Dandy and Coco’s Beautiful Endings
Last week, I finished making Jim’s corrections to Wolf’s Soul, then sent the manuscript off to my secret beta readers. When I told a friend this, she said, “You must feel really good to have reached this point.”
I sighed and shook my head. “Actually, after seeing all the typos Jim found in a manuscript I thought was clean, I’m beginning to feel as if this book is a mess. Actually, I’m relieved he didn’t find many continuity issues, but I still am more apprehensive than relieved.”
As the year ends, a lot of writers are trying to finish off projects before the holiday season interrupts creative momentum. On top of NaNoWriMo, which emphasizes speed of composition rather than quality on content, many writers end up feeling conflicted. After all, you’ve written the first eighty or ninety percent of the story. Surely the momentum is there. How can wrapping up the plot take so much effort?
I’m here to tell you: Endings Are Hard. Here are a few thoughts I’ve had over the years about why this is so.
So often one hears: “I had a great idea for my story, but now I don’t seem to be able to finish it.” When you’re stuck about how to end your story, go back to that first idea. What was it? Have you addressed the questions that first got you fascinated?
My novel Through Wolf’s Eyes began with two questions. One was plot-oriented. Who would be King Tedric of Hawk Haven’s successor? The second was thematic: How would moving from human to wolf society effect Firekeeper? Until both were answered, the story could not end.
Remembering your initial impulse works to keep you focused on your ending, whether you outline or, like me, are an intuitive plotter. A short note – sometimes as little as one word – can keep you on track when you start to wander off target. Get in the habit of writing this down at the very start so you can refer back when you get bogged down.
Can’t figure out what that initial impulse was? It’s possible you started off without enough thought. As Euripides said: “A bad beginning makes a bad ending” (Euripides, Aeolus). Either you need to figure out what you meant this story to be about or you need to scrap it as a bad beginning that isn’t going anywhere.
Don’t be discouraged that you can’t find your ending. You’re not alone. Author John Galsworthy said, “The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy, the building of a house, the writing of a novel, the demolition of a bridge, and, eminently, the finish of a voyage” (Over the River).
Middles have their relationship to the end, too. Author Walter Jon Williams has a good comment on taking ending into middles: “Inspiration will carry you through the first 100 pages. After that, you need a plan.” Walter has sometimes jokingly referred to the middle of a novel as “the fiddly middle bits.” Remember, though, there’s no such thing as “fiddly.” Every scene should move you along toward your end.
Again, the beginning – that inspiration – should be your guide. You may find it difficult to end your piece if you introduced too many subplots or extra characters, just to move the book along. How much research is too much? Simply put, if you’re more captivated by researching than by the actual writing, it’s probably too much. Another guideline is when you find yourself putting your research in because “I did it, so by God they’re going to read it!”
There different types of endings. Which one is yours?
Conclusion vs. Closure or “Only English Professors love stories with inconclusive conclusions.” This was one of my own first lessons, and I will be eternally grateful to my then editor John Douglas at Avon Books for teaching it to me.
The Cliffhanger? This type of ending is chancy – especially if your audience is going to need to wait a long period of time for the next installment. Even books in a series need some sort of closure.
When do you Need an Epilogue? My opinion is rarely. One of the pleasures of a story for a reader is speculating on what might happen in the on-going lives of the characters. An epilogue can make the story die. However, a good epilogue can remind the reader that the characters went on after the concluding battle.
Ending a short story presents its own problems. A short story must be easier, right? After all, there are fewer pages. Actually, it’s not easier because so much needs to be packed into a few pages. Roger Zelazny (who won a lot of awards for short fiction) said a short story should feel like the last part of a novel – give the feeling for what came before but focus on those final moments.
In other words, a good short story is one big Ending…
A few ending words on Endings… It is my firm feeling that the story must end – and this applies even if that story is part of a series. Writing a series that keeps postponing the ending is one reason why so many series are unsatisfactory or become weaker as they go on.
A strong ending is necessary for a book to be satisfying. Many times I’ve read a book with a strong start only to be disappointed by the conclusion. Conversely, I’ve read several so-so books that have risen in my estimation by having a solid ending that makes the rest of the book fall into place. A strong ending does not necessarily need to be shocking or have a “twist.” Indeed, an ending that “comes from nowhere” can be a huge turnoff.
Thinking back, I realize I was hard on myself when I told my friend I didn’t feel “relieved” to have finished Wolf’s Soul. My apprehensions belonged to the “production” side of the process, not the creative side. Creatively, I’m pretty pleased about the book… Of course I have questions as to whether I communicated what I was trying to communicate, but that’s what editors are for!
