Writing Treatise XI. The Nature of Ends

XI. The Nature of Ends:

                And so here we are at the end of things. Every story needs an end. However, the truth in endings is there is no such thing as an end, as in real life everything keeps trucking.  Yet, our books need an end. Thus, it becomes a balancing act of providing author’s promise of a story to end, and yet providing that sense of continuation without subjecting sequel baiting. It’s very easy to write off with “the end” without thinking on it.

Endings are what the audience leaves with. What do you want the audience to leave with emotionally and thought wise? Where do you want to leave your characters and settings?

The book and its conflict have gone a long way to get here so what now? What was all of that for?

                Think on that nature of your conflict. Think of your beginning? Think of where and how things started and where you and the audience have ended up. Stories too know their end at times; let them lead you. Think of your characters and setting. What is gained, what is lost, and what has changed… and always more importantly what is ultimately the same?  

 

The plot is about place and character one way or another. Those are the two things stacked in the end rather if small or large.

Reality though does have its price in the concept of time and the world being larger then what it is. This is the concept of “nothing ever ending.”

Two larger plots that have difficulty with this:

                These are very common, but strange plots. Half hatched in the 50s and now expedited by other media like modern film, comics, and video games. 

1. A villain trying to take over the world.
Perhaps a fear of dictatorships following the WWII vein that has not left us. Nonetheless nothing is static. A man becomes a leader until he dies so what? Life finds a way and all empires rise and fall. 

2. A villain trying to destroy the world. Well that is just prosperous? There would be no world and everyone and they would be dead unless they are outsiders of some form. Then there is the promise of other worlds too in this universe? To what point?

                If you are writing these two plot conflicts work hard exploring the why and what else. If not, it makes the antagonist look benighted and things fall apart.

                So apart from these two common ridiculous plots all other endings reflect a lot. The old fairytales ended with “until their deaths,” not “happily ever after.”

                So, work hard and look at the relationship of the tale. Tales have their way that they go.  Respect the work and respect your audience with the ending of the work. It’s the worse place to mess up. The old fox woman often hackles people want happy endings. However, that is not respecting audience and work. Respect the tale to find its ending and people will leave finding that acceptable.

Again, though nobody likes a bad end. So how do you manage endings that may not be a “happy ending” from being a bad end?

1. Why is not a happy ending?

2. What is gained from what is at stake?
3. If characters are dying why? What is gained? Life is not cheap; everyone dying is extreme and must be worth its weight.

4. The ending should not come completely out of left field if it is less “happy ending.” It should follow its relationships in the tale formula and again something should be gained.

 

                Tragedies exist, sad things exist, and death exists. These are parts of life and have a lot of depth to story. They do not have to be bad things and can be a good thing. Americans have a bad concept of hiding from these things, but there is a lot to reveal in these aspects as well. Do not leave or just end with this, but think of the more from the event to provide to your audience.

 

 

Writing for that Sequel

 

                There are two philosophical outlooks on this. The first is to end every novel on its own volition as wrapped up as good as possible to avoid a sequel not happening as a just in case. The other is to lead directly into another via cliffhanger. Audience’s do not like being left on a cliffhanger, but will be very interested to pick up the next book.
                You have only so much time to write, especially on a publisher timed contract. If you’re writing sequels make sure to have them planned out. The further you have them thought out the more your job and life becomes easier. Always check your contract with your publisher. Publishers know sequels are good money. Make sure to write towards the amount you can actually write with the story and its internal work that you can. Stories do run out of room and elements as tale formulas do reach their end. Being caught with nothing left to say is bad for the contract.  Burning out and being tired of world, its characters, and its story is also a consequence of a devils deal. It comes back to respecting a story through ending it. Ask yourself does there need to be a sequel or a series? Few stories actually do.  Can you wrap everything up? Are all stories therein finished or could be finished? It is better to be finished then to leave your audience eternally disappointed and waiting. Better to end things with honor than be a whore.

If the sequel persists:
1. Beware of plot holes.

2. Characters must change with time and events, but make sure their changes make sense.
3. Beware, if writing in a shared universe to avoid plot holes, make sure things line up, and characters and setting are being handled right.

4. Connect where the last one leaves to the next one due to draw distance issues and audience confusion.

5. Think of how each work is contained with its own conflict of resolution from each book to the next.

6. Don’t waste a lot of page space reviewing the last book.

 

With that good luck on that noble undertaking. You take part in the human story of that ancient tradition of taleteller. No matter your path in the telling be you, respect yourself, the work, and your audience. The rest will follow.

 

“The True Alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words” ~ William H. Gass

“And you face the end… unknowing deceived, yet always sure of yourself” ~ Zleozu Noysfsk