Today, we’re looking at the Climax of a Positive Change Arc. This is where everything comes to a head, and where all of the main conflict is resolved.

So, your MC has entered the Third Act. He’s rejected the Lie, and chosen the Truth. But, from a physical standpoint, he’s still trapped in some way. The external conflict has not yet been resolved… the antagonist still needs to be defeated.

In between the Third Plot Point and the Climax, you might want to have a bit of set-up. As I’ll mention later, you’ll want to gather your supporting characters together and bring things in for the grand finale.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Charlotte helps Will escape from the prison ship. Having discovered that Charles Kemp wants to blow up the Continental Congress, they head to Philadelphia, where Will dashes off to try to save the city.

In “In Time of Need,” Tad wakes up the next morning to Mr. Beasley shaking him. Mr. Beasley then drags Tad back to the factory to sign the papers for Sterling Sinclair, the lawyer.

So now, this is where the Climax comes in. Let’s take a look at a few things to include in your story’s Climax:

1. The location

While your Climax might involve a chase scene or multiple sites, you’ll want to choose one main location where the showdown with the antagonist—as well as the Climatic Moment—takes place.

This location doesn’t have to be a previously-visited place, but it does need to make sense. So whether it’s the MC’s childhood home, the antagonist’s hideout, or some kind of symbolic location, make sure that you’re not just picking a random spot for your Climax.

In “Beyond the Mask,” the main part of the Climax takes place on Windmill Island, which is where Charles Kemp’s plans are going to come to a head.

In “In Time of Need,” the Climatic Moment happens at Beasley’s Tenement House, where the story began. Since there weren’t very many locations in this story, to begin with, I chose to use an existing one rather than something totally new.

2. Gather the characters together

Like I said before, you’ll want all of your main supporting characters to be present for the Climax. So start gathering them up early on in the Third Act so that, by the time they get to the Climatic Moment (which we’ll talk about later), everyone is there that needs to be.

This is especially important when you have supporting characters who are undergoing their own character arcs since they will need to have their own, mini Climatic Moments during the Climax.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Basil (Kemp’s right-hand man) kidnaps Charlotte and brings her to Windmill Island. Meanwhile, Will discovers wires in the basement of the hall where Congress is meeting. He decides to follow the wires to their source, meaning that he, too, is en route to the primary location for the Climax.

In “In Time of Need,” Tad runs away from Mr. Beasley’s office (again), and goes to the church to ask for help from Reverend Sheppard. From there, he and the reverend go to the tenement house, where Ava is. Meanwhile, Mr. Beasley interrogates the other factory children to find out where Tad went. Finally, they also head to the tenement house, with a very confused Mr. Sinclair following behind.

3. Bring back elements

The Climax is the perfect place for all of the symbolic, foreshadowed elements from earlier in the story. It could be anything from a scene, a line of dialogue, or a prop. Whatever it is, make sure to use elements and memorable moments from your story to their full potential.

In “Beyond the Mask,” an example of this is when Charlotte helps Will escape from the prison ship, jumping in the water so he’ll save her. This scene wouldn’t be nearly as effective if the audience didn’t know that Charlotte can’t swim—which was shown in a scene during the First Act.

In “In Time of Need,” the location of the Climax itself is a flashback to earlier scenes in the tenement house.

4. Action

While there are definitely stories without any action scenes in them, most books or movies will have a small amount of action. The Climax is where this action is going to be displayed to its full potential. After all, when you think of a Climax, you usually think of a chase scene, a battle, or a showdown.

Action plays a big part in many Climaxes, so it’s important for you to decide exactly how much action you want to use, and how you want to use it. Action can help with symbology, and can also further emphasize the internal conflict.

Depending on how much action you use in your Climax, the pacing of your story may also change. While the rest of the story maybe took place over a few weeks, the Climax might happen in a matter of hours.

In “Beyond the Mask,” there’s a lot of action during the Climax, including a sword fight. However, all of that takes second place to the true internal conflict that’s going on.

In “In Time of Need,” there isn’t much action besides Tad’s run from the factory to the church.

5. Tie up loose ends

As I said before, any supporting characters with their own character arcs will need their own, mini Climatic Moment. So, at some point during the Climax, you’ll want to make sure that they fulfill their own arc’s needs—whether that be embracing or displaying the Truth, or being destroyed by the Lie.

