Tips For Writing the Perfect Ending

 Every story deserves a good, satisfying ending.  But what elements make up a memorable ending?

 

The Hero should Solve his Own Problem

The resolution of the novel should logical and should, at least in part, be brought about by the hero (or heroine's) quick wit, thinking or reaction.  It is unfair to the reader to have the problem solved too easily, or by chance or circumstance.  For example, if the hero is in a shootout with the bad guy, it would be disappointing if a brick suddenly fell from an overhead building and instantly killed the bad guy for him.  This would certainly make the hero’s day and solve his problem, but it is unsatisfying because the hero has done nothing toward saving his own life. It would be much better if the hero had made a plan in advance, perhaps rigged the brick so that it would fall, then lured the bad guy over to the spot where it will land. In any event, the hero should use his wits in some way to save his own life.  His actions should make sense and be products of his own logic, not fate.

Resolve any Subplot

By the end of the book, any subplots, such as romantic subplots, should be resolved.  If the hero has a fight with his girlfriend, do they reconcile or are they forever estranged?  Other subplots that should be resolved by the end of the book are conflicts with family members or major life decisions.  Readers are interested in even small details about the hero or heroine.  For example, in your novel the heroine might be looking for a new house to buy.  This may be only a minor aside, yet the reader wants to know and will be disappointed if the heroine has not found and purchased her little cottage by the sea by the end of the book.  Keep the subplots hanging until the end of the book, but not indefinitely.

Tie up all Loose Ends

“And they lived happily ever after.”  It is customary for a novel, especially a genre novel, to have a happy ending, or end on a positive note.  The ending is usually a time to assure the reader that all the wrongs have been righted.

However, a book does not absolutely have to have a happy ending. In fact, some of the greatest novels of literature end on an unhappy note.  If your book does not have a happy conclusion, then it must be in some way satisfying.  The hero must have grown or learned some valuable truth about himself.  By the end of the book, the problem that plagued the hero should be resolved, one way or another.  The hero should either be on his way to a happier life or have in some way come to terms with, and be at peace with, the decisions he has made. 

End with a Strong Sentence

The ending is a good place to provide a kind of closure.  What has the hero learned (or not learned) about himself?  Has this experience made the hero a better person in some way? If possible, end with a deep thought or emotion

In A Tale of Two Cities, when Sydney Carton commits the noble act of dying in another man’s place, the words "it is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done, it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known,” will stay with the reader long after the pages have closed.  And who can forget the ending line of Gone with the Wind, when Scarlett O’Hara pronounces, “After all, tomorrow is another day!”

Tips for making a good ending:

*make sure the ending is logical

*the hero should solve his own problem

*resolve any subplot

*tie up all loose ends

*leave the reader with a strong sentence, thought or emotion

For more writing tips click: 

FICTION: FROM WRITING TO PUBLICATION

The Prologue and the Epilogue in Fiction

 Both the prologue and epilogue are devices that help explain a complicated story.

A prologue appears at the beginning of a novel, and serves as an introduction to tell what has gone on before.  An epilogue appears at the end of the novel and tells what happened years after the story has ended.

It is not necessary to have both a prologue and an epilogue.  Many books have a prologue with no epilogue.  Others have both.  However, an epilogue is seldom used without a prologue.

The Prologue

A prologue is an introduction that is not quite a chapter. It is set apart from the rest of the book either in time or in viewpoint.  Its purpose is to provide necessary backstory for the novel which cannot be told in any other way.

A prologue may be used for dramatic effect.  A common use of the prologue in a thriller is to have the prologue either be in the villain’s viewpoint, or to start the story with a murder scene or crime in progress, an evil face peering into a window, or someone hearing the footsteps of a stalker. Then the novel begins with the detective or main character’s viewpoint.

The Epilogue-“And they Lived Happily Ever After…

An epilogue is a short piece tagged on to the ending that is usually not quite as long as a chapter.  Its purpose is to tell what happened long after the story has ended.  Often, it will tell whether the main characters married, had children, moved to a farm in the country. 

