The rising action tends to be the longest part of a story. This is because the rising action includes all of the events that set up the story’s conflict. More often than not, the rising action section contains several significant events that increase in importance. These events often create tension and suspense. They also tend to complicate the characters’ emotions and relationships. It takes time for the author to explain how the tension is unfolding and how characters are responding.

In contrast, the exposition generally just includes brief background information that is necessary to understand the story's context. The falling action also is generally much shorter because it does not have to set the stage for the main conflicts or incidents in the story. It is important to note, of course, that this is a general rule and that some stories have unique plot structures in which the rising action is not the longest part.

For example, consider the famous story of Cinderella. Several events constitute the rising action, including when the king sends out invitations to the ball, when Cinderella’s stepmother locks her in her room, when the fairy godmother visits and gives Cinderella a makeover, and when Cinderella attends the ball. All of these events are necessary to lead up to the climax, when Cinderella tries on the glass slipper, but they make the rising action much longer than the rest of the story.