E is for Endings
On Being a Published Writer
A to Z Blogging 2011
April 5, 2012
Day 5
Guilty as charged! The accusation has been made that a KC Kendricks book reads like a, well, a KC Kendricks book! And the ending of a KC Kendricks book will generally have a wrap-up that takes place three to six months after the characters make the commitment to see how things might work out in the long run for them.
Endings are not easy. Too abrupt, and the reviewers hammer you. Too long, and the reviewers hammer you. It pays to remember those who criticize can't do it any better and ignore them.
Beating your head on your desk is pointless and unproductive, not to mention painful. So what's an author to do?
First off, accept the fact that perfect endings are few and far between. You don't want to abandon the characters you love. The readers don't want to be forced to close the book on the characters they've come to love. But the book has to end somewhere.
I struggle with each and every ending. I want to leave the reader feeling good about the characters and their future. If I can infuse the reader with a sense of hopeful completion, I've done what I set out to do.
So how does the writer do that?
I think it begins by envisioning the characters as settled into their relationship. What's the form of their pairing? Did they marry? Are they still monogamous? Those questions are secondary to asking are they happy together? That's the crux of the issue. A good ending in romance fiction will show the main characters happy and hopeful for their future. It doesn't matter if they're on the sofa watching a movie or cleaning the garage.
I also happen to think the ending is a great place for the "fade to black" sex scene, provided you've already got a lot of heat in the story. Using the fade-to-black at the end without any prior heat won't make anyone happy. Using it after the heat leaves the reader feeling upbeat.
Just like how you develop the story, go with your gut instinct. If you don't like the ending, rework it. If you think you've gone overboard, rework it.
If you read it and wonder if you should maybe perhaps tweak it just a wee bit because, well, this word could be a little better if I just maybe change it to something else but I don't know what….LEAVE IT ALONE.
The End.
KC Kendricks
Website
A to Z Blogging 2011
April 5, 2012
Day 5
Guilty as charged! The accusation has been made that a KC Kendricks book reads like a, well, a KC Kendricks book! And the ending of a KC Kendricks book will generally have a wrap-up that takes place three to six months after the characters make the commitment to see how things might work out in the long run for them.
Endings are not easy. Too abrupt, and the reviewers hammer you. Too long, and the reviewers hammer you. It pays to remember those who criticize can't do it any better and ignore them.
Beating your head on your desk is pointless and unproductive, not to mention painful. So what's an author to do?
First off, accept the fact that perfect endings are few and far between. You don't want to abandon the characters you love. The readers don't want to be forced to close the book on the characters they've come to love. But the book has to end somewhere.
I struggle with each and every ending. I want to leave the reader feeling good about the characters and their future. If I can infuse the reader with a sense of hopeful completion, I've done what I set out to do.
So how does the writer do that?
I think it begins by envisioning the characters as settled into their relationship. What's the form of their pairing? Did they marry? Are they still monogamous? Those questions are secondary to asking are they happy together? That's the crux of the issue. A good ending in romance fiction will show the main characters happy and hopeful for their future. It doesn't matter if they're on the sofa watching a movie or cleaning the garage.
I also happen to think the ending is a great place for the "fade to black" sex scene, provided you've already got a lot of heat in the story. Using the fade-to-black at the end without any prior heat won't make anyone happy. Using it after the heat leaves the reader feeling upbeat.
Just like how you develop the story, go with your gut instinct. If you don't like the ending, rework it. If you think you've gone overboard, rework it.
If you read it and wonder if you should maybe perhaps tweak it just a wee bit because, well, this word could be a little better if I just maybe change it to something else but I don't know what….LEAVE IT ALONE.
The End.
KC Kendricks
Website
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