Thursday 3 July 2008

The Trouble With Endings


Some of you may have noted the addition on my sidebar of a second word count meter for another story I've been working on. Sabrina's Secret is an old story I wrote a few years ago that has been sitting largely abandonned on the hard drive while I wonder what on earth I should do with it. I knew it wasn't good enough as it stood, but still felt the story had potential. I just had to tap into it.

Well, after an EXTENSIVE re-write (that I got into doing when I hit a snag in The Honeymoon Effect - can you spell procrastination?) I think I have tapped into something and the story has improved markedly. Now comes the hard part.

The ending.

Usually by about half way through a book I conceptualise the ending very clearly. It comes to me just as I fall asleep or wake up and it's right there - I know without question that is how the story will end and all that's left to do is work out the best way to get there. But with this story? Hasn't happened. I was never content with the original ending and have been waiting for a better denoument to spring to mind. So far, nothing concrete.

I think this problem arises from the fact I can only see these two having a 'happy for now' kind of finish rather than a traditional 'happy ever after'. There are just so many issues between my protags, and they're the kind of issues that don't get resolved in the space of a month which is the approximate timeline of the book. I want to leave off with an impression of optimism, that these two will work things out because they are right for each other despite their obstacles, but I think a marriage proposal would be precipitate - not least because the heroine has been married before and emotionally scarred by the experience. Would she marry a guy she'd known only a month, especially as she has a young daughter to consider, when she's not the impuslive type? I think not - no matter how much she loves him.
So my question is - how do you as readers feel about the happy for now ending? Does there have to be an indication of forever at the end of the story to give you that sense of completion? What about epilogues? For instance, if the ending was a happy for now one, would an epilogue showing how they were managing a year later acheive the the same result as a HEA? (Touble is, every time I think about writing an epilogue Jenny Crusie's voice sounds in my head... "Don't write epilogues!" Ugh.)

Personally, as a reader I'd rather have a happy for now ending than a forced happy ever after. I don't want promises of undying devotion between people who've known each other only a short time unless the author has done a really good job of convincing me their characters are perfect complements. The promise of future happiness is enough for me.

What about you? What about an ending puts a smile on your face? What makes you want to chuck the book against the wall? Does the ending need to be filled with drama, such as a life endangering event, or can it be subtle and still be just as emotionally satisfying? Help!
Sami

11 comments:

  1. Hi Sami,
    I see you're still here, no twinges yet?
    I love the subject of this post. I'm a lover of HEA, can't help it, I got mine I want everyone to have one. LOL
    I recently read and reviewed a HFN book, I gotta tell you at first I thought I wasn't going to be satisfied because I could see the author didn't have enough time for a HEA, but it really surprised me. The HFN ending fit the book and the characters and I was left with a feeling that they were marching off into the future with the idea of sticking it out. Which when you think about it, is the HEA. So there's no proposal or wedding, we don't need one to know these two love each other and plan to stick it for the long run.
    I'm with you on the forced ending. Don't do it!!! I'm also with you on the heroine not jumping into a marriage again with only a month of knowing the guy. I can't wait to grab this when it gets snapped up and published.
    Rachel

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  2. Oops! Above is me, I signed in under the wrong hat.
    Hope I didn't confuse you.
    Rachel

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  3. That's cool Rachel, I know who you are :)

    Thanks for your thoughts on this topic. Hope it gets snapped up and published - it's an erotic romance too, which might be right up your alley...

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  4. LOL
    I wasn't sure, I get so confused myself it's hard to remember who knows me as both. hehe
    Anywho.... erotic romance you say? Mmm.... need an advanced reader by any chance?
    RC

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  5. Hey Sami
    IMHO, you have to stay true to the book. If you're thinking an HEA would be out of place, you're probably right. And your readers would probably think so too. Nothing worse than an unrealistic marriage proposal.
    Hey HFNs are good too. And they leave the reader open to the idea of HEA.

    Good luck finding the end. I know how torturous it can be.

    Jess

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  6. Hey Sami

    I'm 100% for HFN endings! Sometimes that's one thing that really irritates me about romance. Many of them feel they have to end with a wedding or proposal or baby and yet like you said, most of the time the 'courtships' have been very short. Not saying that short courtships never end in brilliant HEAs but they definately don't all.

    Interesting reading anyway... good to procrastinate here instead of think about my own wip which is so far from the ending it's not funn!

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  7. Hey Sami

    I'm 100% for HFN endings! Sometimes that's one thing that really irritates me about romance. Many of them feel they have to end with a wedding or proposal or baby and yet like you said, most of the time the 'courtships' have been very short. Not saying that short courtships never end in brilliant HEAs but they definately don't all.

    Interesting reading anyway... good to procrastinate here instead of think about my own wip which is so far from the ending it's not funn!

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  8. So sorry that ended up there twice - wierd!

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  9. Thanks Jess - will be going back to fiddle with the first few chapters while I ponder my ending dilemma... procrastinating again.

    And thanks for the comment(s) Rach, Rach and Rach :)

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  10. Hey Sami... you may be busy having a baby right now (how exciting!) anyway - I think a well rounded HFN works... with the reader able to kind of "choose your own adventure" moving forward... remember those books?!

    So with a HFN - they get an ending and can add on if that wish (also gives you the chance for a series??!!)...

    Hope your bub arrives soon - nothing worse than the waiting!

    Amanda

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  11. I loved choose your own adventure books. If you died you could just go back to the beginning and start all over again. So cool! Taps into that desire writers have to control their stories I think.

    Bub still waiting. One more week ought to do it.

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