Famous Last Words: The End
Two nights ago while talking with an acquaintance about my novel, Worlds Apart, he mentioned that he always wanted to write a book but didn't know how to end it. I asked him what he meant and he said, "I think I'd just keep on writing and writing. How do I know when to stop? How do I know when the story's done?"
I wanted to give him an answer, but in the time I had left to talk to him I knew I couldn't answer that question. I told him I'd think about it. Well, I have. And it's a darn good question. How do I know when to stop? First, here are a few dumb reasons to type "The End":
1. When the publisher's deadline is tomorrow.
2. When I'm tempted to introduce a new character on page 359.
3. When I don't care about the story anymore.
4. When I can't figure out what happens next.
5. When I reach page 800.
6. When my protagonist leaps off the page and says, "Enough already!"
7. When my antagonist leaps off the page and says, "Can I kill him now?"
8. When my wife leaps into the room and says, "When are you going to be done with that thing?"
9. When my computer crashes.
10. When I repeatedly begin typing "uh..."
So. How do I really know when to type "The End"? Well, I think about the plot and theme. If I've managed to reach a point in my story where I have or can conclude the plot and theme satisfactorily, it's time to write The End. But how I do that depends upon whether I'm bringing my story to a climax (linear ending) or bringing it back around to a narrator's place in time (circular).
Circular and Linear Endings
Ansen Dibell, author of Elements of Fiction Writing: Plot, writes that successful endings come in two shapes: circular and linear.
A circular ending connects the beginning and ending, which are more alike than they are to the middle of the story. The beginning promises the reader something--a revelation, a change of perspective, an emotional edification--and the ending fulfills the promise. In my research of this type of ending, the word "homecoming" was used to describe what happens to my main character as he is changed through the course of the story's middle. More importantly, what that character brings "home" to turn his world into something extraordinary.
Linear stories are more like climbing a mountain with rattlesnakes, rock slides and bad weather to make the climb difficult and filled with diversions, until my characters reach the top (the climax). Once my character resolves the conflict, the story ends.
Reflective and Narrative Endings
Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, put it well: "...great endings bring back the whole story." He points to the "reflective ending" of The Great Gatsby. The narrator reflects back and pulls the past forward and ties it to the present in a neat and meaningful conclusion. Clark describes the "narrative ending" as a "powerful alternative," in which the final scene caps the action. The real difference between the two endings, according to author Nina Munteanu, is this: reflective endings tell and narrative endings show. I agree with her that both work when handled masterfully.
If I'm struggling with my denouement, I need only to narrow my priorities to these three things:
1. Plot
2. Theme
3. Is my ice cream melting.
Posted by Tom Eubanks at 9/20/2010 9:10 AM 
Categories: Finally, On Writing
Tags: Working It Storytelling Essay
Categories: Finally, On Writing
Tags: Working It Storytelling Essay
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