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Well, here I am again, at the end of an unended story. I still must face the inevitable--completing the the thing. But where do I go from here?
I know how I want this story to end, I'm just not sure how to get there. I'll probably do what I always do and plunge ahead. Won't it be nice to finally write, "The End" at the the end. It is what keeps me going.
I'm excited. I can see the finish line, but at the moment it alludes me, kind of like a dream you are frantic to finish before you wake up. Then you wake up and try to go back to sleep to finish it. You can't, so you finish it in semi-conscience during the twilight before rational thought. But it never turns out as great as you know it would have in the dream.
Am I alone on this? I'd love to hear your thoughts about ending a story.
I find ending a story difficult. I usually know from the beginning how a story is going to end, but like you, I don't know the path the characters will take to get there. Writing the ending is the hardest part for me. I want to wrap up in a reasonable amount of time, yet leave the reader feeling satisfied.
ReplyDeleteOnly on my last book did I struggle with the ending, to the point I rewrote it. But I always find the last pages a bittersweet experience. I don't want it to end!
ReplyDeleteI am with you. I think the hardest part is what leads up to the ending. You have to set it up right. So many books I read seem to come to an end rather abruptly - with no real transition. I'm not ever sure my WIP has the best lead up to the ending. It's tough, but you will get it.
ReplyDeleteI've only actually finished one book to the very end in my writings. I feel that often times books I read, like Jan said come to an eruptly quick ending, while others lead you in with a soft hand, a gentle good bye...
ReplyDeleteI've been having a weary time just getting past the one hundred page mark of late...
Sorry I'm no help!
I have written the ending, it is the linking part I am struggling with! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHmm ... good question ... I think the kind of ending you go with might be partially decided by your genre. If you're writing YA or Romance, you'll want to make it upbeat and neatly tied-off. If you're going for something more literary or dark, then a bit of ambiguity never hurts. I write pretty mainstream stuff, but with a bit of cynicism thrown in. I'm always trying to straddle the line between happily-ever-after and leaving the reader guessing a little about my characters' fates.
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