Falling Action: The Cool Down of Story Writing

When most of us think of the parts of a story that really stuck with us, we tend to think of the climax. It's that moment where things come to a head and the hero has that final fight, plays that last hole card, or (in some cases) where the bad guy wins. While that might not actually be the final page of the story, that's the part that takes the spotlight in most of our memories.

Unless, that is, the falling action falls flat on its face.

Some action falls harder than others.

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What is Falling Action (And Why Does It Matter)?

Falling action is the general term for what happens to the plot after your climax. If your novel were a workout routine, and your climax was your big, powerful lift that you needed to finish with an explosion of muscle and effort, then the falling action is the cool down that comes afterward. It may feel less impressive than the climax, but it's no less important to making sure your story is complete, and that you tie up all the loose ends in a satisfactory way (technically these are two different things, but more on that below).

Sudden, abrupt endings can be a serious problem.

Before we go on, yes, some stories aren't meant to have falling action in them. Maybe a novel ends on a cliffhanger, and the whole point is that you end on that note of high tension so that the reader immediately grabs the next book in the series to find out what happens. Maybe a short story ends with a hard slap in the face that's meant to shock the reader, with all the loose ends just left dangling in the breeze like cut cables in an elevator shaft.

But those are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Let's take a story like the Avengers. The battle of New York is obviously the big climax of the story, as it answers the question, "Will Loki defeat the Avengers?" Spoiler, he does not. When Iron Man blows up the alien vessel with a nuke, all the soldiers drop dead like puppets with their strings cut, the climax is well and truly over. The Falling Action, then, is our heroes realizing that the fight is over. It's when the citizens start coming out of the buildings, there's some cheers, and our heroes start clapping each other on the shoulders or roaring in triumph. Arguably it ends when Loki comes to from his smashing, sees the team holding him at hammer, arrow, and blaster point, and just gives up with a rueful smile.

One could argue that what comes after is actually the denouement. The battle is won, and we see what each member of the team is doing. Thor returns Loki to Asgard, Clint is heading off to spend time with his family, Steve is finally back and in his element, and so on, and so forth. We find out what happened to the cosmic cube, what's happening to our villain, and we are told how the major events played up so that we have a full, well-rounded conclusion.

Did we need all of that, strictly speaking? Could we have ended the movie with Loki groaning, and asking for that drink before he surrenders? Sure, we could have... but would it have been as satisfactory of an ending? Or would it have felt abrupt and final, rather than like a part of an ongoing series we were to come back for? That closure the final few scenes gives us is like a palate cleanser that helps really seal the meal, and brings the story to a satisfying stop, rather than just slamming on the brakes and telling us to tuck and roll on our way out the door!

Don't Skip Your Cool-Down

Now that we know what falling action is, and how it's coupled with the denouement, take a moment to ask yourself how you're using these ideas in your story. Are you letting your readers catch their breath, relax, and bask in a little post-climax cuddle with your cast? Or are you just kicking them out of bed as soon as the juicy part's done, and telling them not to let the back cover hit them on the way out?

A lot of the time we get so focused on getting to the climax that we don't take our time with the lead up, but it can be just as bad when we treat it as the end of the story when there could very well be stuff that should come after it. A deep breath, a cigarette, answering some of those critical questions we've been gnawing on the whole time; all of that matters, too.

Don't rush past it just because the tale's been told. Stay awhile, and give us the, "And they all lived happily ever after."

Looking For Some Free Reads?

If you're one of those folks who enjoys short fiction (or unique novels) consider checking out some of my other work! Starting with my ongoing fantasy series The Silver Raven Chronicles!

- Part One: Devil's Night: A ghost haunts the streets of Kintargo. It's gotten bad enough that many Dottari won't go into the old district of the city. Tonight one of them finds out why.

- Part Two: From The Ashes: After a night of burning, the new lord mayor addresses the public of a city that doesn't want him here. Chaos and violence erupt, and a resistance movement is galvanized.

- Part Three: The Raven's Nest: The so-called Silver Ravens need a base of operations if they're going to resist the occupation of Thrune... while this smuggler's cove might do, there are complications involved in using it.

- Part Four: Circles in Salt: The Ghost joins the Silver Ravens in a bold assault on a prison complex. Who, or what, he is remains shrouded in mystery, though.

