For a story to “work,” it needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. If we don’t start somewhere, we won’t be able to build momentum. If we don’t have a middle, we’ll get off to a start and then arrive at the end without preparation. If we don’t have an ending, we’ll be left wondering what happened. Each of those parts – beginning, middle, ending – are part of the story structure. Another way to describe it is with the plot diagram: Exposition, Inciting Incident, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement/Resolution.
What is the climax?
The climax of a narrative is the moment that the tension breaks. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint it exactly because several things happen at once; whether you view the climax as a close sequende of events or a blinding flash, it is unmistakable when the climax occurs.
Why does it matter?
The climax matters because everything before that point has been leading to that moment. If the tension never broke, it would become unbearable to continue on.
Some examples
In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the tension mounts until the moment that Dorothy sees that there is no magic about the wizard. The climax of The Giver by Lois Lowry occurs when Jonas learns what it truly means to “release” someone. In The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, the tension mounts as the cat makes ever-grander claims. When he falls off the ball, the tension is broken.
Help your child practice
Tell you child a story where the stakes are raised and araised and raised again. Ask your child to clap their hands as hard as they can when you reach the climax of the story. Then ask why they chose that moment. When you’ve done that several times, ask your child to tell you a story where the stakes are raised, and raised, and raised. When the reach the climax, ask them to clap their hands as hard as they can.
Bottom Line
Part of learning about story is enjoying the process. By taking the time to practice each step with your child, you’ll help them to find the fun in story struture. That, in turn, will develop and sharpen their narrative skills.