I have the utmost admiration for you taking a class, Michael. I’ve avoided tuition like the plague. Too many technical terms to writing a story. Rising action is an interesting concept, in that when the earthquake happened the rising action might be to slow the scene down, slow motion, fear, trembling, am I going to die? Make the reader feel it under his or her feet? These are mere suggestions to a fellow writer whom I admire and are in no way instruction. You’ll be a natural, Michael. Enjoy.