The Elusive Ending

Barbara Custer struggled with an elusive ending in some of the tales in City of Brotherly Death.Recently, I received a jewel of a submission for Night to Dawn. Every word counted; every line urged me to keep reading. I was revving up to write a nice acceptance letter. Then the story ended, but the ending stopped me. A part of the plot was left unfinished. I wondered, where’s the rest of the story? So I emailed the writer, requesting a revision. Most of the time, when I request a rewrite, it involves the ending.

What makes the ending so tough to write? Because sometimes our characters take us in unexpected directions, and so the perfect ending we had envisioned doesn’t sound so good after all. For my WIP, I cheated and wrote the ending, but something tells me I’ll need to revise because of the changes in my characters. It means tying up the subplots and showing that my character has changed. “Twist” endings are nice, but they have to be believable. The ending has succeeded when, upon arriving at the last word, you and your reader feel satisfied. I once read a complaint about a book, saying that the author must have been awfully tired when he wrote the ending. I admire writers with published anthologies because they’ve had to come up with a passel of meaningful endings.

Beginnings and endings can be a bear to write. My worst experience with endings happened with “One Last Favor,” one of the stories in City of Brotherly Death. That book went to an editor. “One Last Favor” had a less than satisfactory ending and she called me on it. A flurry of emails went back and forth with the editor making suggestions. I still felt lost, so I took the ending pages to my writers’ group. More suggestions. I decided that characters Tara and Chris were going to marry. The editor did another read through, and noted that I had to tie up Tara’s pursuit by the revenants stalking the town (“One Last Favor” is a zombie tale). Back to the writers’ group again, and another round of emails with my editor. We finally reached a conclusion that worked. Toni demonstrated the patience of a saint, helping me improve my ending.

It took almost a month plus three of my best curse words to get through the ending of “One Last Favor.” I can empathize with people who struggle through the ending pages. So when an author submits work that has an unsatisfying ending, I’ll work with them to help make it better.

Do you find yourself struggling to get an ending that works? I’d like to hear about your experiences.

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About Barbara Custer

Author of: Twilight Healer Steel Rose Life Raft: Earth City of Brotherly Death Close Liaisons Infinite Sight When Blood Reigns Infinite Sight Publisher / Editor of Night to Dawn Books & Magazine
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14 Comments

  1. I usually let the ending come to me and with my work it has to surpass the beginning. Usually it comes a day or two after I have finished everything and usually it comes out of the blue. But the most thought is put into the ending.

  2. That indeed, is one of my biggest hurdles.

  3. Hmm? I can’t say that I have struggled with any of my three endings, and I don’t recall any specific complaints by any reviewers. Usually I have beginnings and endings fairly nailed down in my opinion. Sometimes – like with my new WIP – the struggle is making sure there’s enough meat in the plot for the reader to chew on.
    Thanks for participating in this year’s hop.

    -Jimmy

  4. Lori Joyce Parker

    I can’t write fiction. I have to believe in what I write for the words to flow. That’s why I freelance as an editor, proofreader, and marketing agent for authors (in addition to publishing book reviews, book cover blurbs, and journalism pieces). When I’m reading, I don’t want a cliffhanger ending. I don’t want want to wonder about lose ends. Tie it up. Put a bow on it. Then, be sure to pen the sequel (but in meaningful, unhurried prose.

  5. That happens to me all the time. Luckily someone always points out that im missing something.

  6. By the time I end a book, I just want it over. Who said ‘there are no finished books, just abandoned ones’ or something like that. I can relate.

  7. Endings don’t trouble me too much, it’s getting to the ending that I always have to work at.

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