tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post3359265933787664417..comments2024-03-01T03:18:04.652-05:00Comments on The Daily Harrell: Your Ending: The Rollercoaster StopJessie Harrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11581727105030086814noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-45980804400086903842010-07-02T08:44:00.095-04:002010-07-02T08:44:00.095-04:00Normally the ending is one of the first things I w...Normally the ending is one of the first things I write. Yes, I'm a puzzling pantser with plotitudinal tendencies. When I first began in the ebook publishing world, I had the rollercoaster ending on a story and the editor busted my chops, refusing to buy the story until I completed the story arc. since then, I'm very careful with my endings.AE Roughthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02262109683422690285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-30601930586677431892010-06-30T20:13:03.392-04:002010-06-30T20:13:03.392-04:00Thanks for your insights everyone!
Nikki - I was t...Thanks for your insights everyone!<br />Nikki - I was thinking some of Shoreline as I wrote this b/c it's such a nice wrap up and I definitely felt like it was necessary. The perfect amount of "sorbet."<br />Katie - I LOVE these tips. Coming full circle is so important and I love your use of parallel imagery. <br />Kim - I'm right there with you. The Destined epilogue is *heart squish* for me too.Jessie Harrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581727105030086814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-73347897969396965722010-06-30T16:55:17.568-04:002010-06-30T16:55:17.568-04:00Funny, I was just thinking of writing a post on th...Funny, I was just thinking of writing a post on this!! I actually flip flop on my last chapter in Shoreline. Sometimes I think it's not necessary, sometimes I think it eases the reader out of the book (and leads to a sequel if it ever comes to that). <br /><br />I'll tell you what I don't like. Ending on a cliffhanger (like Catching Fire!!!) Leaves me going insane for months on end!Nikkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04951894771043230927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-74738119994810447662010-06-30T16:19:11.415-04:002010-06-30T16:19:11.415-04:00Oooh... good question, Jessie! My answer: it depen...Oooh... good question, Jessie! My answer: it depends on the book. I've edited way too many manuscripts where the author had 5 endings. Seriously. Or, my least favorite, epilogues that don't add to the story. <br /><br />First, you're right about writing to the climax. You want to hit that hard and stop right at the height of the euphoria/relief that your characters experience because of it. But what then? I tell authors to steal a big screenwriter secret--end with a closing image that mirrors your opening image, but in reverse. <br /><br />Say you open your story with a character sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal by themselves. In your story, their internal goal is to find love/family/community. Your closing image would then be the opening scene, tweaked to include what it is the character achieved. In this story, there might be a lover at the table eating with them, their hair deliciously rumpled from the night before. Or maybe they met someone who has kids and you close with a warm family scene in the kitchen in which your character feels complete. Or you could go the breakfast-in-bed route. <br /><br />You see where I'm going with this? The goal is to end with something that gives the reader closure. Edward Patterson's "sherbet" analogy works nicely with this. Closure truly is the yummy transition between the novel world and the real world, but too much sherbet will make you (and your readers) sick. Don't go overboard. With a strong closing image, less is more!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-2696127068672008492010-06-30T15:45:50.638-04:002010-06-30T15:45:50.638-04:00Surface has an epilogue and as a reader of my own ...Surface has an epilogue and as a reader of my own writing, it was a *heart squish* moment for me to write it. <3Kimberly Sabatinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18143516055206233316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-50071595710966226052010-06-30T10:04:25.587-04:002010-06-30T10:04:25.587-04:00I write romance, the the ending is a foregone conc...I write romance, the the ending is a foregone conclusion. I like to get the feeling of FINALLY! and then call it a day. That being said, I'm also a huge fan of the epilogue. Something to show the reader that our erstwhile couple is not only together, but doing well. I'm not published, so I don't know if I've got the formula, but my readers seem to like it.<br /><br />Excellent food for thought.<br /><br />- LizLiz Czukashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15656897969180818333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7636799445242396833.post-65941215052446655032010-06-30T09:55:01.470-04:002010-06-30T09:55:01.470-04:00this is a tough question, J! I had this problem in...this is a tough question, J! I had this problem in Debut Novel and ended up at #1--writing one and a half more books. In current book, I was able to wrap things up quickly, but I like the epilogue idea. I don't know. I'd be interested to see what others do... :DLTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239077455322030275noreply@blogger.com