After twenty or thirty drafts of my latest WIP I'm happy with 99.9% of it. I'm still unable to feel good about the last page. I've probably tried twenty or thirty different things. I'm thinking about querying the book anyway. I figure, if an agent or an editor gets all the way to the last page and doesn't like it, they might well take the book. So far I've had no indication any agent has read more than the first five pages.
The Last Page
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What don't you like about it in particular? It's good not to get fixated on making something absolutely perfect (because that's generally impossible), but if there are specific things which don't sit right with you, it might be a matter of getting some distance from it for a while and letting it tick over in the back of your mind for a bit. If it's unsatisfying, I could imagine agents reading the whole thing, then feeling let down by the end - but I don't know enough about exactly what the problem is to be able to say for sure.
If I ever get a response from an agent that they liked everything but the last page, I'd be dancing on the rooftop. Maybe I could get them to tell me what they didn't like about it.
Maybe, although it would be disappointing if they ended up put off offering on it because the ending felt like a let down to them. It depends on what the issue with it is.
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Is it a structure thing? I remember reading that the last couple of pages are often mirrors of the protagonist’s life at the start of the novel, and show how that life has changed.
If it’s something else that’s bothering you, I know we writers put almost as much pressure on that final page as we do on the first. Have you had someone read just that final scene? You probably have, but I ask because I didn’t, so.... it’s worth asking, right?
If it’s something else that’s bothering you, I know we writers put almost as much pressure on that final page as we do on the first. Have you had someone read just that final scene? You probably have, but I ask because I didn’t, so.... it’s worth asking, right?
If that were to happen, I'm sure the agent would tell you what the problem is so you could fix it. Because I can't imagine an agent who would reject an otherwise wonderful book because the last page isn't up to snuff.
I may (probably) be wrong, but I think the first few pages and the last few pages are at least somewhat more important than the rest of the story. At the beginning we are drawing the reader into the world we have created and introducing characters. If we don't catch them there, they'll just set it aside and find something else to read. The last few pages ties the story into a satisfying ending, one that leaves the reader with a good feeling about the book - in a series this last bit should end that story, but also plant seeds for the next novel in the series. Endings can include a twist, something unexpected that makes the reader say 'wow' - and they will remember that and buy other titles from an author who elicited that sense of surprise and wonder.
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Like I said, it depends on what the problem is. If it’s about the writing, they surely can. While I didn’t have someone to read my draft before I sent it to my agent, during my most recent revision, for example, I had an editor friend read my last five or so pages, and she had great insight. I did give her a quick recap first though.
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I mean.... I'm awful and sloppy, but will admit I did that. I hated my last chapter in its entirety, but queried because I coudlnt think of a better way to put it and figured if anyone read that far they'd at least have feedback lol.
I'd already had 5 or 6 betas by then, though.
I'd already had 5 or 6 betas by then, though.
To ask (hopefully) more specifically the question others have asked: is it what happens on the last page that feels unsatisfying, or do you feel like the prose isn't up to snuff? Option B is cosmetic and can be fixed in post, so to speak, but Option A might be a much bigger problem.
It also depends how important the events of the last page are, and what they may point to. If you're just tying up loose ends, why is it that some particular loose end won't tie up the way you want, or just doesn't feel right even though you tied it up? Maybe if you follow the thread you'll find a structural problem--the actual events of the climax and ending aren't satisfying, which is why you can't achieve that sense of closure that a last page needs. In that case, fix before querying.
On the other hand if you just think you should have a last sentence/paragraph that sounds cooler, you'll probably come up with that eventually, and an editor won't think it's a big deal.
It also depends how important the events of the last page are, and what they may point to. If you're just tying up loose ends, why is it that some particular loose end won't tie up the way you want, or just doesn't feel right even though you tied it up? Maybe if you follow the thread you'll find a structural problem--the actual events of the climax and ending aren't satisfying, which is why you can't achieve that sense of closure that a last page needs. In that case, fix before querying.
On the other hand if you just think you should have a last sentence/paragraph that sounds cooler, you'll probably come up with that eventually, and an editor won't think it's a big deal.
Maybe your story ends before the last page and you're not clicking with it because it's extraneous? Obviously I have no clue since I have no context, but that's the first thing that came to mind. 
Definitely get some beta readers and see what they think of the last page. It's also a possibility that it's fine but you've messed with it so much you can't like it?
Definitely get some beta readers and see what they think of the last page. It's also a possibility that it's fine but you've messed with it so much you can't like it?Maybe from now on you should use the Mickey Spillaine method and start out by writing the last page first. Just saying...
I followed this advice, and thanks to a dream, I came up with a much more satisfying ending. Of course, when I woke up, I forgot most of the details of the dream. But I was able to remember enough to get me started on the last few pages. On the other hand, whenever I do a rewrite I always love it for a few months before I start hating it.