How do you know when you've reached "THE END"?

[Kent]

This topic flows from my own technique for writing (shared by others) that I described in the topic, "Writing - how does it work for you?"

Briefly recapping, I write fiction, and the way it works for me is to put a couple of credible characters in a credible situation, give them a shove for a couple of chapters, then wait to see where they take the story. I have no preexisting story outline or specific goal within the story.

If that's the way you write, how do you know when the characters have taken that story line far enough?

In the case of my book, Tracks in the Sand - A Tale of the Border Patrol , I wrote THE END once the major theme (good guys vs bad guys & their plot)had run its course.

But that's not the same as closing all of the story lines contained within the book. I left at least three lines open to provide jumping-off points for future books. Some of the bad guys are still functioning (as they always do), the protagonist's romance is on hold (as romance often is), and some of the victims are trying to build a new life (as the best victims will).

I apparently reached a reasonable decision on THE END because no reader said it was incomplete or left hanging, but most said they were curious about what comes next for the characters. I'm happy with their responses, but I can't for the life of me say why I wound it up when I did.

Your thoughts? How does it work for you?

Kent

[Kevin]

I never write the end or to be continued.

Though I probably should with some of my books.

I just stop writing when I get to the point where if I wrote anymore the book would take too long to read.

Not in page count, but in reader patience. Some of my books are 300 pages, others are 400. Some of my short stories are 20 pages, others 80.

Though I do admit, with most of my short stories, I have a prologue and an epilogue.

What I do with my novels, however, is write some sort of thank you or other notice to the readers, allowing them to wind down from the tension of the pages just prior. They can reflect on what they've read while reading portions of the novel which I discuss. In general, however, I do believe my ending of my novels has more to do with reader patience than anything else. Since I am always reading and re-reading my novels, I can tell if I get bored or irritated (I'm relatively impatient and demanding when it comes to reading anyone's writing).

It's something I wish Peter Jackson would've done with the Return of the King movie. lol Loved the movie but it needed the last 20 minutes chopped off.

[Marc]

The characters don't end, possibly the story doesn't end, but there are parts of the story that reach a completed status. In my books, the story of Tarkas is the business of the whole story, but that could take me many books to tell. Each book contains a different step of that story, and each of those steps has a definite end. The logic has reached a conclusion, the parts have summed to 0, however you want to put it. Not necessarily all parts, just the ones in this book. If there are other parts that haven't been balanced yet, take them out and put them in a different book.

[Kent]

Marc, that's a very useful presentation of view to me.

My first novel is the beginning of a series that will sketch the developing life of a young Border Patrolman. We will see more develop than just his career, although his work will be the primary focus.

Each book will, generally, reflect a stage of his life's development, seen through his actions and reactions to events. Thus, as you say, each book contains a step, and each step has a definite end.

And because elements of one's life (personal, professional, romantic, etc) develop at different rates, a stopping point for one element must perforce leave another unresolved. And so it was in Tracks in the Sand ; a major element is left unresolved, but it will be dealt with in the upcoming A Long Way to Die.

Yes. Thank you.

Kent

[Marc]

You are most welcome. Most of the time when I want to write a story I know where I want it to end, more or less, although by the time I get there the whole story will have changed around it. Also, the characters will have grown and expanded far beyond the mere line of events that takes them to the conclusion. I think they always do, if the story is done right. Real people transcend their boundaries.

A book may perhaps be best described as the story of how the characters achieved their goal at that time, however small or great the goal might be.

I have read many books where the author tried to do this and failed, either by having too much conclude in the same book, or not enough. Tying up all the loose ends is okay if the series is ending, but hopefully there won't be so many loose ends to tie by that point. On the other hand I was very disappointed by the Next Generation series of Star Trek novels, which were not especially interesting, but worse, left a good chunk of one story left unfinished, forcing the reader to buy the next book to see how it came out. And then that book would have an unfinished story...