Colorado22
asked
Catherine Ryan Hyde:
Hi Catherine - I recently finished "Funerals for Horses", which I loved. Your Author's Note mentioned that the editor asked you to change the ending. What was your original ending and how did you eventually change the story?
Catherine Ryan Hyde
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[MARKING THIS A SPOILER: In the original version she finds Simon fairly early on and brings him home more or less against his will. In retrospect I'm glad I didn't do that. But the editor's objection was that the mystery of where he had gone fell away too early in the book. His idea was that Simon never be found, which I thought was just about the worst idea for an ending imaginable. I thought the reader would feel tricked and cheated, and rightfully so. The way I eventually revised it kept the tension alive until much closer to the end of the book, but (I feel, I hope) gave the reader the answer they had earned by reading, and that they deserved. Hopefully you understand why I didn't include those details in the author's note. Nobody wants to have the resolution spoiled for them before the first page.
Really happy to hear that you enjoyed it. My older ones are darker, and not all my readers want to go there. (hide spoiler)]
Really happy to hear that you enjoyed it. My older ones are darker, and not all my readers want to go there. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Marisa
asked
Catherine Ryan Hyde:
I read "Pay it Forward" at 2001. Now, it's still a book that make me who I am. I still try hard make my promise to Trevor true. With hope someday, world will be a better place to stay. So, what do You think about this world now? Have it become a better world? What should we do to make it better? Since we could always make live better.
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