#Subplot in a story how to#

The dramatic structure, as we teach it at The Write Practice, consists of six elements: The climax is the second to last element of the dramatic structure. How the Climax Fits Into the Dramatic Structure So figure out what value your store is about, then tap into it and bring that value (and its opposite) into the conflict. But you only need action in an action story, and all climaxes are about values in conflict, not conflict for its own sake. Some people say you need more action in a climax, or more conflict. In other words, the climax is the moment where the core value of a story is put to the final test.

The point is, the climax changes based on the value of the story. Or if it were an adventure story, it would be the big, final, life vs. In a thriller, this wouldn’t be a proof of love scene it would be called a “hero at the mercy of a villain scene.” Or if it were a mystery, it would be “detective explains how the murder happened,” perhaps putting himself/herself into the crosshairs of the villain. Stories that follow this structure include Pride and Prejudice, Twilight, Pearl Harbor, and more.įor our purposes though, take special note of the climax, in this case the Proof of Love scene.

Denouement: The wedding, the ride off into the sunset, the happy ending, all is well, the end.

They were meant to be and one of them is going to prove it, either by driving across the country, or meeting the other in the airport, or interrupting their wedding to the rival, or saving them while sacrificing themselves, or some other dramatic way, all to show their love. Was it really meant to be? Maybe they’re better off, maybe the world is better off, if they’re apart. It begins to look like they’ll never get back together. Whatever happens, the couple separates, until. Something happens: maybe a rival from her past is introduced into mix, maybe he does something stupid, maybe she gets into danger in some extremely dangerous way, or her family turns out to be crazy. In the midst of their hatred, something changes-he does something kind of noble-and all of that hatred turns into burning attraction. The couple doesn’t know each other, but then they meet and. If you put a traditional love story on a scale between love and hatred with ignorance in between and mapped out the values, then you might find that the story goes like this: Rather, stories move based on the core value that the story is about.įor example, a love story’s core value is love, of course, which has its opposite in hatred. They don’t move through a heightened amount of conflict, although that’s part of it: more talking, more car chases, more “action.” In my article on story arcs, I talked about how stories move. Movement and change is what makes a good story good, and if the story isn’t moving for too long, there’s probably something wrong. The Climax is a Test of ValueĪll stories move. As such, it is also the moment in a story with the greatest amount of drama, action, and movement. The climax in a story is the point, usually near the end of the third act, where the value of the story is tested to its highest degree. Ready to awe your readers? Let’s get started. Click here to get The Write Structure ($5.99).

#Subplot in a story how to#

If you want to learn more about how to write a great story, you can get the book for a limited time low price. Note: this article contains an excerpt from my new book The Write Structure, which is about the hidden structures behind bestselling and award-winning stories. I’ll give examples, talk about where it fits in the dramatic structure, and share writing tips on how to write a good one. In this article, I share the definition of the climax in a story. What is the climax, though? And how do you write a good one? A good story, though, will bring together all the tension that has been building since the exposition into one perfect scene that overwhelms the audience and leaves them in awe.

If your story isn’t good, the climax will be muddled or boring. How do you tell a great story? Perhaps the best way to judge a story is by how good the climax is.