Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
meaning "a ladder." For us storytellers it has come to mean an explosive moment,
the highest peak in energy, or the last big event in a work. It may be the physical
showdown or final battle, but it can also be expressed as a difficult choice, sexual
climax, musical crescendo, or highly emotional but decisive confrontation.
THE QUIET CLIMAX
T h e climax need not be the most explosive, dramatic, loud, or dangerous moment
of the story. There is such a thing as a quiet climax; a gende cresting of a wave of
emotion. A quiet climax can give a sense that all the conflicts have been harmoniously
resolved, and all the tensions converted into feelings of pleasure and peace. After a hero
has experienced the death of a loved one, there may be a quiet climax of acceptance
or understanding. T h e knots of tension created in the body of the story come untied,
perhaps after a gende tug from a final realization.
ROLLING CLIMAXES
annaabi.ee 