An epilogue is not necessary unless you have a novel that spans a long period of time or have an event such as a birth or a wedding that is not covered by the ending.  Often, in a historical romance, the book will end with a kiss, and the epilogue might start seven year after and tell that the couple married and had three or four children and lived to ripe old ages.  Facts the reader might want to know, but that take place far after the ending of the story.

 Use of a Prologue and Epilogue to Indicate a Span of Time not Covered in the Novel

In Mary Higgins Clark’s I Heard that Song Before, the prologue introduces the main character as a little girl who overhears a cryptic conversation in a hidden chapel on the Carrington Estates, of which her father is landscaper.  The first chapter begins with the same character as a grown woman.  She returns and falls in love with Peter Carrington, but what she overheard that night might be a clue to the murders her new husband has been accused of.  An epilogue tells the state of affairs a year later.   

Use of a Prologue and Epilogue to Span Years of History

In a novel that spans years or decades, a prologue might serve the purpose of  explaining  events pertinent to the plot that went on before the novel begins. For example, Robert Goddard’s historical suspense novel Name to a Face has both a prologue and an epilogue.  The prologue begin at an earlier time than the story takes place  Godfrey Schillingstone has discovered a mysterious secret he is about to reveal to the world, one that will bring him great academic fame.  But before he can show what his discovery, he is murdered.

The actual first chapter begins with another character, Tim Harding, who in modern times finds Schillingstone’s discovery has some bearing on a mysery in the present.

Here is a sampling of books with prologues and epilogues.

 

Dead Souls  Ian Rankin  (prologue)

The Associate Philip Margolin (prologue)

I Heard that Song Before Mary Higgins Clark  (prologue and epilogue)

Name to a Face Robert Goddard  (prologue and epilogue)

Cruel and Unusual  Patricia Cornwell (prologue and epilogue)

Best Known and Most Familiar Quotes about Writing

Write What You Know, Kill your Darlings, are oft-quoted sayings about writing.  But where did these quotes originate and should they actually be applied?  We've gathered up some information about them below. 

Write What You Know

These might be the most quoted, misquoted and misunderstood words ever uttered about writing. Still, Write what you know may well be the first words aspiring authors hear from teachers, friends and other writers.

Who said them first? Who knows?  Though there are similar quotes, the origin of the quote, write what you know in its purest form has been lost.  And it may be a good thing. In the words of P. J. O’Rourke, Creative writing teachers should be purged until every last instructor who has uttered the words "Write what you know" is confined to a labor camp. Please, talented scribblers, write what you don't. The blind guy with the funny little harp who composed The Iliad , how much combat do you think he saw?

In any event, write what you know has become a cliché.  It is open to many interpretations.  Some take literally-- to mean that you should not write about things you have not personally experienced.  Others interpret it to mean you should write about what you love, what you care about.  In the words of Valerie Sherwood,  Don’t write what you know—what you know may bore you, and thus bore your readers. Write about what interests you—and interests you deeply—and your readers will catch fire at your words."

Kill your Darlings

This quote is most often attributed to William Faulkner (1897-1962), though it has also been attributed to Mark Twain (1835-1919).  Probably both of them said and practiced it. So what does it mean?  Many misinterpret kill your darlings to mean one should strike out any fine passage.  Kill your darling” doesn’t mean a writer should murder the muse or throw out fine writing.  However, every writer has “darlings”, little anecdotes or bits of wisdom they would like to stuff into their current work even though they know the passage doesn’t quite fit.  If a witty phrase or observation fits, use it, if it doesn’t add to the overall purpose of the novel you are writing, then it should cast aside.  What it means in a nutshell: cut the bull.

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.

This quote is attributed to Mary Heaton Vorse (1874-1966), though there are many variations.  Author Kingsley Amis (1922-1995) said, The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one’s trousers to the seat of one’s chair.  Same difference.  The meaning is perfectly clear.  If a person does not go about the task of writing and do it often, the book will never get written.  (I once heard a variation of this quotation as apply the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair and when you get up twenty years later you’ll be a writer)  As Thomas Edison said, Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

Other Quotes that Commonly Appear in How to Write Books

 Writing is like prostitution.  First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends and then for money.

