Endings seem to be the bane of my writing life. I have no shortage of exciting ideas that get my mind fizzing and popping and eager to write, but as one of my friends pointed out, I need a big "So-What?" at the end. It's the "so what?" part that I suck at, with stories often petering out and ending with a whimper rather than a bang.
So I have devised a cunning plan. I shall think of my endings FIRST, and then work backwards to create a plausible series of events that lead up to the beginning! Crafty, eh? Hopefully this should leave me with tighter, more coherent tales that end satisfactorily, with the villains getting their comeuppance, the hero getting the girl, and the reader getting a proper sense of closure.
Gosh, but I'm frighteningly clever sometimes. Why the hell didn't I think of this before?
Ummm....anyone want to start me off with a few good endings?
13 years ago
Another thing to do is just to leave it be for a while, move on to another story. Sometimes it takes a bit for your ending to wind its way out of the dark recesses of your brains.
ReplyDeleteHere's a few, just for fun.
ReplyDeleteThe Lady MacBeth: He scrubbed for what seemed like a very long time, but the spot of blood beneath the nail of his right index finger continued to glare at him, a tiny, angry, red spot.
The Beckett: Three days later they were still standing beneath the tree, still waiting, still hoping.
The Hemingway: He came to the end. That was all there was.