Saturday, April 7, 2012

GREAT ENDINGS


GREAT ENDINGS


Heavily into editing and revising my second novel, now I’m questioning its ending. An avid reader, I’m possibly the harshest critic of endings. For me, the ending can determine my overall enjoyment of a novel, so I labor over just how to bring my own story to completion for its readers.
After deciding to write about endings, my first thought was “and they lived happily ever after.” Now that might work for fairy tales, but I’m writing suspense.  Do I really want a storybook ending?
            I’ve put together a list of different types of endings and how they might be germane to the story, assuming of course, that genre does have an impact on what type of ending an author selects.

1.     Happy endings  These are mandatory and expected in fairy tales, children’s books, and romance novels.
But just how happy to leave the reader when ending a thriller, suspense or mystery novel can be a quandary. Although I put an element of romance, or, I suppose I should call it angst-laden encounters between the sexes, in the genre of suspense it is necessary that they be secondary to the main plot. A writer of these genres must be careful that his ending never remotely resembles the ending of a romance  novel or even romantic suspense novel. In other words, the getting together of the protagonist and his/her romantic interest, should not be the main theme of the ending and be a promise, rather than a guarantee, that the two will continue on the path to romantic nirvana.

2.     Everything neatly tied up endings. Like deciding how much romance to end with, the author needs to decide whether to tie up all the loose ends. Should something be held back? As a reader, I say no. I like knowing the whys, and without them, I suspect the author of forgetting something.
A definite reader turnoff—a long dialogue between characters explaining all the loose ends. If using this method of revelation at all, keep it short.

 3.    Nothing ties up.  Seldom used in mystery/suspense, but sometimes as a shocker in horror or science fiction. A friend of mine just wrote a suspense/horror novella in which the two protagonists are murdered by the killer at the end of the book. This ending was so bold and unexpected, that I kind of liked it. But keep in mind, the average reader may not.

4.    Epilogues. These aren’t as common in the mystery/suspense genres, but as a reader I like them, especially if the story line is heavily into the personal lives of the characters. The reader wants to know how the characters fared after the dust settled.

5.    They just screwed with me!  This seems to be a favorite ending for screenwriters these days. I don’t know about everyone else, but for the most part, I hate this type of ending. When the final scene or page, throws out everything its follower spent time being engrossed in, the reader/moviegoer, feels cheated. Again, there will some who like it, but an author must always remember just who he is writing for and what they enjoy.

6.     Alternate endings. Why? As a reader, I avoid these gimmicky ploys to offer something different. I suppose you could look at them as a way to give each reader a satisfactory ending, but to me it’s an author cop-out. I want to know how the story really ended in the writer’s mind. The author has to figure out the best, most satisfying ending, not dangle choices in front of his readers.
 
7.  A final twist. Unlike number five, the ending twist can be a satisfying finale if done well.  I like a good twist, but they can be a tricky way to tie up the end of a novel. Don’t do one, just to get it in. Be sure it's one the reader will love!



Dear readers,

Here’s wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with people you love, the service of your choice, a basket of your favorite treats, and happy endings.

Till next week,
Marla






12 comments:

  1. You know what kind of ending I used to like but am now actually getting tired of? Twist endings. I'm done with twists. Not to conflate books with movies, but a perfect example of the was that movie that came out about a year ago with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. I think it was called The Tourist. I won't spoil it, but suffice to say I think it would have been a much stronger story without the twist.

    Plus, and this is really a shame, most of the time I see the twist coming from the beginning. I never know if it's my writer's mind or if everyone sees it coming, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, Sophie. I forgot to mention the twist ending.May have to edit that in! I agree that some of them are too over the top. I don't mind a twist myself, but a total switch is annoying. Movies seem to love that these days. You may see those twists coming because you're a cagey writer! The twist needs to be satisfying to the reader/watcher, doesn't it?

      Marla

      Delete
  2. A good catalog of endings! My favorite is a quick ending that leaves you wondering what will happen next (for a series), or an ending that doesn't exactly tie up and leaves you wondering what could have happened next (a singular novel). I also like happy endings, because a book without a happy ending, to me, is a bit depressing. Not that there aren't books like that that I like, but...I would rather the ending be happy, or at least as happy as it can get. I also like it when the character has learned something by the end, and can reflect on it.

    Best wishes, and happy Easter!

    Alexandra~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting, Alexandra! I'm with you, I like a happy ending. And yes, there should always be some element of mystery left. Like you, I don't like reading books that leave the reader depressed. I avoid them.
      Have a wonderful holiday weekend,
      Marla

      Delete
  3. Great list, Marla. I love #7. I'm a sucker for a good twist, especially at the end so you want to re-read the book to find the clues you missed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you on this one, Bethany. Interesting subject since one reader, Sophia, said she was getting weary of them. Like a lot of other things, I think it is all in how they are done. A good twist has to be one the reader enjoys, not one that is so far out that the reader feels "screwed with!"
      Thanks for visiting,
      Marla

      Delete
  4. I came across this blog post just after reading the section in Stephen King's book "On Writing" about using deus ex machina (a term I wasn't familiar with), so the timing was perfect. Solving the story problem abruptly using a new character or event that up to that point didn't exist seems a bit of a cop out to me. I'll be satisfied with most any ending as long as it ties into the rest of the story line in some way.

    Good luck with your editing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting! I enjoyed your comment because I hate it when after a whole book of twists and turns with the victim(s) lives, the killer turns our to be someone random and totally unrelated to the any of them. A real letdown for some readers!
      I'm reading Jonathan Kellerman's new book, Victims, and it is tying the killer into the storyline beautifully. Now if I could write like him! Sigh.

      Delete
    2. I haven't read any of Kellerman's books yet, which is surprising considering I love thrillers. Maybe I'll have to check one out.

      Delete
    3. Kellerman's books (most of them) feature the same characters, but unlike many series books, the plots aren't tied together so the reader can pick them up anywhere. I'd read his earlier ones first, though, only because they were my favorites.He writes about one a year, and they're all great suspense reads.
      Don't confuse him with his wife, Faye, or his son, Jesse, who also write.
      He is one of my top three, right up there with Lisa Gardner, Brian Freeman, Tami Hoag. Whoops, that was four!

      Delete
  5. Writer Dave here, Hi Marla,
    I'm like you, Marla, I'm deep into editing and revising my first novel to get it ready for ebook publication.
    I'm now thinking about changing my ending slightly.
    I might have a bittersweet ending, more like real life!
    Dave

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dave! I'm struggling with my ending too. Some say you should always hold something back and not tie up every loose end. Hard to say. Maybe you need to understand who your audience is and what they like.
      I'm working on my ending now, and want to have my female detective find love at the end, but don't want it to seem too much like romantic /suspense.
      We'll see . . .
      Marla

      Delete

Please share your thoughts!