Dear O'Abby: How do i make my ending more satisfying?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've recently finished my first novel and I took it to a local writing group to get some feedback on it.  I had six different people read it, and they all said they enjoyed it, but found the ending unsatisfying. None of them could put their finger on exactly why it wasn't satisfying, so I'm curious how one makes and ending feel right.

Do you have any kind of basic information that could help me re-shape the ending of my book?

Best wishes,

 Unfinished

Dear Unfinished,

That's the worst kind of feedback, isn't it?  That everyone feels the same thing about the ending, but no one can quite give you a specific reason why it's not working for them.

My suggestion would be to look closely at your characters.  Often when something feels unsatisfying it's because a character acts in a way that isn't typical of the way they've acted through the rest of the book.  That can be jarring, especially if they change out of the blue to facilitate the ending you want without there being much growth beforehand.  If you think this might be the case, go back through and see if there are places you can show your character growing or changing to become the person they need to be to make the ending satisfying.

Alternatively, it could be that the characters haven't earned the ending you've given them.  To be a satisfying ending, your characters need to have been through hell to get there.  If everything has just fallen into their laps and they've tiptoed through the tulips to get to the end, you may need to go back and throw some obstacles in their way.  It should feel impossible that these people can ever get whatever it is that they want or need, that there is no way they can possibly overcome everything thrown in their way.  Then, when they do attain that ending, it feels like they deserve whatever it is they earn from getting through.

Or it could very well be a combination of both these things.  I suggest you go through your MS with a finetoothed comb, focusing on both these things separately.  I can almost guarantee you will find ways in which to challenge your characters more, and in turn, show their growth as people who deserve the ending you've given them.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby

An O'Abby tip for NaNoWriMo

I guess everyone is writing novels this month instead of emails to O'Abby...

So, we’re a week into NaNo. How are you going? Are you sleeping? Are your kids getting fed? Is the laundry piling up in the laundry and the dishes on the kitchen counter?

If so, don’t worry. It probably means you’ve been writing. Or at least I hope you have!

This week I want to give you a tip that might help you if the initial rush of starting your new book has worn off and you’re starting to feel like writing is just too hard.

It is tempting to give up once that initial burst of excitement and productivity wears off. Once you’ve written that startlingly original beginning you’ve been imagining since you first came up with the idea for this story. Maybe it didn’t come out on the page the way you imagined. Or maybe it hasn’t sparked the next scenes in a way that makes you excited to sit down and write.

Don’t stop.

There’s bound to be a scene somewhere further in the book you are excited to write. A kissing scene, maybe? A piece of action you have choreographed in your head? An emotional moment that brings a lump to your throat each time you think about it?

Write it.

Now is not the time to be precious about writing in a linear way. Write the scenes you want to write, the ones you are excited about. The ones that made you want to write this particular story. You can fill in the stuff that gets your characters from the beginning to that point later on. I know a lot of writers don’t like to write out of sequence, but if you’re struggling to get to your word count, or feel stuck in your story, this is a way to push past that block and possibly free yourself up to move on.

The great thing about this technique is you can use it over and over again through the writing of your project. Any time you get stuck, just leave your characters where they are. They’ll still be there where you get back to them. And often writing through scenes later in the book will give you ideas that will help push past that sticking point.

Remember this isn’t a final draft. It isn’t even a first draft. If you hit your 50K words at the end of the month and there are still holes in your story, it doesn’t matter. You can fill them in. Or maybe you’ll find you don’t actually need all the connective tissue you thought you would when you started writing.

Hopefully this will be helpful for you. It’s something I use all the time when I’m drafting, during NaNo or any other time. I’ll let you in on a secret too. I almost always write the ending of my books really early on. I don’t do much plotting ahead of time and having an ending there gives me something to aim for. If you have an ending in mind now, but aren’t quite sure how to get to it, maybe you should try writing it. It might help you to find your way.

Happy writing!

X O’Abby

PS.  After 6 days my word count is sitting at around 11K.  How are you getting on?

Dear O'Abby... Scratch that. Dear Readers.

Dear Readers,

O'Abby here.  This week I need your advice because I'm the one with a writing problem I can't solve. So really hope some of you out there might have some thoughts on what I should do.

I can't finish my book.

This is not something that's ever happened to me before.  Usually I know the ending, or something that resembles an ending right at the start of writing a book.  Even if the first scene I write is somewhere toward the middle of the story.  I even usually write the ending early on in the drafting process so I have somewhere to aim for.

I should add I'm not a plotter or outliner.  Writing the ending is about as much plotting as I do, usually.  But for some reason, I left this unfinished manuscript sitting on my hard drive without an ending.  And now I've filled in all the rest of the missing bits, but still can't figure out how to end it.

