Writing a rescue as the climax of a story?

Question

For a bit of context, early in my book one of my characters gets kidnapped and taken. The majority of the book is the others trying to find a way to rescue him and get him back while they are dodging problems of their own. The problem is whenever I read a book the climax of the story is some big battle or fight scene. There will be a bit of fighting, but the main climax of my story would be the rescue of the kidnapped character. Is this an alright climax? I don't want to bore readers with a climax that might not be exciting enough.

Answer 1

Climaxes don't have to be flashy. They have to matter to your characters.

• A high-budget special-effects knockdown-dragout fight with the biggest bad guy ever can be a lousy climax, if neither the characters nor the readers care about it. It might be spectacular. The fate of all life in the universe might depend on its' outcome, but if your POV character is trapped in a quagmire of depression and couldn't care less about the fight's outcome, then it isn't a good climax. That same character's overcoming their depression, despite the lack of special effects or explosions, is what the character and the reader ultimately care about. That emotional victory, even if it happens while the big-bad-guy wins and the world burns, is the climax and if written well, could be a pretty good one.

• In a simpler story, your POV character might finally build up the courage to smile at a girl and she might return it with interest and approval. If the protagonist has been pining for that particular girl throughout the last hundred pages, her returned smile will knock the reader's socks off. Incredible climaxes grow from your character's interior journey.

What matters to your main characters? What are they trying to accomplish emotionally and spiritually while they are rescuing their lost friend? Are they just trying to save someone they love, or are they trying to live up to some ideal of friendship, honor or loyalty? Are they paying back some past debt to that character, or are they just following the goals that you, the author, set for them because they are obedient little automatons?

To find your story's climax, you must first know why your characters are even involved. You must know what parts of the story matters to them, because without that knowledge, how can you challenge them to the breaking point on the issue they care most about?

Know your characters and you will know your story.

Keep Writing!