How to Craft a Memorable Climax of your Character’s Arc

Hello everyone, the climax of your character's arc or A-ha moment, (A term used by YouTube author, Abbie Emmons.) Is the pivotal moment where the character recognizes a need for change and takes action. Because at the end of the day that is the primary purpose of character arcs and their climaxes. To put your character through the fires that molds them. It is this troubling climax that changes them and allows for the completion of their arc. (Side-note: if you do not know what a character arc is, fret not because I discuss them in more detail in prior posts. However, I will say it id basucally a roadmap to your character‘s change.

For a memorable character arc climax, all that has happened before must build the character and make progress in the story. So when you are in the drafting process, omit or change any portions that do not accomplish either, and keep the ones that do. That being said, for a scene to affect your character and reader, your reader must first relate to the character. I will say it over and over again, but characters are the most important part of your story. Once you have narrowed down the scenes you are choosing to keep, you can move forward with this process.

This process is an accumulation of many different methods I have learned from my own writing and others and is the method I am using right now to complete my first draft. I draw inspiration for this post from Abbie Emmons's video I will link below. I recommend checking it out and her other outlining videos. I am promoting her page mainly due to the fact it has helped me grow so much as a writer and believe it can do the same for you.

The final step in this process is to make sure the climax of your character arc varies from your plot climax. Because trust me, they are not the same thing. A character climax is a moment where a character is on the road to changing themselves according to the story or character needs. While a plot climax serves the reader’s understanding of the characters. The character climax serves your characters.

Till Next Time.

- Matt Gorrell (creator of mattgorrell.com)

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