To be honest, even if I had written an ending back then, it probably wouldn't fit with the story I've written now.  But on the other hand, maybe if the ending had been there, I wouldn't have written the middle parts the way they've ended up.

The problem I have, is that I've taken everything away from my MC.  Everything he has worked toward throughout the book, everything he believed he needed.  And I don't feel like I can end the book with him at such a low place.  There needs to be some spark of hope for him.  I don't need a happy ending, just something that offers some chance that he might actually manage to find happiness or fulfillment in the future.

There are two women who have been a part of his life over the course of the book and I feel like they need to be part of the ending.  But I can't figure out how to write them in without it feeling forced.  The first woman disappears from the story after about chapter 5 or 6 and is only mentioned again once or twice, but I feel like she's the one who could show my MC a way forward.  But I'm not sure how to re-introduce her in a way that feels natural or organic.

The other woman is more consistently a part of the story, but I don't think my MC would go to her at this point in the story.  Not without someone or something else urging him to.  Things between them have become weird for a number of reasons.

So I'm asking for advice.  What do you do if you can't finish a story?  Are there techniques you use?  Do you put it away and leave it for a few weeks?  Let someone else read it and offer suggestions?

I'm asking for your advice.  Apart from not being able to end it, I love this story and my stupidly messed up characters.  And I want to give them the ending they deserve.  Even if it isn't the ending my MC thinks he wants...

X O'Abby

Earn your Endings

Here's a topic that has been on my mind lately: Endings. In my Fiction II class this semester, we're been talking about a lot of important story elements, and endings are chief among them. They're important because they are the last thing your reader sees before they close the book. An ending is supposed to satisfy them and perhaps make them ask questions or leave them wanting more. If an ending fails, the reader feels cheated and it leaves a sour taste in their mouth.

As we investigated the different types of endings in my class, there became a clear theme: Earn your Endings. Everyone and everything in your book has to earn those final words. The characters have to earn it. The story arc has to earn it. The writing has to earn it.

YOU have to earn it.

So how does one earn an ending?

The short answer is: No one really knows. But that's a lame answer, so instead, let's think about a few categories that endings can fall into and how to make them work.

1) Happy or Sad?

While the final pages of your novel can be a combination of happy and sad, oftentimes endings can be grouped into these two categories. Does the novel have an uplifting end? Or does everything come crashing down, leaving the characters stranded? Whatever the case, you have to make sure the tone of the ending feels true to the rest of the story.

How to do this? Well, in a few simple words, happy endings don't work without struggle, and tragic endings don't work without hope. A happy ending does not feel true to us unless we think their might be a chance that things might not work out. We must worry for the characters and wonder how they're going to get out of this situation. Likewise, a tragedy doesn't work unless we have some hope that they'll make it through. We can't be resigned to the fact that everyone is going to die or we don't care. Remember this line from Hunger Games?

That's important story advice from President Snow. Without a little hope, we don't feel the loss. In your endings, happy or sad, a taste of what will not be makes the outcome all the more sweet. Or bitter.

2) The Great Twist

So you want your ending to be unpredictable, huh? I mean, that's what a lot of people want from their stories. They want a twist a la Sixth Sense to shock the pants off their readers. Everyone likes a good twist. But the funny thing about twists is that they're never completely unpredictable. If they are, then they don't feel true to the story. For instance, Bruce Willis, at the end of Sixth Sense, could have been revealed to be a vampire. But that wouldn't work because it wasn't built up. There were several hints throughout Sixth Sense hinting at his true nature throughout the movie. That's why it hits us so hard. Because we should have SEEN that. It was right under out noses and then it socked us right in the mouth.

When it comes to your ending, the audience reaction shouldn't be confusion. It should be "What?" followed immediately by. "Oh. Of course!"

3) Arc Completion

When you start a story, you begin an arc. So that arc, for better for worse, must come to a resolution. That means your characters have to go through some sort of satisfying change and that their story line needs to be resolved. It doesn't have to be tied up in a little bow, but if you leave things unsaid, at least tease at a resolution. That way the reader can imagine what might have happened after the 'The End'. The characters don't have to reach an epiphany. But they should reach SOMETHING and that something should be built into their arc throughout the story. If your characters earn the ending, then chances are you will too.

Those are just three tips to look at when writing endings. Obviously you could probably write a whole book on this topic. But remember, your ending is the final thing the reader sees before they return to the real world. Make the words linger. Don't let them leave completely.

A good opening hooks you in. A good ending echoes in your mind for days after.