Moliere

One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.  Anton Chekov  

There are three rules for writing a novel.  Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

William Somerset Maugham

Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until a drop of blood forms on your forehead.

Douglas Adams

Everything stinks till it's finished.

Dr. Seuss

For more writing tips, check out our book on writing:  Fiction: From Writing to Publication.

Click link to order a Kindle copy from Amazon for only $2.99

Generating Suspense in a Mystery

A few unexpected twists or surprises can make a story come alive. A few novels begin with an unusual twist. Many good novels end that way.
The elements of Question, Sitation and Irony can make a story more exciting and add a twist to any tale. Examples from three masters of "the twist in the tale" follow.

Intriguing Questions

Robert Goddard is often called the "master of the tale with a twist". His novel Caught in the Light begins with an enigma. Ian Jarrett, a photographer, encounters and falls in love with Marian Esguard, a woman he met on a chance encounter in Vienna. After a brief affair, he leaves his wife and daughter for this new lover, but she does not show up at their designated meeting place. He goes in search of her, only to find she might either be the ghost of a woman who died long ago, or a troubled psychiatric patient. From the first page the reader is filled with questions. Who is this mysterious woman? A ghost or an impostor? And what impact finding her will have on Jarrett’s life?

Unusual Situations

In Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, two total strangers meet, share idle and drunken conversation, and agree to “exchange murders.” Since they do not know each other, neither one will be suspected of the murder they commit. One of the parties in this insane agreement is joking; the other deadly serious. When Guy Haine’s wife is murdered, he seems the most likely suspect. And then when Bruno comes to exact payment—by having him commit murder for him—he is in a double bind. Not only is he a suspect in his wife’s murder, now a complete stranger wants him to commit another. So how’s he going to get out of that one? The reader has to continue to find out.

Use of Irony

The use of irony is perhaps the most effective kind of twist. Irony happens when things appear one way but because of a flaw in the viewer’s perception are really much different. For example, in The Open Window by Saki, a visitor is told stories by a teenaged girl that changes his perception about the purpose of an open window. An innocent object now fills him with apprehension and terror.

Another excellent example of irony is the short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Because of acts of unselfishness, gifts intended to please are rendered useless, yet the gifts become even more important because they symbolize the love and generosity of the givers.

Adding intriguing questions, creating unusual situations, and including a touch of irony are all ways to put a new slant on an old story.

How to Find Ideas for Fiction: Short Stories or Novels

Ideas for novels and short stories are everywhere. The secret is to organize your ideas and find the perfect one to fit the story you want to tell.

Where do Ideas Come From?

Here are some places to look for ideas:

True Crime and Murder Cases in The Papers or on Television
Actors and actresses, politicians and other high profile people are always making the news. The newspaper and television are both good places to find mystery plots or those involving intrigue and scandal. If you get ideas from a news source, it is best not to use real names and to slightly change the events and the settings.

History, Travel, and Nonfiction Books

History repeats itself. History books are always a good source for ideas, especially obscure books that few people have read. Personal accounts and journals will give you a better perspective for writing fiction than books filled with dry facts. For example, if you want to set a story in the civil war era, with a female heroine, a book with a title like “One Woman’s Account of the Civil War” will provide more human detail than “General Lee’s Campaign Strategies.” Books about local legends and ghost stories can also generate ideas for fiction. Accounts of travel are also interesting places to search for ideas.

Find Ideas by Eavesdropping

While riding a bus late at night, I heard one drunk say sadly to another, “You know, you never forget your first love.” He was obviously thinking back to a happier time, a broken romance, filled with the bittersweet regret of losing someone through time or circumstance. What a start for a novel or short story!
Once, I overheard someone boast, “Everyone knows all the good deals are made in bars.” I didn’t make a story out of it, but I gave my crook that line in a current novel.

