Breakthrough, Not Breakdown

One of the most difficult things I deal with in my own writing is the end of the story. There are times when I simply have no idea how the whole thing will draw to a close, which makes for some awkward moments in editing.
“What point were you making here?”
“Um, the point is I ran out of ideas on what those characters were going to do.”
“We don’t care what happens after the story. Happily ever after works, but only if you just leave it to our imaginations. We don’t want to read the idyllic life, ok?”

My roommate can be a harsh critic, but that is one thing I appreciate about having her read my work. She’s not afraid to tell me something stinks.

Endings, however, have never been my strong suit, although I have started some stories with the last line in my head, so I’ve had to create an entire plot and manipulate it so it ends the way my brain imagined it ending. Sometimes that works. Most of the time, I’m not so lucky.

However, the novel I’m currently writing, while definitely one of my favorites so far, has taunted me by fading out before the final curtain. There was no logical conclusion coming to my head, and it was starting to cause a panic. Especially since I had ideas that would carry these particular characters through a few more novels before being forced into retirement.

“End it with drama. Kill off a favorite character.”
“Uh, no, I need that character for the next book.”
“So, just make it look like he or she dies. Leave your reader wanting to know, wanting more.”

That conversation jarred something loose in my brain and the next thing I knew, ideas began pouring out. Not only that, but odd plot moments finally knitted together to bring forth a logical, cliff-hanging close to this story. It was a breakthrough, a crumbling of a block that had threatened to derail a beloved story.

A load was lifted, and soon more information came tumbling across the horizon of my mental book, lining themselves up for entrance on the blank pages of my computer. Now that I know where and how this work can end, it’s only a matter of how to get everyone into their proper places for the final act.

What helped me finally get to that point was simple. I talked it out with a reader. Talking with writers is excellent, but when you listen to a reader, you get a slightly different perspective, one that can shine a lot of light on a dim ending.

Karen