Pyerse Dandridge

If you are a writer or aspiring to be one, then you should know that the best part of the book is the climax. This part of the book excites your reader to the point to where they never want to stop reading. This is the part of the book that makes readers hold their breath, stop what they’re doing or even yell out, “Oh shit!” or “Damn”. The climax of the book makes it an overall great story.

According to Fiction Writing Careers, a climax is a moment of great intensity in the plot “of a literary work, generally bringing events to a head and leading to the conclusion.”

To me, a climax is what your readers constantly talk about. They spend their time talking about it to their friends, writing about it on social media and with other people that are reading the book. If done correctly, a story’s climax will be talked about more than the beginning, the characters, the overall plot, and even the resolution. I have even found that some people think they are discussing the end of a book, but it was really the action of the climax.

Can you understand why it is so important? If not, I’ll tell you. For starters, I was always taught to view your story as your reader views it. This means you should take into account your reader’s investment of time and emotion. Your audience wants a nice return on their investment just like any investor does. A powerful climax gives your audience the greatest satisfaction, which is what they want since they’re willing to invest the time to read your book.

Now that you understand, I’m sure you want some tips on making sure your story’s climax is the best it can be. I have found that in order to give your readers the perfect return of investment, your climax must be overwhelmingly satisfying. To achieve this, consider the parts leading up to the climax. The specifics about characters, environments and events should be full of details. Everything leading to the climax should be packed colorful imagery and characteristics that feels like a road with twists and turns.

Your Climax Should:

• • Be Explosive and Surprising
    Your audience should never see the twist coming. It’s no fun when your reader can spoil the surprise because the climax is cliche. This is creative writing for goodness sake, get creative!

• • Stay Within the Limitations of the Story and Settings
    If done incorrectly, this makes the climax a complete fail. It’s opposite of what you want to do. No one wants to read that a comet randomly fell from the sky and killed the masked murderer, who just happened to be the main character’s father. Cohesiveness is of the utmost importance.

• • Aid in Wrapping Up the Loose Ends
    Although the climax contains a an extravagant plot twist, it should explain some details from the beginning of the story and help to bring the story to a close. No one likes unanswered questions, well not too many of them.

• Feel as if There Would Have Been No Other Solution
  At least in the main character’s eye, there should seem as if there was only one solution. If there are multiple solutions available but you choose to have the character go in a direction that is unlikely, the reader will pick up on it. This disappointment can make your reader decide to put your book down and never pick it up again.

Once reached, the climax should feel like the ultimate plot twist. Although all parts of your book are important, I believe that this is the make or break it element that ultimately determines your book’s success or failure.

So, in the comments below, use one word to describe the best climax to you?