Falling Action | Definition, Examples & Your Secret Weapon

What happens after a story’s climactic moment – after the protagonist wins the girl, or confronts the bully, or triumphs over evil? 

The best stories keep your readers (or audience) guessing until the very end.

The screen doesn’t cut to black when Frodo throws the ring into the fire. Sauron may have been defeated but the story isn’t over.

In this article I will explain what ‘falling action’ is, and why it is an essential part of any well told story. And then I’ll give you a secret weapon to help you write a compelling denouement (falling action) that will lead to a satisfying conclusion to your story. 

What is Falling Action?

Falling action is the term used for the ending of a story. It is the section of the plot that immediately follows the climax, where the tension from the protagonist’s dilemma is resolved and the story transitions to its close.

Think of it as the calm after the storm. It differs from the conclusion as it is not the final event of the story but rather the transition stage where the author begins to tie the loose ends remaining from the big reveal of the climax. 

The term “falling action” was first coined by Gustav Freytag, a 19th century German writer, who introduced Fretag’s Pyramid. He theorized that all plots can be broken into five key stages– exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. As you can see from his pyramid, he shows that the climax is about two-thirds of the way through the narrative.

While I agree with his basic premise, I think his sense of proportion is a little off – the climax happens quite a bit later, right towards the end of the story. After the climax, the storyteller typically wants to tie up the loose ends as quickly as possible. Have you ever been to a movie where the bad guy gets killed and the story just keeps going? The audience tends to get restless and starts heading for the exit pretty quickly after the climax has occurred. 

The falling action generally takes up approximately the final 5% or so of the narrative. 

While Freytag introduced the idea of the five-stage story structure, writers over time have taken his original pyramid and adjusted it to their story’s needs. They no longer subscribe to the limited pacing of the five step story. Many have taken his structure and omitted the falling action step entirely.

How to Spot Falling Action

The climax typically resolves the protagonist’s central dilemma but doesn’t answer all of the plot questions. Falling action can be used to show the characters mending relationships, solving leftover mysteries or coming to terms with their new found understanding of their dilemma. For example, although your protagonist has changed, the world around them often remains the same. The reader wants to experience how the protagonist has adapted to their new reality within the framework of this new worldview.

Falling Action versus Conclusion

Because it is transitionary in nature, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish the falling action from the conclusion. In fact, some stories have very little falling action prior to the conclusion. Though rare, it is possible to tie up the loose ends prior to the climax, thus the climax leads directly to the conclusion of the story. 

It is more likely that the climax is followed by a falling action sequence. In The Wizard of Oz, for example, the climax occurs when Dorothy kills the Wicked Witch of the West but she is still ‘trapped’ in Oz, and doesn’t yet understand that she has held the power to get home all along. It is only in the falling action that she is led to this discover, thus allowing her to click her heels and return home. This leads to the conclusion where she discovers it was all a dream, and that  ‘there’s no place like home.’ 

Pacing

The pacing tends to slow in the falling action as the characters sift through the dust of the climax. This ultimately transitions into a final conclusion where the reader experiences the protagonist ‘returned home.’. 

Purpose of Falling Action

Depending on the type of work you are writing, your story may do better without falling action. Plot-driven stories like thrillers, mysteries, or action writings, choose to abruptly end their story after the climax occurs. They do this to leave their audience on edge, or keep them guessing and engaged for a sequel.

Within character-driven plots however, authors use falling action to bring closure to the reader. After connecting and investing into the characters’ lives, the reader craves resolution. They desire emotional relief knowing the characters they loved made it through to the other side of their journey. 

Falling Action resolves Conflict

The falling action is also used to resolve any remaining conflict. The author can use this time to tie up any loose ends, but they may also choose to leave some questions open-ended, unanswered or even ambiguous, depending on the dramatic questions that was established in the beginning of of the story.

Emphasizing Character Development

Finally, falling action emphasizes a character’s development. The final moments of the story, after the protagonist has come to terms with their new truth, shapes the reader’s overall experience and understanding of the story. As they see the aftermath of the protagonist’s journey, they begin to piece together the theme the author was conveying throughout the story. The protagonist is now entering back into the daily mundane of life but they are forever changed.

How will they handle this change?
How has what they’ve learned altered how they will live?

Falling action spends time answering these questions in order to add thematic depth and show the final transformations of the protagonist.

While not every story needs or contains a falling action, it still can have a powerful effect when used strategically. Falling action will look different depending on your theme and the style of writing you want to convey in your narrative. If you intend to write a story that leaves the audience with a feeling of satisfaction and closure, falling action is a great tool to utilize to make this happen.

Your Secret Weapon

Make a list of three negative traits for your protagonist at the beginning of your story.

• Dishonest
• Corrupt
• Withdrawn
• Paranoid
• Naive

Now write the opposite, positive quality.
Notice the dynamic arc this creates for your protagonist from the beginning to the end.

How can you make sure that you have written a compelling conclusion to your story?

Exercise #1

Ask yourself these two questions:

1. How is my protagonist relating differently to other characters at the end than they were at the beginning?

Exercise #2

1. What do they understand at the end that they didn’t understand at the beginning?

Notice how the first exercise creates a goldmine of images for what precedes your ending. This provides context for what will give you a dynamic ending. Also, remember that ‘character suggests plot.’ This means that rather than trying to figure out how to create a dynamic falling action, take a look at this exercise and notice how you can find create ways to dramatize your protagonist in this new place. 

With the second exercise, you will notice that this new understanding is going to inform your protagonist’s experience.

For more guidance on story structure, consider The 90-Day Novel, Story Day Workshop, 30-Day Outline