Same Writing › Stories, reports and summaries › The story mountain
What is a story mountain?
A story mountain is a picture of a story's plot. You climb up from the beginning through rising action, where problems build, to the climax at the top: the most exciting moment. Then you come down through the falling action to the resolution, where the problem is solved.
- Beginning: characters, setting, and the problem.
- Climax: the turning point at the top.
- Resolution: how it ends and what changed.
Why schools teach it
It keeps stories from being “and then, and then”
Kids write narratives that establish a situation, build a sequence of events, and provide a sense of closure (W.3.3, W.5.3). Young writers often list events with no problem or climax. The mountain shows them a story needs to build.
The same picture is used in reading to talk about plot structure (RL.5.5), so it connects reading and writing.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
Who is your story about, and where?
BeginningWhat's the problem?
That starts the climbWhat's the most exciting moment?
ClimaxHow is the problem solved? How does it end?
Resolution
Skip this
- A story with no problem.Without a problem, there's no mountain to climb.
- Ending with “and then I woke up.”Teachers want the problem solved by the characters.
- A climax in the first sentence.Build up to it with a few events.
See it in action
Planning “The Lost Dog”
Beginning and rising action
Jada's dog Pepper slips out the gate. Jada searches the park, then the school, but can't find him.Climax
At dusk, she hears barking from the creek: Pepper is stuck on a muddy bank.Falling action and resolution
Jada and her brother pull him out. Pepper is home, and Jada fixes the gate latch.
Planning on the mountain first makes the writing much faster.
Free practice sheet
Make a story mountain sheet
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Parents also ask
What's the difference between climax and resolution?
The climax is the most exciting turning point. The resolution is how things settle afterward.
How many events go in rising action?
Usually two or three, each making the problem bigger or harder.
Is this the same as a plot diagram?
Yes. Older grades call it a plot diagram or narrative arc, sometimes with “exposition” for the beginning.
Does it work for true stories?
Yes. Personal narratives use the same shape.