The Writers Guide To Writing

Climax

Ah, the climax. The peak of the story. The whole point of the build up.

What if I told you, no?

Unless you're writing a short story or a one shot, having just one continuous  build up to the main plot point of a story is very boring.

I'm sure most of you have done that weird curve mountain thing in school where you start at the bottom and work your way up the curve to the climax and then down to the end.

But, you know mountains aren't all smooth right? There are parts of the mountain that suddenly crumble away, parts where you get stuck or hurt, parts where you think you can't go any further, even on the way down.

I present to you, the plot twists.

Plot twists are great, they keep the story alive and interesting, they add drama and romance and heart ache to the main scene. Plot twists are amazing.

What I like to do is draw that same basic mountain that we did back in school and plot where my character starts, what the main purpose of their journey is (at the mountain peak) and where I want them to be at the end. Then, I rub out the smooth line between the start and middle and add between 3-7 jagged points (depending on the length of your story).

At each point, create an event, a small side story that makes your characters journey more interesting or introduces someone new. Give each subplot 2/3 chapters to really develop those ideas and fit it back into the main plot.

Now you have a much more exciting build up with bumps along the way to keep your readers hooked.

Next, erase the smooth curve from the peak to end and add 1-3 (again, depending on the length of your story) jagged bumps to your curve and create more subplots. I find this so just more realistic because your character has to deal with the aftermath of the climax and that may not always be easy but it could provide you with more room for a few last minute plot twists, especially if you want to create a sequel.

The main point here is that your climax should not be the only plot running through your story if it's a long one. Add subplots to keep writers engaged and to add some sauce to your stories.

All of you writing short stories won't really have this problem. 1 or 2 sub plots can help to add some twists if your story is a bit on the longer side, but you can mostly milk one really good plot line for the whole of  a short story.

Happy planning!

Love, Orange

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