Alternate endings

seun · Aug 17, 2006

I'm nearing the end of my first draft of my WIP and have hit a strange area. I have one ending planned which feels a little slight for the story that has preceded it. The other feels like too much that will bury the story and give it a 'double' ending. This has never happened to me before and while it's interesting, it's leaving me overwhelmed. (The basic story is a fantasy/adventure with angels, demons, travelling through time, the end of the world and all that good stuff).

Have others experienced a similar situation of a director's cut ending?

laurel29 · Aug 17, 2006

Not with a novel, but I have felt like I had two different endings with a short story. I put it away, because I really couldn't figure out which way to go. I wrote two versions (going in opposite directions) and neither felt right. I would imagine with a novel it would be even more complicated. Maybe you should write both out and test them on people.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 17, 2006

I've run into the alternate ending problem a few times. I'm kind of experiencing it with my current WIP, but it really hit hard with my last one. A tale of a princess whose throne was usurped by her cousin. (lots of story here) She finally wins it back with the help of a Tribal Elder of a Viking-like race. The two have fallen in love, but neither will admit it. One ending is the sappy, love wins out ending, and the other is the noble sacrifice, he goes back to his people knowing a marriage between the two would never work out. Personally, I'm looking for a third ending, but one hasn't presented itself yet.

PennStater · Aug 17, 2006

I agree that the best thing to do is to walk away from it awhile and take a look at it later.

That being said, you might find a third alternative. Something less obvious that you will never come across because you are stuck on looking at the two choices.

I've been torn between two literary before and I opted to throw both of them out and bushwhack it.

laurel29 · Aug 17, 2006

Shadow_Ferret said:
I've run into the alternate ending problem a few times. I'm kind of experiencing it with my current WIP, but it really hit hard with my last one. A tale of a princess whose throne was usurped by her cousin. (lots of story here) She finally wins it back with the help of a Tribal Elder of a Viking-like race. The two have fallen in love, but neither will admit it. One ending is the sappy, love wins out ending, and the other is the noble sacrifice, he goes back to his people knowing a marriage between the two would never work out. Personally, I'm looking for a third ending, but one hasn't presented itself yet.

How funny, I'm stuck between the sappy, romantic happy ending and the really depressing but probably more logical one. I find myself not liking either. The third one is out there somewhere- until I find it the whole thing is stuck in the drawer.

seun · Aug 17, 2006

I probably will write both and see which works better on paper. I'm worried that the second choice will be too much as I've already written the climax and am now tidying up loose ends. But then the false end could be interesting.

ChaosTitan · Aug 17, 2006

If you (seun, laurel, anyone else) are having trouble chosing between two endings, trying rereading what you've written. Start at the beginning and go through the story. Does one of the endings just stand out as being the most likely, logical conclusion? Have you laid a trail of hints throughout the story that this is how it must end? So that when the reader reaches the climax they, too, will feel that this is how it must be?

One of my novels has a semi-tragic ending, but an astute reader will see the smattering of hints throughout that say "this is the only way it can end."

Gillhoughly · Aug 17, 2006

Just tape this over your work area:

W W J W W ?

(What Would Joss Whedon Write?)

:tongue

Good luck!

laurel29 · Aug 17, 2006

chaostitan said:
If you (seun, laurel, anyone else) are having trouble chosing between two endings, trying rereading what you've written. Start at the beginning and go through the story. Does one of the endings just stand out as being the most likely, logical conclusion? Have you laid a trail of hints throughout the story that this is how it must end? So that when the reader reaches the climax they, too, will feel that this is how it must be?

One of my novels has a semi-tragic ending, but an astute reader will see the smattering of hints throughout that say "this is the only way it can end."

I think my problem is that I hate the logical sad conclusion...I keep trying to force it to be happy and I mangle it further

. I think I need to walk away for a while and come back when I'm more detached. It's funny that I have a hard time being ruthless, even with fictional people.

ChaosTitan · Aug 17, 2006

laurel29 said:
It's funny that I have a hard time being ruthless, even with fictional people.

I never have that problem. :e2seesaw:

Cat Scratch · Aug 17, 2006

Stepping away for awhile sounds like the best idea. I usually try to do it organically and not plan too much in advance to see where it goes--you may be surprised and find yourself with a cross between the two.

John61480 · Aug 17, 2006

From all the published books I've read in the past, I don't ever remember reading a story with a sad ending. I've read plenty of endings with solemn grace that left off with just a thought by the main character. But nothing with downright depressing stuff. It'd be interesting if someone could pull off a truly sad ending.

Cat Scratch · Aug 17, 2006

I prefer sad endings. I'm probably in the minority, but I was furious when Disney let the Little Mermaid live. In the original story she dies, and it was so tragically poetic. Think Romeo and Juliet. There are sad endings everywhere, they just aren't popular these days.

laurel29 · Aug 17, 2006

Cat Scratch said:
I prefer sad endings. I'm probably in the minority, but I was furious when Disney let the Little Mermaid live. In the original story she dies, and it was so tragically poetic. Think Romeo and Juliet. There are sad endings everywhere, they just aren't popular these days.

I told my kids the original version of the story and they hated it...I tried to get them to see the beauty in it, but in the end they just didn't like it. When I was a kid, I insisted the three little pigs got away and in the end they were friends with the wolf. I explained very nicely to my mother that it was all a great misunderstanding, I even went so far as to suggest the wolf was really a vegetarian. So I guess I can see where my kids get it from.
These days I like sad endings, or really I should say that I like bittersweet endings. Sad, but with some sort of tragic beauty to it, is nice. Me, I find it hard to write that. It always feels like I'm either brutal and depressing, or trying to get that bittersweet feeling and ending up making cheese

. I make the happy endings cheesy too...Come to think of it, I think I just may have a problem with endings. LOL

smiley10000 · Aug 18, 2006

laurel29 said:
I told my kids the original version of the story and they hated it...I tried to get them to see the beauty in it, but in the end they just didn't like it. When I was a kid, I insisted the three little pigs got away and in the end they were friends with the wolf. I explained very nicely to my mother that it was all a great misunderstanding, I even went so far as to suggest the wolf was really a vegetarian. So I guess I can see where my kids get it from.

This book may make you feel better about wanting to make the Wolf the good guy... Apparently you are not the only one that thinks they get a bad rap in fairy tales...

Someone had posted before that a good idea would be to make a list of 10 alternative options. Use the tenth you think of.
HTH,

10000

seun · Aug 22, 2006

I went for the second ending. While the rewrite is going to need a lot of work to make the whole thing work, it looks better on paper than it did in my head.

Alternate endings

seun

Horror Man

laurel29

has a lopsided smile.

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

PennStater

laurel29

has a lopsided smile.

seun

Horror Man

ChaosTitan

Around

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

laurel29

has a lopsided smile.

ChaosTitan

Around

Cat Scratch

The Peacock Next Door

John61480

The Elements of Style

Cat Scratch

The Peacock Next Door

laurel29

has a lopsided smile.

smiley10000

What do we do? We write...

seun

Horror Man