What’s a main event?

The main event is really what makes a written piece, a narrative.

The main event is the 'climax' of the story.

It is where the action starts. Something unusual, unexpected, dramatic or important happens, or something is set in motion.

It's where the "issue" or "problem" arises. In this section, the main event occurs, which somehow disrupts the scene or situation where your story began.

The main event can be in 1 paragraph and in a 5-paragraph piece, it can be spread over 2 paragraphs.

Common issues

Common issues typically seen with ‘main events’ are:

• Unidentifiable main events due to competing events or too many events in one piece. The fix? Eliminate other events to focus on one.
• Lack of main event. The story may progress without a climax or point of interest. The fix? Plan so that there is one point of interest.
• Main event not fully developed. You can see a main event there but it doesn’t seem as though there is enough detail there or emphasis. The fix? Develop the main event – tell and show!

The test to apply

To check whether your story has a clear main event, you can use this simple test.

Ask yourself, or someone else:

“What is this story about”

If you can answer clearly in 1 sentence, it’s likely your story has a clear main event. If you’re not entirely sure that the story is about, then there may be a problem.

Example

Watch video to see how to identify and fix up issues with ‘main event’ in the following piece:

"Ding, Dong," sounded the doorbell once again, "Uhh," groaned Elise as she got up from her lounge chair. She looked longingly at her friends splashing inside the pool, ' the party is going to end in 10 minutes and I'm still waiting for guests' thought Elise as she went inside the house. Inside the house, there was Twister set out and Monopoly pieces everywhere. Elise had planned her birthday party to be a fun party inside the house but the climate was too hot for that, everyone was outside either playing in the pool or drinking punch and sunbathing, even though there were fans blowing from all directions inside the house. As Elise went inside the house, she remembered she had promised to look after Sam while her Mum went shopping for Coke. ' better check on Sam,' thought Elise as the walked past Sam's door. Elise opened the door slowly, in case Sam was asleep and found herself in a full on, intense water fight. " What is going on?" Elise managed to gasp before being knocked over by the water. "DING DONG" the doorbell rang again. Elise managed to crawl out of the water fight before it was too late. when Elise finally got to the door, a bucket of water fell on her head. Elise-- soaked and tired headed back to the party. When she got back, she collapsed into a chair.

Key Rules to remember:

• The main event is the 'climax' of the story.
• Usually in paragraphs 3 (and 4 if a 5-paragraph story).
• Ensure there are no conflicting or competing events that can overshadow your ‘main’ event.

Practice time!

Now, it's your turn to practice.

The questions in this checkpoint are provided to help you develop your writing skills.

To do your practice questions, click on the below to download your question paper. You can print it out or work from the electronic version. We do recommend that you write your answers by hand in a notebook or on paper.

NW-CP10-Questions.pdf

Once you have completed your questions, review the suggested solutions. You can download (and print if you wish) the PDF suggested solutions and/or watch the suggested solutions video (all below).

Once you're done with reviewing the practice question suggested solutions, move on to the next checkpoint.

NW-CP10-Answers.pdf

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