Developing Your Story Climax: Quick #Writing tips for #KidLit or any #amwriting

I hope these quick writing tips helps you jumpstart your writing!
This series on Developing Ideas  is excerpted from You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers . Get the book if you want to see all the info at once. The book addresses writing stories for children, but if you want to write for adults, simply do the exercises ignoring the "as a child" part.
Two weeks ago I talked about “Building a Story in Four Parts.” Last week we discussed developing the middle in more detail. Now let's explore the climax and ending.
Can She Do It?! – The Story ClimaxYour character has faced complications through the middle of the story. Finally, at the climax, the main character must succeed or fail. Time is running out. The race is near the end. The girl is about to date another guy. The villain is starting the battle. 
One way or another, your complications have set up a situation where it’s now or never. However you get there, the climax will be strongest if it is truly the last chance. You lose tension if the reader believes the main character could fail this time, and simply try again tomorrow.
Writing Tips for The Climax• Don’t rush the climax. Take the time to write the scene out in vivid detail, even if the action is happening fast. Think of how movies switch to slow motion, or use multiple shots of the same explosion, in order to give maximum impact to the climax. Use plenty of dramatic detail and your main character’s thoughts and feelings to pull every bit of emotion out of the scene.
• To make the climax feel fast-paced, use mainly short sentences and short paragraphs. The reader’s eyes move more quickly down the page, giving a sense of breathless speed. (This is a useful technique for cliffhanger chapter endings as well.)
Stop back next week for advice on Happy Endings.


Get More Writing AdviceChris Eboch is the author of over 60 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Her writing craft books include You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers , and Advanced Plotting .
Her novels for ages nine and up include  The Eyes of Pharaoh , a mystery in ancient Egypt;  The Well of Sacrifice , a Mayan adventure;  The Genie’s Gift , a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with  The Ghost on the Stairs . Learn more at https://chriseboch.com/ or her Amazon page.