What advice would you have for emerging writers
about writing satisfying endings? Pitfalls? Things to avoid? Tips?
The first thing I want to say here is that the ending of any book needs to be appropriate for the type of book in question; we, as authors, need to understand the expectations of readers.
For example, a thriller needs to have a thrilling ending…so no standing about with cups of tea or cocktails for an explanatory denouement because that’s NOT what the reader expects, nor wants. On the other hand, if the reader’s enjoyed the ride with the characters the author has created, they might also take delight in finding out what’s happened to those characters a few months down the road, rather than the thriller just “stopping” after the high-stakes final chapter’s been read. I find this a wonderful role for an Epilogue; indeed, thrillers that just “stop” drive me nuts, and leave me feeling “Is that it!?” when the author’s written an entire book aimed at making me feel “What happens next?”.
I write both traditional and cozy books, and they need different types of endings.
I know for a fact that readers who take a journey with me through my “Golden-Age-shaped” Cait Morgan Mysteries expect a denouement scene, and for there to be comeuppances for the unmasked killer/s…so I make sure I give them that by allowing Cait to explain her solution to a gathering of all the main characters – swiftly followed by the intervention of either those who uphold the law in the part of the world where she finds herself, or by the intervention of some form of “natural justice”, as appropriate. The Cait Morgan books are traditional puzzle-plot books, so it’s absolutely critical to tie up all the clues and Red Herrings, as well as truly close the case, allowing order to be restored to the fictional world I’ve created. However, I also need the ongoing relationship arc between Cait and her (now) husband Bud to have developed somewhat; though that’s not the main goal of these books, it’s important to readers to continue to understand how a strong woman and a strong man can, and do, manage to maintain a harmonious relationship where each is able to rely upon, and help, the other.
On the other hand, my WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries feature several cases in each book, all of which need solutions to be unearthed by my four private investigators, but where the comeuppances often have to be enacted by the local police…an outcome which the PIs sometimes have to allow to unfold over “future times”. That said, I try to leave the reader in doubt about what those consequences will be, usually by allowing my final wrap-up chapter take place some little time after the final “action” in the penultimate chapter. Also, since these are character-based books, where the reader gets to know (and hopefully feel connections with) a recurring cast throughout all the books, I also need to take the stories of the lives of those characters forward, and allow resolution to any challenges I’ve thrown at them during my storytelling or, maybe, chuck a new challenge into the frame to encourage readers to want to know what will happen to that person in the next book.
A book with an ending that’s not appropriate to the type of book in question is doing a disservice to the reader, so writers really need to understand what those expectations are by getting to know the subgenre they are writing from the readers’ point of view first. Thus, as I find myself saying so often, you can become a better writer by being a better reader first – and by being a better reader I mean being a reader of the subgenre you’re writing, not just relying upon “how To” books, which may, or may not, deal with your chosen sub-genre.
Want to check to see if my endings match your expectations? You can find out more about all my books at my website: https://www.cathyace.com/
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