How to Draft a Killer Story Climax

The climax moment of your story is everything. It’s Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy making up (+ making out). It’s Katniss and Peeta agreeing to eat the poison berries. It’s Jon Snow choosing between his brother’s war and his Night’s Watch vows…

It’s the scene of highest emotion, the point where everything comes together, the crux when your story delivers its message. No pressure… 😅

But what if I told you there’s a sure-fire way to nail your story’s ending?

All you have to do is start with character.

We read stories for character. We love sinking into the experience of someone who is desperately striving to achieve or obtain something, but can’t do so until because of their internal demons. These characters are engaging, compelling, and relatable. They’re real.

At the end of these characters’ stories, they face a climax moment decision—that big BANG moment when the plot twists, forcing them to make a really difficult choice between who they used to be and what they used to believe, and the person they’ve become as a result of their journey through the story. The consequences of this decision prove the story’s point: the message the author is sharing with the world.

If you’re ready to end your book with a powerful bang, and feel confident writing it because you KNOW it works, follow these steps to develop your story’s climax moment—with Pride and Prejudice, The Hunger Games, and A Game of Thrones as examples to lead the way.

1. Nail down your Story Point.

All transformational stories have points—specific messages the author is sharing with the world, specific commentary on how they see the world. Your character’s journey, and the lesson the plot forces them to learn, will prove your Story Point. Knowing your point from the get go is critical, because it shapes all your decisions.

Pride and Prejudice: Love can overcome the obstacles of class.

The Hunger Games: There are goals more worthy and more important than simply surviving.

A Game of Thrones: There is no place for honor in the game of power.

WHAT TO DO: Make sure you know your Story Point before you move on! If you don’t have one yet, check out our blog What’s your point? to develop yours.

2. Use the Story Point to develop your character’s Internal Obstacle.

In your story, your character needs external goals, stakes for those goals, and plot obstacles to challenge—as well as internal goals, stakes for those goals, and most importantly a false belief that’s getting in their way. This is their Internal Obstacle. It’s the crux to your character’s arc AND your story’s plot.

Your character’s Internal Obstacle is the lie, misbelief, or worldview that they need to overcome in order to achieve their goals. It should be just as succinct as your story point, a single one-line belief your character needs to overcome. Your character might think their problems are external, but until they overcome this specific false belief, they cannot succeed (in a tragedy, or negative character arc, they fail to overcome it).

This Internal Obstacle needs to be in direct conflict with your Story Point.

Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennett is a poor woman who refuses to marry for anything except love. She’s proud of her family, and a bit arrogant in her pride in herself. Elizabeth’s Internal Obstacle is her belief that ‘money makes people self centered and arrogant’—which is in direct contrast the Story Point that love can overcome class.

The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen has dedicated her whole life to providing for her sister and mother in a dismal, destitute district of an oppressive regime. Katniss’s Internal Obstacle is her belief that ‘survival, of self and of family, is the only reasonable goal.’—which is in direct contrast the Story Point that there are more important goals than mere survival.

A Game of Thrones: Each point-of-view character in A Game of Thrones is in conversation with the story’s point in different ways. We’re going to focus on Jon Snow. In Book 1, Jon Snow is living in the shame of being a bastard son. His Internal Obstacle is his belief that ‘you must gain honor by gaining power and glory’—which is in direct contrast to the Story Point that there’s no place for honor in power.

WHAT TO DO: What beliefs can you think of that are in direct contrast to your Story Point? Several may that come to mind. List them out and consider which one is the most succinct, holds the greatest emotional impact and stakes, and will provide your character with the most difficult struggle. This false belief will become the Internal Obstacle your main character battles continuously until the climax moment, when they have to prove if they’ve overcome it or not.

3. Use your character’s Internal Obstacle to map your story’s climax decision.

At your story’s climax moment, your main character will prove your Story Point by making a big decision with powerful consequences. At the beginning of your story, your character should firmly believe in their Internal Obstacle. Throughout the story, that Internal Obstacle should hold them back, leading them to make bad decisions in the pursuit of their goals, until they fail so badly they HAVE to admit that they are the thing that needs to be changed—they need to shed their Internal Obstacle belief. But words are cheap, right? They think they’ve changed when they step into Act Three. They think they’ve learned the Story Point, but it’s not until the climax moment, when they face an unexpected HARD choice between who they used to be (their Internal Obstacle) and who they are now (the Story Point), that they get the chance to prove whether or not they’ve truly changed.

Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Bennett spends her story judging Mr. Darcy (and jumping to conclusions about his actions) because of his wealth. When Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy secretly intervened to save her family’s reputation after her sister shamed them, she realizes she was wrong about him. Her Internal Obstacle belief that money begets arrogance made her prideful and prohibited her from seeing his true kindness. When Elizabeth faces Darcy again, she must choose between standing her ground and protecting her pride in herself and her family, or apologizing to him and thanking him for what he did. There is great risk in this decision, because she doesn’t know if he will forgive her or shame her. She puts her heart on the line. In the end, Darcy professes his enduring love, and Elizabeth accepts his proposal, proving the Story Point that love can overcome class.

The Hunger Games: When Katniss’s sister is chosen for a competitive fight to the death Katniss volunteers in her place. Her Internal Obstacle belief that survival is the only worthy goal leads her to try and survive in the Games on her own, without any friends or allies among the other competitors. After a young girl who reminds her of her sister dies, Katniss realizes that there are more important things than survival. But it’s not until the climax moment, when the Gamemakers tell her and her friend Peeta that only one of them can survive, that she’s tested. Rather than kill Peeta (as he asks her to) and go home to her family, Katniss suggests they both sacrifice themselves in rebellion against the regime. The Gamemakers stop them and allow them both to win, and the move sparks rebellion across the country, proving the Story Point that there are more important goals than mere survival.

A Game of Thrones: At the beginning of his story, Jon joins the Night’s Watch, a group of men who protect the continent from evils to the north. Throughout the story, Jon strives (and fails) to gain his honor back by pursuing glory and prestige in the Watch’s ranks. Then, at the end, Jon is forced to choose between abandoning his oaths to the Night’s Watch to join his brother in a war to become King (upholding his Internal Obstacle belief that honor comes from glory), or staying to help the Night’s Watch in a thankless battle to protect the continent (learning the honor and glory aren’t the same). He chooses to stay, forfeiting his chance at glory in exchange for finally gaining honor, proving the Story’s Point that there is no room for honor in the game for power.

NOTE: All of these stories have ‘positive’ character arcs. In a negative character arc, such as in a tragedy, the character often learns the truth about their Internal Obstacle, but is unable to make the right choice in the climax moment. In this case, the character’s failure to overcome their inner obstacle, and the negative consequences of that failure, prove the Story Point.

WHAT TO DO: Given that your Story Point and your character’s Internal Obstacle are now at odds, design a climax decision that pits your character against both. Consider how you can make this decision as difficult as possible. Give the choice stakes no matter what your character chooses. This is your story’s climax moment!