How do you craft a compelling rising action in a short story?

1 Establish the stakes

The first step to crafting a compelling rising action is to establish the stakes for your main character. What do they want, and what do they stand to lose if they fail? How does the conflict affect them personally and emotionally? The higher the stakes, the more your readers will care about the outcome. You can show the stakes through dialogue, action, description, or internal thoughts. For example, if your main character is trying to escape from a serial killer, you can show their fear, desperation, and determination through their words and actions.

2 Increase the obstacles

The second step to crafting a compelling rising action is to increase the obstacles that your main character faces. The obstacles can be external, such as an enemy, a natural disaster, or a deadline, or internal, such as a flaw, a doubt, or a secret. The obstacles should challenge your main character's skills, values, and beliefs, and force them to make difficult choices. You can increase the obstacles by adding twists, surprises, setbacks, or complications. For example, if your main character is trying to win a contest, you can add a rival, a cheating scandal, or a personal crisis that threatens their chances.

3 Vary the pace and tone

The third step to crafting a compelling rising action is to vary the pace and tone of your short story. You don't want to overwhelm your readers with constant action or bore them with too much exposition. You want to create a balance of fast and slow scenes, tense and calm moments, and serious and humorous tones. You can vary the pace and tone by changing the length and structure of your sentences, paragraphs, and scenes, using different types of language and imagery, and switching between different points of view or settings. For example, if your short story is a thriller, you can alternate between fast-paced chase scenes and slow-paced clues scenes, using short and sharp sentences for the former and long and descriptive sentences for the latter.

4 Foreshadow the climax

The fourth step to crafting a compelling rising action is to foreshadow the climax of your short story. The climax is the turning point where the main character faces the final and most important obstacle or decision. You want to prepare your readers for the climax by dropping hints, clues, or warnings throughout the rising action. You can foreshadow the climax by using symbols, motifs, flashbacks, or prophecies. For example, if your short story is a mystery, you can foreshadow the climax by revealing a piece of evidence, a red herring, or a suspect's motive.

5 Show the character's arc

The fifth step to crafting a compelling rising action is to show the character's arc of your main character. The character's arc is the change or growth that your main character undergoes as a result of the conflict and the obstacles. You want to show how your main character evolves, learns, or transforms throughout the rising action. You can show the character's arc by using dialogue, action, description, or internal thoughts. For example, if your main character is a coward, you can show their arc by showing how they overcome their fears, face their challenges, or stand up for themselves.

6 Connect to the theme

The sixth and final step to crafting a compelling rising action is to connect it to the theme of your short story. The theme is the main idea or message that you want to convey to your readers through your short story. You want to connect your rising action to your theme by showing how the conflict and the obstacles relate to your theme, how your main character's arc reflects your theme, and how your theme resonates with your readers. You can connect your rising action to your theme by using symbols, motifs, metaphors, or analogies. For example, if your theme is love, you can connect your rising action to your theme by showing how love motivates, challenges, or changes your main character.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?