If you're looking for some additional reading in the mean time don't forget to check out my full Vocal archive, as well as some of my other stories linked below!

- The Irregulars: My official contribution to the Pathfinder Tales, The Irregulars follows an Andoran unit as they throw a wrench into the gears of Molthune's war machine.

- Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale: For my fans of Warhammer 40K, this is a story I felt compelled to tell about one of the infamous World Eaters remembering who he once was. It was also dramatized by the channel A Vox in The Void, for those who enjoy audio renditions.

- Crier's Knife: My sword and sorcery novel, we follow Dirk Crier as he sets out to collect his wayward cousin from parts unknown. Dark tidings lie ahead, but those who stand in his way will learn why the mountain folk say only a dead man crosses a Crier.

- Marked Territory and Painted Cats: Join Leo as he gets roped into other people's problems on the mean streets of NYC. A Maine coon with a bad habit of getting curious, explore the world of street beasts in these nasty little noir mysteries!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Overlooked Writing Advice: The Cool Down Period

Most writing advice is concerned with getting you from Point A to Point B on your project. Mentors will talk about plot twists and characterization, while writer's groups will focus on tone and description. Magazines talk about inclusiveness and representation, and blogs promise to share the secrets of the perfect chapter opener. And while all of that is good advice, and covers a huge variety of topics every writer needs to pay attention to in order to produce quality work, there's one message that gets lost in all the breathless discussions and shouted advice.

When you've finished your rough draft... stop. Take a breath. Cool down.

Have some hot chocolate. Seriously, you earned it.

As I mentioned in my previous post The Five Types of Beta Readers Every Writer Should Have, completing a project is a lot like giving birth. It's harder than it looks, and it can eat up huge amounts of your time, energy, and attention. Not only that, but when you finally finish the process, you've been so completely focused on it that you have no perspective regarding what you're looking at. Your baby is going to be perfect to you, even if it's covered in dangling plot threads, malnourished in places, and bellowing exposition at the top of its voice.

That's why, before you do anything else, you need to save your rough draft, make a backup of that save, and then shut it in a drawer for a while. Don't dwell on it, don't look at it, and don't go on to other people about it. You just spent a huge amount of time turning this thing from an idea into words, and now you need to rest before the next step.

Come Back With Fresh Eyes

How long you wait before moving on to the next step will vary by writer, the size of the project, and how long it took to complete. For example, if you took a few hours to research and write up a blog entry or a basic article, then when you're done with it you should walk away for a little bit. Make a sandwich, have some chips, or check your mail. Then, once you've had a chance to take a breather, come back, pick up the red pen, and get back to work.

Holy shit, what was I drinking when I wrote this intro?

The bigger the project, and the more time you've spent submerged in it, the more time you should take between when you finish the rough draft, and when you start the edits. If you spent a few days, or a few weeks, hammering out a short story, then you should take a few days to recuperate. If you've just finished a novel, then chances are you've been submerged in that world for between a season, and a year or two. Take a few weeks. You just incrementally pulled a hundred thousand words (or more) out of your guts. Take a drink, and collapse for a bit.

Also, if you've finished a bigger piece of work, you should consider doing something else in between the end of your first draft, and editing. If you just finished an epic space opera with ancient villains in star-destroying ships, maybe write a short horror story about two kids who go into a haunted house on a dare and get more than they bargained for. If you just finished writing a short story for an anthology about robots, then start another one about an Afghanistan war veteran dealing with feelings of existential dread. By submerging yourself into a different world, you pull out of the one you previously spent so much time in. The result is that when you come across a sentence the seems out of place, you're more likely to catch it, and fix it.

If you've pulled completely out of that world (or as completely as you can), then you come at your rough draft as a reader, instead of the creator. Which, trust me, is a godsend for sanding off the burrs and tightening up your narrative.

While you might be tempted to just skim the work, and ship it off to an anthology call, an agent, or a publisher (or just put it up under your self-published works), you really want to take a moment. You're drunk off the creative process... sober up before you decide to show off your latest creation to the world at large.

As always, thanks for stopping in to hear what I've got to say. If you want to keep up-to-date on my latest posts, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Also, if you're in a giving mood this holiday, there's a special gift awaiting anyone who becomes a patron of mine before the new year. Just go to my Patreon page, sign up, and receive two free ebooks, along with my thanks!