Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [climax]

Questions about the point at which the conflict is worst. A climax is the final struggle between your protagonist and the forces arrayed against him or her.

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Antagonist that remains unknown

In genre fiction, the antagonist is usually either known throughout the book or revealed before the end, so that protagonist and antagonist can battle it out during climax. What I am wondering is, how can a story work out, if the antagonist remains…
user5645
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Does the hero have to defeat the villain themselves?

I'm writing a story where the villain is a powerful crime-boss. The hero is a young woman who is forcibly recruited into his mafia and is looking for an escape. In the end, I want to have the villain be taken in by the police, but I don't want the…
R.J. D.
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Should I end my book on a major cliffhanger?

I am writing a YA fantasy series, and I'm wondering if the first book should end in a major cliffhanger. Right as the book ends, the main characters get trapped by the enemy. I'm wondering if this is too much of a cliffhanger-- would anyone want to…
AnnWithNoE
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My Conflict Doesn't End at the Climax. What can I do?

I am currently writing a short book. I've neared the end of the plot, but now I'm seeing a problem: my conflict isn't ending at the climax. The climax should always be the point where all of the problems (inner and outer) come to a head and are…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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How to deal with multiple climaxes (multiple protagonists)?

I'm writing a series, and I have two protagonists. Both are PoV characters, and both offer different viewpoints on the main conflict (an ongoing war). One is a respected general, has frequent contact with the leader of the army, and heads many…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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How should I input a "while something happened" text?

I am trying to create a children's story that explains how a dog is lost and can't find its way back home. After around 6 pages, the dog is found and rescued. I want to insert a "flashback" type of feeling, without a flashback. I was thinking…
FairOPShotgun
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Way to write rapid mental trauma

During the climax of my fantasy story, a massive, god-like creature awakens, coming straight for the characters. However, this creature has massive amounts of power on people's minds, making them hallucinate and change in emotion as well as develop…
Unhappymarshmellow
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How much falling action can follow the climax?

I'm writing an action/adventure in the same genre as Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider. I've reached the climax, where the heroes have saved their friend from death at the last moment, and the cave/tomb is about to collapse around them. Now, I have a…
whiterook6
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Are there different types of plot revelation?

In the movie Sixth Sense, the revelation was that the child knew all along that his counselor was a ghost. The same director-writer use this literary device again in the finale of the movie Unbreakable, where the crippled man in the wheelchair…
user610620
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Disappearing Protagonist

If the main character in a novel disappears at the climax of the book, never to be heard from again, would that be a frustrating experience for the reader? Details: classic three-act structure where the MC disappears at the climax, the remainder of…
Sadie
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Writing a rescue as the climax of a story?

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…
Frau_Blucher_
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Halfway done with outline with no climax

I'm currently outlining a YA dystopian/science fiction novel, with two alternating POV's, but I realized I don't really have a solid climax--which I've always known as a turning point for the characters and usually the most dramatic part of the…
mindbutterfly
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A climax where the goal is instantly achieved - Is it satisfying?

I wasn't entirely sure how to phrase the title, so if a better way to put it occurs to anyone, please feel free to edit it. Here's the situation: the goal of a novel is to get the main character - called for simplicity Steve - to make a stand for…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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How do you release significant tension in one outburst?

In my fantasy novel(very simplified version) my protagonist is a slave boy who is dragged into a crew of powerful beings because he is being hunted by the tyrant government(he is impure of blood and therefore dangerous as far as the government and…
Gregory
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How should I write two huge evil reveals in one climax?

I am only plotting my story as of right now, and I'm trying to put together a good climax. So far, A's parents were murdered by C. A is best friends with B, who actually works for C. Evil reveal #1: B is finally admits to A that she's a traitor.…
yum_kat23
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