Also, any subplot relationships will need to be tied up. Enemies can become friends, friends can become enemies, and anything in between.

In “Beyond the Mask,” the only other subplot is Charlotte. Since she’s a Flat Arc, she displays the Truth numerous times throughout the Climax. She stands up to her uncle, stands up for Will, and even gets a little taste of the action elements.

In “In Time of Need,” there aren’t really any subplots or other character arcs because it’s a short story.

6. The antagonist

It should go without saying that your antagonist will be represented in the Climax. After all, the Climax is where all of the conflict—both internal and external—is resolved. But writers often have questions about minor antagonists and their place in the Climax.

Basically, you want your MC to face off with the antagonists in their order of importance. First the minions, then the sidekick, then the big boss. That way you save the best for the Climactic Moment.

When your MC finally reaches the antagonist, this is where things will finally come to a head. The antagonist is going to throw everything he’s got at the MC—both physically, and otherwise. He’s going to use his best weapons and pull every trick in the book. He’ll also throw all of the MC’s past in his face; he knows exactly where it hurts, and he’ll hit that spot as hard as he can.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Will fights off the soldiers above ground, as well as Mr. Harrison. He then comes below ground to the lair beneath the windmill, where he fights off Basil fairly easily. But when he comes face to face with Kemp, things get more complicated. Will ends up getting both electrocuted and grazed with a sword blade.

In “In Time of Need,” Tad and Reverend Sheppard rescue Ava, only to be discovered by Mr. Beasley, who arrives with the factory children in tow.

7. The Truth

This is really what it comes down to. The conflict goes much deeper than fist-fights and swords. Ultimately, this is the showdown between the Truth and the Lie. While the MC already rejected the Lie and embraced the Truth at the Third Plot Point, this is their time to show that to the world.

When all is said and done, the MC will be left with one final choice—often at the seeming expense of something very precious to them. But they don’t believe in the Lie anymore… they believe in the Truth. And, so, acting upon that Truth, they save the day and defeat the antagonist. This point in the story is called the Climatic Moment.

This proclamation of the Truth either allows the MC to gain their Need (if they haven’t gained it at the Third Plot Point already) or to demonstrate their possession of the Need.

Remember the Characteristic Moment at the beginning of the story? That was when the MC demonstrated their undying loyalty to their Lie. Well, in a sense, the Climatic Moment is their new Characteristic Moment… this is where they show who they have become and what they’ve come to believe.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Kemp knocks out Charlotte. Meanwhile, Will realizes that the only way to stop the detonation is by pulling the wires. But doing that would mean certain death. Kemp knows this well, and appeals to Will with the Lie: “You have made your fortune doing exactly what I have asked you to do. I know you. This isn’t what you want.”

Will replies by saying, “You’re right, Mr. Kemp. This isn’t what I want. But I’m not in business for myself any longer.” Then he lunges towards the wires. But Kemp—preparing to finish Will off with a sword—gets there first. And, unfortunately for him, he doesn’t miss. His sword cuts the wires, electrocuting him instantly.

In “In Time of Need,” Tad allows Mr. Sinclair and Reverend Sheppard to help him by sorting things out and standing up to Mr. Beasley.

(Note: This Climax is a little weak, as the MC himself doesn’t have as much control over the Climatic Moment as he should have.)

8. Fulfill expectations

Overall, no matter the direction and approach your Climax takes, you want to remember to fulfill your reader’s expectations. Even if they didn’t see a twist coming, they should feel more satisfied than shocked when the twist is revealed.

So take the best elements of your story, and use them in your Climax. This is not only the grand finale for both the plot and the character arc… it’s also the grand finale of your book. You want to hit your readers with the biggest explosion of imagery yet.

If you’ve done the setup right, your readers have been looking forward to this moment for a long time, so make sure not to disappoint them.

Here are a few more Climaxes for you to consider:

1. Jesus dies; Judah’s mother and sister are healed (“Ben-Hur”)

2. Carl saves Russell and the bird, with the help of Dug; he defeats Charles Muntz (“Up”)

3. George prays to get his life back; the townspeople rally to raise money for him (“It’s a Wonderful Life”)

4. Joy escapes the memory dump; she and Sadness work together to stop Riley from running away (“Inside Out”)

Comment below your favorite story’s Climax!