The best step in the plot of any story i s known as the "climax."
According to Wikipedia, the climax is the point of greatest intensity or force or the highest point of tension in the turning point of a story. The steps leading up to the climax should build strong expectation or suspense in the reader.
The word choices a writer uses in building up to the climax will determine the impact of the climax on the reader and the storyline. If a writer fails in this regard, the reader will miss the opportunity to love your work.
If the steps before the climax fail, this is the point that most readers will push your book aside and choose another one. This is a very important step to keep your reader engaged to the v ery end of the story. Each step, therefore, should be tightly woven and unfold in logical order even if your character or story line takes an exciting twist, it should be believeable.
Some tips for connecting your climax to the rise of action and exposition steps (See previous posts) are:
1) Know clearly in advance what the main character's "conflict" will be;
2) How does the conflict relate to the "theme?;"
3) Determine what the turning point will be for your character to solve the conflict;
4) Don't waste unnecessary time and words building the suspense;
5) Write it out on your note cards or outline (do not trust it to memory because you will lose the emotion as the writer which will be reflected in your character;
6) Whatever the conflict will be, it should be at its worst during the climax;
7) If you drag it out too much, you will lose the reader and if you put too many "climaxes" in your story, you w ill exhaust the reader - therefore losing them;
8) Every writer has a different style of balancing their story. It takes practice by way of edits. Spend the required time you need to balance your story and not rush through the process to publish;
9) Likewise, fight for your character with editors. While there may be some grammar or punctuation errors, you have to stay true to your character by defending them. Editors may not pick up on the full persuasion of your character and may suggest "harmful" changes to the story line;
10) Remember that during the climax, your main character should be thinking of ways to solve his or her conflict. This is material for you to play with for the next step, too.
If you go back to last week and pull out your "triangle," the climax should be at the very tip of the top of the triangle. This diagram will also allow you to see your rising action and exposition and knit a strong climax.
You should also be able to glance down the other side of the triangle to plan how to bring your story to a close. I will talk more about that n ext week.
So, in going back over our dear FRiend, Zora. we have the exposition that takes place during the days of sharecropping. We have two characters who desire something better. Some good qustions to ponder is where will these characters go for soething better? What will they do to get there? How will they get there? Once they get there, will they find something better? How? Why?
These questions are easy to answer with short responses. However, because you are creating meat for your story, you should be answering with specific details, descriptions, action words, events, other characters who will encounter the main characters, character relationships, scenery, dialogue between characters, and even sub-plots that will all contribute to your theme somehow.
For example, if your theme is love, sub-plot could be how minor characters feel hatred about a person, place, or thing. This strategy willallow your main character to strongly represent love because he or she will be in strong contrast to the sub-plot.
Ok, this should have you wondering creatively about your story for a minute or two. Don't limit yourself and your possibilities. This will show up in your story. If you have writer's block with connecting your steps in your plot, take a short break, take a walk and watch how other people are interacting, listen to your favorite genre and even your least favorite genre of music, flip through the magazines at check-out stands with an eye for sceneries (both local and other regions), don't forget about furniture stores and period clothes such as goodwill stores, vintage shops, or the salvation army -- just looking and taking notes.
If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me at Swaggie86@aol.com!
See ya next week,
Swaggie Coleman
Swaggie Coleman is exclusively published by Levine-Oliver Publisher. Visit Swaggie's Voice at
http://swaggiecoleman.blogspot.com
Posted By: agnes levine
Saturday, February 6th 2010 at 10:46AM
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