What makes for an emotionally resonant climax? In other words, what makes for a good climax?
Is it danger? Explosions? A face-off between the protagonist and the antagonist? Near-death experiences?
Eh, all good guesses. But these things are like the seasoning on top a good climax, rather than the meat itself. And seasonings, by themselves, won’t fill your tummy come suppertime.
The meat of an emotionally resonant climax is always going to be the emotion itself. And how do we create this emotion? Putting the character in danger isn’t enough. Even forcing him into a certain-death situation, once he’s entered the climax, isn’t enough.
It isn’t personal enough.
Sure, danger is personal. Death is extremely personal. But for your story’s purposes, it’s the stakes that have got to be personal. A good guy out to fight bad guys and save the world just because, hey, he’s a good guy isn’t personal enough. He has no personal stake in the story. Just personal convictions. And that’s good. But it’s still not enough.
The recent Captain America film presents a great example of how to do it right. Cap is the quintessential good guy. He’d go to bat for what he sees as the right cause and sacrifice his life for it based on nothing more than his own convictions. The First Avenger’s climax was built around that premise. And it worked all right. But how much better is Winter Soldier’s climax, *SPOILER* in which Cap has to battle not just a bad guy out to destroy the world, but his resurrected best friend who doesn’t remember him? *END SPOILER*
Personal enough for you?
Take a look at your story’s climax. Whether your character is fighting bad guys, his parents, or just his own inner demons, rate how personal the stakes are for him. The simplest way to determine this is to ask yourself: How much and why will he suffer if he loses the fight? And for the bonus round question, ask yourself: How much and why will he suffer even if he wins? A complex character will generate interesting and unexpected answers to both questions—and, as a result, a marvelous and emotionally resonant climax.
Tell me your opinion: How have you created an emotionally resonant climax by making sure the final confrontation matters to the character on a deeply personal level?
