There may be contentions as to the question of “what is the best part of a story?”. Some may say the climax, others the beginning, and others, the resolution. These are all integral parts of how a story is built, but I think that one stands out as being the most important…and, more specifically, the most fun.
In my opinion, this is what makes the best part of a story. It both defines the story and is extremely fun to write. Fun to read, fun to write. Odds are, the more fun you have in creating this part, the better it will be. If you slog through this part, it kinda nullifies the whole point of the story.
But what exactly is this oh-so-important part? I thought you’d never ask. The best part of the story is…*cue drumroll*…
Ah, but from by wording there, you probably could have guessed it. What do all stories have? What is another word for the part that comes as part of the *big reveal*? You can almost hear the drumroll in it. This comes part-and-parcel with the resolution of the story, but isn’t the same as the end. Plus, I’ve foreshadowed a bit by mentioning it in a past paragraph.
Can you guess what it is?
That’s right: I’m talking about the climax. (cue Dumbo lines) If you think about it, the entire story is built around the climax. It is your story’s finest hour. It isn’t quite the confrontation between good and evil (although that usually follows right on the heels), and it isn’t the ending. It’s the darkest part of the night that comes before dawn.
If you’re anything like me, you can either get excited near the climax or you get over-sloppy. Perhaps both, which is what I do most of the time. However, usually you have a plan to spring or a card to play in what will turn out to be the final conflict of the story, so you might want to hurry up and bang the surprise because you lack the patience.
Or, sometimes you get caught up in writing the story like a fan gets caught up in a well-liked TV series. This has happened to me before: instead of binge-watching the story to see how it turns out, you go on an incredibly unhealthy “binge-writing” session to see how you can iron the story out.
I know how I said “unhealthy”, but the feeling is almost identical to the kid who sits in the lap of a parent, listening with eyes wide to hear the end of the thrilling story. The same feeling occurs when you can’t wait to watch the final episode of a great series, or play the last mission in a great video game story.
“Unhealthy”? I only say that because you neglect to feed yourself or pay attention to those around you. The thrill of writing the climax actually supercharges your will to write, resulting in a “I gotta see the end” mentality. It’s not like you desperately want to get to the end like so many math problems, but you want to see the resolution of the story. Badly.
However, this isn’t the case with everyone, or with every story. I’ve had projects that I would put off the end to, because they were simply too dull to write. I think you can see my problem: the climax was poorly planned and badly written, so I didn’t even want to finish it. Or, simply, you could just have a laziness attack and put off the end of the story, even if it is well-written.
Your goal is to have fun with the climax. Of course, you could always go back and rewrite parts that weren’t as good, but that burning desire to write is always good. As long as you’re having fun with the climax, that just goes to show that you enjoyed writing it. If you enjoyed writing it as much as that, I’ll bet my teeth that there are people out there who would enjoy it just as much to read it.
So, here are a few of my tips: come prepared. Bring a battle plan. You don’t have to write it down or anything, but at least square away what you want to do with the ending of the story. It can be a vague idea, and I would advise that you leave room for deviation: sticking like glue to a plan and not being able to make amendments will result in a boring climax.
Other than that, just don’t think too much. If you overanalyze the situation, your inspiration will leave you like a popped balloon. Focus on writing, and about where the story will go next. Poke your skills in writing into corners that look fun and see what changes you can make before the end.
Most of all, have fun. I have always told people who ask me why I write: I write because writing is fun. Sure, it’s hard, but who says hard things can’t be fun? I write for myself, and if others want to read my book, then so be it.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Be sure to check out my latest novel, Book 1 in the Praetors of Lost Magic Series, and our Publications page. Until then, writers!
The Writer's Rack 