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 falling action?
After the excitement of the run up to the climax, a classic story will have a time when the tension falls. There will still be things that take place, but they will be low stakes in comparison to what led to that point. Think of it as cleaning up after a party.
Why does it matter?
In an action story, there is often a very short moment of falling action because the focus has been on the action itself. In literature and classic stories, the focus has been not only on the action but also on character development. Now that the dramatic moment has happened and the tension is broken, the falling action gives the characters and the readers a chance to take stock of where they are and what they’ve learned or how they’ve changed.
Some examples
In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the tension is broken when it is revealed that the wizard is an ordinary man. In the moments that follow, Dorothy talks about what she has learned as each of her friends receives recognition for/ proof of what they thought they lacked. In Frindle by Andrew Clements, Nick learns the outcome of his of frindle in place of pen.
Help your child practice
Make up a story with your child that has plenty of action. Keep raising the stakes until the climax pops the tension. Then walk you child through the falling action with a series of questions designed to bring the rising action and climax into perspective.
Bottom Line
The falling action is an essential part of a story. It is in these scenes that the meaning of all that came before is made clear for the reader.