rising action
Pre-climax plot development
Rising action is the part of a narrative where tension builds toward the climax.
After the initial situation is established, complications accumulate, stakes increase, and conflict intensifies: The rising action kept me turning pages.
The term comes from dramatic structure, where action literally "rises" in intensity before reaching its peak.
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- stakesPosts or wagers
- crisisDecisive dangerous moment
- conflictOpposition between parties
complication · mounting · tension · narrative arc · buildup · dramatic tension · inciting incident · turning point · point of no return · urgency · race against time · suspense · cliffhanger · anticipation · storyline · foreshadowing · character development · story beats
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- dramaTV drama, acting, television drama, drama school, playwright
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, narrator
- fiction writingfiction, novels, plot, chapters, character
- plotplot, storyline, subplot, climax, narrative
- plot elementsplot, protagonist, antagonist, main plot, subplot
rising actionfalling action
Post-climax narrative decline
denouement · resolution · dénouement · conclusion · catastrophe
rising actionfalling action
Post-climax narrative decline
de-escalation · tension release · unwinding · conflict resolution · deflation
action, active, rising, actions, raising, activate, activist, arising, raises