The new year is all about beginnings and fresh starts, but let’s flip that around and look at the opposite of a beginning – the ending. Stories are comprised of a beginning, a middle, and an end, and each part is equally as important.
If you don’t hook them in the beginning, your reader will lose interest and put your book down. If your middle lags or doesn’t have an intriguing twist, you could lose them there as well. Each part of your story is important and needs to keep your reader engaged and propelling them forward, but the ending is crucial as it is often what leaves a lasting impression on your reader.
Have you ever read a book that had you completely hooked throughout until you got to the end, and then it just fell flat, ruining the entire novel for you? I know I have. I recently finished a novel and when asked by my friend what I thought, I said something along the lines of “it dragged a bit in the middle, but the ending really had me hooked.” Your ending is what leaves a lasting impression on your reader. You can write an excellent novel that has a perfectly formed beginning and middle, but if you don’t hit that ending just right, it’s as if the rest of the novel didn’t matter. While an ending can redeem your story for your reader, it can also stop it dead in its tracks.
I’ve talked about the writing subscription box Scribbler in a previous post – it’s super awesome and you should check it out. One of the themes a few months ago was “Endings” and after perusing through the cute little “writing passport” they include in each box, I started thinking more on that topic.
Are you the type of writer that writes your ending first? Do you just figure out the basics of your story and decide on how it ends as you go on your way? I say do whatever works best for you, so long as you land that fulfilling ending that leaves your reader satisfied.
What kinds of things do you consider when writing your ending? Do you write the ending that you want as a writer or an ending that your reader would want? You want your reader to be satisfied after finishing your novel. That doesn’t always mean giving them the ending that they expect, oftentimes that can be giving them a completely unexpected ending, but one that fits in with the actions of your novel and doesn’t feel thrown in for dramatic effect. As a writer, you want to craft an ending that you feel stays true to your desires as the writer of the story, while also giving your reader a satisfactory feeling that compels them to read more of your work.
Your ending must also wrap up the actions and overall plot of your novel. You may be writing a series, but I know for me, if the main plot line of the novel isn’t reconciled by the end of the book, I become very frustrated. Not every little thing needs to be figured out – you just need to wrap things up enough to satisfy your reader and keep their interest enough so they pick up the next book in the series.
Writing books is hard. I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve started that I haven’t finished because I’m too scared of figuring out a good ending. My advice – just finish your book. Have someone read it and ask them how the ending made them feel. Getting to that ending and simply completing it is a huge step and I know we can all do it!