that was being built up throughout the story, by resolving the protagonist’s dilemma.
Climax is an essential part to any novel, screenplay, or memoir as it is the moment the bigger picture is revealed to both the protagonist and the reader. Without a climax, a story runs the risk of being merely episodic, a series of events where the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.
This moment of revelation is what brings purpose to the events that preceded the climax. It shows that the conflicts and challenges the protagonist has been facing weren’t all for nothing. It’s the moment that pushes the protagonist to take a stand in their changed worldview.
However the events of the story play out, they are forced to face the beliefs they once held and decide whether or not to face the world as they see it now. The character’s true development is challenged and revealed through the dramatic build of the climax.
How to create a powerful climax
The fear of any writer is to write an anticlimactic story, literally. The last thing a writer wants is for their readers to get to the peak of their story and think “that’s it?” The pressure of writing a good climax can be stifling but there are a few key things to help write a satisfying climax.
A good climax relies on a proper building of the stakes. Throughout the story, the protagonist should be going through events that are challenging their physical, mental, and/or emotional state in a way that makes the climax feel like life or death. A consistent rise of tension leads to readers holding their breath as the climax unravels.
The climax should also challenge the protagonist and emphasize the overall theme of the story.
The protagonist has been challenged throughout the story to face the life they lived before. They often aren’t able to identify their true desire until this moment of unavoidable confrontation occurs.
Whatever the event is, it should force your characters to face both their internal and external dilemmas so they are required to make a decision on how they will now proceed with their life. This finalization of a character’s development is what brings a reader’s emotional investment and the overall impact of the theme to a satisfying landing.
While it is many writer’s goal to surprise their readers, keeping them from guessing the ending, the climax still needs to be consistent and believable in relation to the rest of the story. There should be a form of surprise but it doesn’t always have to be fireworks. Sometimes a subtle twist of fate is all your story needs to leave a lasting impact. When you go to write your climactic moment, remember to honor the story you are writing. Don’t force a moment that is not meant to be there for the sake of a “wow” factor.
A Deux Ex machina (also known as an ‘Act of God’) moment will take the air out of the balloon because the ending is not germane to the rules of the world that the author has established.
Your secret weapon in writing the climax
The key to the climax of a well told story is to remember that the ending is often bittersweet. It isn’t sweet. The protagonist must pay a price for their transformation. It costs them something. We must lose our innocence in order to gain wisdom. (The Great Gatsby). Growing up and becoming responsible means the death of our youth (Knocked Up). We must accept our ordinariness in order to become special (LadyBird).
Ask yourself, “What is the difficult choice my protagonist must make between what they want and what they need?” By exploring this question, you will discover that ‘character suggests plot’ – that it is less about the choice your protagonist makes, but about why they make this choice that provides your climactic moment with meaning.
When you connect to the bittersweetness of your ending, you will tap into the emotional catharsis that makes your story universally relatable.
For more guidance on creating a compelling climax, check out Story Day, my one-day workshop that will take you on a deep dive into creating a compelling narrative that leads your story to a powerful climatic conclusion
Story: A Journey of Self-Discovery