Don't leave me hanging

I came across a quote today that totally made me think of Kell's recent Happy Endings post, and had to share: 

Not too long ago, I read a book that made me really sympathetic for the main character. His outlook on life was depressing, he had lost sight of his goals, and he was even ruining relationships by not being honest (because to him, the confrontation just wasn't worth it). As the book progressed, I wanted to grab the guy, pull him aside, and tell him I'd be his best friend. That I'd help get his crap together. I was completely engrossed in the story, and by the time the ending came along, I was ready for closure. 

And yet... I didn't get it. In fact, I wanted to chuck the book across the room when I finished, because it was as though my emotions had been strung along and I was at the top of the roller coaster and the author just walked off, leaving me hanging there staring down at the inevitable drop never to come. 

Is that life? The imperfect ending? Sure, a lot of times it is. But, it's like Ms. Lamott's quote above. Tell me the story of how your character faced the situation, what they felt, and how it made them a different person (for better or for worse). There can be sadness and loss and the frustration of not having things "all together", yes; but at the end, give me closure, not a bunch of tears and an uneasy feeling making me wish I'd never picked up the book.

Least Satisfying Endings

Not to be confused with a Terrible Ending. 

A Terrible Ending is one which makes you put a book down and feel like you just wasted hours of your life. 

Least Satisfying Endings are in another class. They come at the end of an epic, moving book that raised your expectations and just. didn't. quite. deliver.

Without naming names, I want to talk about such an ending. I read what I originally thought was a trilogy. The first two books left me feeling unsatisfied with the two main characters and their relationship left hanging in the air. Then FINALLY at the end of Book 3, there was the catharsis I was seeking. Angels sang hallelujah. It was a beautiful thing. I think I actually let out a happy sigh. 

Then came a fourth book. I put off reading it for a long time because the reviews all said the same thing: this book shatters the feel-good you got at the end of the trilogy. Some of the reviews even suggested never reading Book 4. 

I knew I'd pick it up eventually out of curiosity and a love for the characters, but I am glad I gave myself time to enjoy the bliss of a happy ending wherein most loose ends were tied up and every character had grown in unique ways. After investing over a thousand pages into these characters, I needed that rest. But after a long rest, it was time to find out what happened next.

I finished Book 4 last night and now I know what the reviewers were talking about. 

The author pulls the rug out. 

You think you're about to get another nice resolution with most loose ends tied up, and then...

Something epically disastrous happens and... END SCENE. 

THE END.

That's it. 

It reminds me of a story my mom told me about The Lord of the Rings trilogy actually starting out as one long book. The publishers, she says, split the books somewhat arbitrarily into three installments. As a result, one book ends with the characters in fatal peril and emotional turmoil... which means that the reader is also left in emotional turmoil. 

Books are hard to write. I'm still trying to figure out the ideal story arc for my own beloved character creations. Endings are probably the hardest. As a writer, I totally sympathize with authors on this. But as a reader, it's just hard not to be disappointed.

So for the sake of learning the craft from published works, I'll start a list of Ways Never to End Your Book (my opinions, of course). Please join me in the comments. 

• Never leave your main character on a sacrificial altar with a dagger hovering over his heart.
• Try not to end with a shallow conversation between the romantic leads.
• If you end with a joke, make sure it doesn't fall flat.
• Don't end with a flashback.
• If you must leave your antagonist mysteriously missing (is he dead or alive?), at least avoid the cliches (e.g. his black cloak blowing in the wind). 

Your turn. 

What kind of endings drive you nuts as a reader?

AWESOME ENDINGS

We all know how important it is to get the beginning of our books just right. You need to hook the reader. We have to grab them enough to want to read on.

We know the middle shouldn't be saggy. That you need to keep the action moving. 

Then there is the end. If you've kept them with your MC for pages then the ending needs to be one that keeps them turning the page. 

Here is an awesome tip from author K.M.Weiland to help keep your ending exciting: 

What about you? How do you make your endings thrilling? 

The End

I finally got to the end of my draft.

Oddly enough, that sounds like more a milestone to nonwriters to than to writers. Nonwriters think it's a huge milestone. Writers nod, but know it's only an intermediate step. It's an end, but it's the beginning of revision.

This is only the second book I finished, and now, after congratulating myself nonwriter-style, I take a step firmly into the "writer" camp -- into Revisionland.

When a book crashes and burns, whether at the query, submission, or post-publication stage, the standard advice is to keep writing. Write something new. Writers write. Etc.

I didn't know if I could do that. I'm not one of those people with bottomless wells of resilience who keeps going against all odds.

Writing the second one makes me feel that I can really be a writer. Published or not, I don't want to be one of those people who only has one book in her. But more importantly, I decided to write another book after rejection. Maybe I have the stick-to-itiveness I'll need.

Now if I can just stick out the revision...