Draw from Your Own Past

A quote from FlanneryO’Connor goes, “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” In the words of Frank McCourt, “When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood; the happy childhood is hardly worth your while…” Both authors make the same point—if you get through childhood you have enough material to write about for the rest of your life. The authors of books such as Angela's Ashes and Running with Scissors are examples of writers who took lemons and made lemonade,so to speak.

Start your own X-Files

The best way to collect ideas is to record them. That is why authors always run around with little notebooks. Get in the habit of collecting notes and then putting them in a computer file. (There are a lot of interesting things in “Vickie’s X-Files”, some which will be made into novels and short stories, others that probably never will.) Create sort of a running journal filled with interesting stories you’ve thought of or heard that might make a good plot twist or idea. Don’t hold back, write anything down that seems worthwhile. This is the place where incomplete stories go. Thoughts incubate. Sometimes, years later, you may find the perfect ending to a story idea you had started years ago. When you feel depleted, you will always have a backlog of random thoughts, character sketches, and plot ideas for inspiration.

Check back next month to learn about turning ideas into stories.

Does Your Novel Need a Facelift?

Wouldn't it be great if manuscripts sold the minute they were printed out and sent off to a publisher? More often than not, publishing is a long process.

There can be a delay, sometimes a big delay, between the completion of the story and the actual sale of a novel. If a manuscript doesn't sell right away, you might have become discouraged. At that point, it may have ended up in the bottom of your desk drawer.

Then one day, you discover the manuscript, dust it off and re-read the entire thing. It doesn’t sound half bad. You decide to send it off again. But before you try round two, make sure your book doesn’t sound dated. You don’t want publishers to suspect they have a vintage book on hand, one that you’ve been sending out and haven’t sold since Elvis was king.

If it has been more than a year since you sent off your novel, it might pay to run a checklist and make necessary changes. If it has been more than five years (and yes, it’s more common than you think) it is essential. To update an older manuscript, make a thorough search for these points and use find and replace to make necessary changes.

Content Cheklist

Slang and Language:

Slang:Nothing dates a book more than old slang. “Gag me with a spoon?” Only if your book is set in the 1980s. Phrases like bling-bling and “think outside the box” will date your novel at 2007. But by the end of 2008 they will be history. If it is important to your book to use slang to “add color” be sure to keep it current.

Launguage Use: Language usage may also change as new words are added to the general vocabulary and old words decline in popularity. Some words, too, over the years change in meaning. For example, the word “gay” has an entirely different meaning than it did in the 1950s.

Money:Money values are always changing. For this reason it is important to go over your book and check places where money transactions, especially important ones, have taken place.

Ransom: Bring 20,000 in unmarked bills to the park if you ever want to see little Debbie alive again.” Well, that used to be a lot of money, but these days it’s hardly a dent in the old Mastercharge. Though a million dollars isn’t the high stakes deal it used to be, it is still a fair ransom amount. Anything under that is an insult.

Home Prices: Home prices fluctuate so much it’s better not to even mention them in your book unless it is an important plot point. A book from the late 1960s tells how a woman purchased a nice home in a good neighborhood for $25,000 dollars. In the 1990s you could still purchase a house for $50,000. Today, most homes sell for over $100,000.

Food and Lodging:Check any part of your novel where transactions of this kind take place. Just a few years ago you could get a room at a hotel for around thirty dollars. Those days are gone. A ten dollar meal might have been a luxury at one time, now it is a cheap date.

Clothing and Social Habits:Clothing styles are constantly changing. Red lipstick, stockings, and mirrored compact are all reminiscent of a bygone era. Let’s hope your book doesn’t date back that far, but even a few years can bring about a change in wardrobe and social habits. Smoking, for example, only a few years ago was socially acceptable. Now, only the villains dare to light up a cigarette in public.

Car Models:Vehicles are another item that are susceptible to change. It is much better to mention a general brand name rather than a specific model of car unless that car is integral to the personality of the character or important to the plot. For example, if your manuscript contains a Ford Falcon, time for an update, while the more general term Ford should last for decades.

