Famous Last Words - Some Thoughts on Writing Endings

Endings are difficult for me, especially when writing them. Sometimes I know what the ending is, or should look like, before I start writing the story. That does not make it any easier. As I approach the end of a novel I am working on, I'll want to rush to the finish line, or I'll worry about loose threads, or I'll wonder if the ending is satisfying enough.

There is reason to worry. A bad ending can ruin a book for a reader. An unsatisfying ending can leave them hanging. The goal is to bring a story full circle and to a satisfying conclusion. To leave the reader closing the book with a feeling of being swept away.

No pressure there.

A good ending feels like a natural conclusion to the story. Having someone or something new appear and save the day will not work. The characters have to drive the ending, with tools that were there earlier in the story. Author Raymond Chandler said, “The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable.”

A good ending shows growth in the character. Along with the external conflicts, a good story shows depth by taking its characters on an emotional path as well. This inner conflict is resolved by showing a change in the character, and gives the story heart.

It is satisfying to see a story come full circle. In some way, the end should resemble the beginning.

Make sure all subplots are resolved. Leaving loose ends is sloppy storytelling.

Don't philosophize to the reader. This is a common complaint about the ending of Dan Brown's novel, "The Lost Symbol" where the character spends too much time thinking about his experience while watching the sun rise. As James V. Smith Jr. explains in Writer's Digest, "Keep description to a minimum, but maximize action and conflict. You have placed all your charges. Now, light the fuse and run."

Book Review: Everything Everything

I read Everything Everything, by Nicola Yoon, because I heard it was coming out as a movie (on May 19!) The story sucked me in immediately and reminded me of the Bubble Boy on Seinfeld, because main character Madeline lives in a house sized bubble. Allergic to the outside world, her everything happens inside the same walls, with her loving and protective mother and a full time nurse she adores.

Then love changes everything.

Get it, read it, then see the movie. Or not. I can't tell you yet if the movie is worth seeing. I can tell you the book, with its interesting storytelling through texts, drawings, graphs as well as traditional chapters is compelling, and surprising. I'm not sure I like the ending, but I can accept it.