What Jyo said...!

Thanks for the explanation, Jyo. You are absolutely right. Most plot lines have a beginning, a climax, and a resolution (also known as a "denouement.") Your climax is the absolute height of the action, that event around which your whole story circles. But the story rarely ends there. Typically, readers like to see loose ends tied up. After he discovers the truth (climax), Hercule Poirot sits all the suspects down in a room and explains whodunit and how it was done. After the criminal gets away (climax), we see him on a tropical island sipping a margarita. After a dearly beloved character dies in a tragic accident, we see his widow, dressed in black, gently placing a single red rose on his coffin as the music swells to a heart-wrenching crescendo... you get the idea.