Endings

Becca C. · Mar 1, 2012

I've lately been having trouble with endings. I have no trouble winding the story down, but my instinct is always to get to a breaking point, have some conclusive dialogue/action, and then write an epilogue that takes place a few months later. It seems to be my habit for most things I write, and in a way I find it really awkward (why can't I just get to an end and end it there?!) but on the WIP I'm working on now, it kind of has to be that way. The epilogue is a very specific, important occasion in the characters' lives, showing how things have changed since the events of the story and what the future looks like for the characters, but nothing really in the month or so leading up to it needs to be included in the story.

Could this be an authorial voice kind of thing? Like, epilogues could be a trademark of mine? Or is it something I need to work on and fix?

Stiger05 · Mar 1, 2012

Personally, I don't mind epilogues if they're necessary, but they bug me if I feel like they're just devices for authors to get around writing the ending. I'm not saying you're doing that, just what I've seen. If you do it well though, and the epilogue has a point, then I say roll with it. Maybe that's just your M.O. and what readers will come to know you for.

wampuscat · Mar 1, 2012

I agree with Stiger. I also think some authors use the epilogue to sum up their personal feelings or convey some message or something.

But I don't dislike epilogues that are done well.

Becca C. · Mar 1, 2012

My current epilogue isn't a "moral to the story" at all, so that's good. It's Coronation Day for a character who has struggled with his new role as King throughout most of the book. I think it's a perfect epilogue, with a purpose but not an agenda, but still the structure of "last chapter, break, epilogue months later" kind of bugs me. It guess it's something to ask betas when I'm ready to send it to them.

wampuscat · Mar 1, 2012

Ah! If it's for your story that I saw in QLH, I think this would work out fine.

mickeyDs4 · Mar 1, 2012

Instead of making it end, break, epilogue; use the epilogue the last chapter. If it's going to flow better, I'd say go for it.

Becca C. · Mar 1, 2012

wampuscat said:
Ah! If it's for your story that I saw in QLH, I think this would work out fine.

Yes, it is for that story

Thanks!

mickeyDs4 said:
Instead of making it end, break, epilogue; use the epilogue the last chapter. If it's going to flow better, I'd say go for it.

Yeah, I'm generally a fan of epilogues disguised as last chapters.

CharacterInWhite · Mar 1, 2012

Epilogues (and prologues) aren't really things that need to be "fixed." The irrational prejudice that exists springs from the tendencies of new writers to employ these devices inappropriately.

How do you use them "appropriately"? Send your work to a beta reader when it's done. If they're even light readers, they'll know if your pro/epilogue works or not. They're usually only annoying when they don't feature anything relevant to the rest of the book.

My epilogue is the protag's first day back at school after leaving the hospital, where she gets dragged to mandatory therapy and tells the school counselor that she doesn't need to talk about her problems, because her "problem" is in jail thanks to her intervention.

When in doubt, just don't label them.

Endings

Becca C.

Stiger05

wampuscat

Recovering adjective addict

Becca C.

wampuscat

Recovering adjective addict

mickeyDs4

Becca C.

CharacterInWhite

Kind of a big deal