Technology:Ah,ever-changing technology. The past few decades have brought about a plethora of new gadgets—computers, cell phones, music CDs. These are constantly changing and since no one can foresee the future, if mentioned in your book, these items must be constantly updated. The bane of the mystery or spy thriller author: what is the hidden information concealed on these days—tape, disk, or cd?

Tips for Updating your Manuscript:

* Slang and Language Usage: Look for and avoid if possible “trendy” slang that won’t be here tomorrow. If using current “buzz words” is essential to the story, be sure to update your draft if the book does not sell within a year.

* Money values: Be general when mentioning money values that are not important to the plot. For example, there is no need to be specific about the dollar price of a meal or hotel if you describe it as being upscale.

*Clothing and social habits: Look for changes in styles and in social habit such as smoking that reflect current times and attitudes.

*Vehicles: Make sure your vehicles haven’t become vintage.

*Technology: Keep current with the latest changes in technology by checking your manuscript for outdated phones, computers and other electronic devices that change in short periods of time.

Must-Have Books about Writing

In order to be a good writer, certain elements of the craft of writing must be learned. Here is a list of helpful books for the prospective writer.
This selection of six excellent books for writers are especially helpful to have on hand for character development, plot structure, grammar, and all-around great writing.

1. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler

This book is often recommended reading for storytelling and scriptwriting classes and is useful for plotting novels as well. Based on Joseph's Campbell's philosophy about the hero's mythic journey, and tailored specifically for writers, this book outlines the stages through which the hero must pass to obtain his goal. In most stories the hero makes an epic journey which includes passing through a series of tests and trials and experiencing a dark moment on her way to redemption or resolution. Using key elements of this theory can help bring a weak, unstructured plot up to par.

2. 20 Masterplots and How to Build Them by Ronald B. Tobias

This book helps generate plot ideas by detailing how to structure a plot around a particular theme or human emotion, such as revenge, escape, rescue, rivalry and many more. Thousands of plots can be created based on these twenty timeless themes.


3. The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders

This book adds a little psychology to character development by putting together sixteen master archetypes which detail personality traits common to heroes, heroines and many colorful side characters such as the Waif, the Bad Boy the Seductress, etc. By using the suggested archetypes as a guide, a writer can create and develop characters with believable motivations according to suggested personality traits as well as mixing and matching them to form conflict. (How does a Bad Boy react to a Waif)?

4. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

If one had to choose just one how-to book, Maass' would be the one. Written by an top literary agent, it gives insight into what publishers and editors want. This book is especially helpful for the advanced writer who already knows the basics and wants to polish his skills.

At the same time, pick up a copy of the companion workbook, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook which is even more helpful than the book. Chances are many writers won't be able to complete the 591 step checklist at the end, but don't worry. Even following a small portion of these recommendations, will guarantee a stronger, more marketable book.

5. The Romance Writer's Phrase Book by Jean Kent and Candace Shelton

Ever get stuck on a phrase? Ever have trouble describing a character's particular body movement or emotion? You don't have to be a romance writer to benefit from this compilation of 3,000 descriptive tags. Organized into categories including "Physical Characteristics, Body Movements, Facial Expressions, this handy reference can help a writer find just the right word or phrase to describe how a character is feeling or reacting. It is best to use this as a base to make up personal descriptive tags rather than using the ones listed, but the listed phrases will get the imagination going.

6. The Elements of Style, Fourth Editon by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Every well-stocked writer's bookshelf should, of course, contain the usual references of dictionary, thesaurus and at least one book on the elements of style. The first edition of this book came out in 1957 and later editions have been published consistently since then. Recommended by Stephen King, this concise book is a helpful reference to have on hand to improve sentence structure or to refer to in case a question arises concerning the general rules of good grammar. A well-edited book with a minimum of grammatical and spelling errors will help encourage a publisher to take a manuscript seriously