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 rising action?
When we talk about rising action, we are talking about the events that take place after the inciting incident. The rising action is what keeps us reading – we want to know what happens after that, and after that, and after that.
Why does it matter?
If there was no rising action – no increase in tension as the story unfolds – there wouldn’t be much reason to continue reading. If Goldilocks entered the house and then sat on the step for the next four hours as the author described the way the sunlight moved across the floor, it wouldn’t be unusual for a child to decide they didn’t want to continue reading.
Some examples
Let’s take Charlotte’s Web by EB White. The story begins with Fern coming down to breakfast as she does each school day. The normal routine is disrupted and the story heads in a new direction after Fern’s dad says she can raise the tiny pig. From that moment on, the action begins to rise as Fern first gives Wilbur his name, then plays with him, and then builds him a little home. When Wilbur makes the move to Fern’s uncle’s farm, there are new characters and new tension as Wilbur is saved repeatedly by Charlotte and his new friends. Each time new trouble come ups, the tension mounts as the action rises.
Help your child practice
Rising action is a fun thing to practice. Help your child by giving them a simple event, like Sam went for ice cream with his sister. Ask them what happens next to make things more exciting. Prompt your child by suggesting that a dog ran by with its leash dragging on the sidewalk. Then what? And then what? And then what?
Bottom Line
The rising action is essential to all but the very rare story. As a reader, we care about the character and are drawn into the story more deeply as the stakes are raised through the rising action. Being able to describe a series of “what next” events to you is one way to help your child develop cause-and-effect reasoning, critical thinking, and the ability to organize information.