The climax scene is where you get to shine as an author. Every word you've written up to this point will pay off.
Ideally, you've built your story up to the climax with rising action, and now the climax scene (or scenes) will have the highest level of conflict, the greatest tension, or the most devastating emotional upheaval.
Up to this point there has been no scene as intense as the climax scene.
I read a book where the most intense scene occurred at the midpoint. A woman trapped in a car was slowly being submerged. The scene was wonderfully written and had me turning the pages. The book could have ended there. If I'd stopped reading there, I would have left the book feeling satisfied.
Unfortunately, I had no idea the climax would be disappointing compared to the midpoint scene. The climax was less tense and less emotionally satisfying. The author built up the expectation by putting a ripper of a scene in the middle of the book and couldn't keep the excitement rising. I felt let down at the end.
The protagonist must be in your climax scene, or you risk alienating your reader. The protagonist should face the biggest obstacle in the story and determine their own fate.
Famous Climax Scenes
Note: there are story spoilers, so don't read this section if you want to read the book or see the movie.
Gone Girl: Nick plans to reveal Amy to the world. He thinks he has the upper hand until she tells him she's pregnant. To protect his unborn child, he'll never be able to leave Amy.
The Martian: Mark is finally at the moment where he launches his spaceship so he can intercept with the crew on the Hermes. Tension rises when his ship doesn't have the range to reach the Hermes and he has to pierce his space suit to propel himself to the Hermes.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Harry, Ron, and Hermione must protect the Philosopher's Stone from (they think) Snape. They want to stop Snape from giving the stone to Voldemort. Ron sacrifices himself during the climax, and Harry faces the final confrontation alone.
Twilight: Bella gets injured by James as she tries to save her mother. Edward fights to save Bella.
Placement Of The Climax
The climax should happen somewhere around 90% into your novel. This is a guide so you can check you're not writing too much before or after the climax.
If the climax occurs too early in your story, the reader may get impatient with a long resolution and skim to the end.
If the climax appears too late, the resolution may lack depth and the reader finishes the story without being satisfied.
Resolution
This is everything that happens after the climax. This is the time to give the reader an emotional resolution as well as tie up any loose ends.
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Story Edit Like A Pro
Non-FictionAfter reading this guidebook, you'll have a method for ensuring that your story is well-told, well-paced, and highly effective. You'll be guided through the process of reviewing your story, scene-by-scene, until it works. We won't focus on copy-edi...
