Spotting the Climax

The climax is the moment where the conflict comes to a head and something must change.

The climax is the turning point, the moment of greatest tension where the main character finally faces the conflict head-on. After the climax, the story can't go back to how it was. Readers often feel it as the part where they can't stop turning pages. To find it, ask: 'When is the conflict finally decided? ' Here's an example.

Marco has been afraid to tell his best friend that he accidentally lost her library book. For days he avoids her. Then, at lunch, she asks him about it directly. Marco takes a deep breath and tells the truth. That's the climax, the moment his inner conflict is decided. Notice it's not the final page. After it, we still learn how his friend reacts and how they fix the problem together.

• 1The climax is the turning point of greatest tension.
• 2It's when the conflict is finally faced and decided.
• 3The climax usually comes before the very end.