The Best Endings Leave Readers Wanting More!
Set your tale up to be a series.
The happy ending is what readers wish for. Few want to close a book for the last time, that took them more than a month to read, while being in a melancholy mood. We want the main character to triumph and the bad, evil villains to feel pain.
IMPORTANT: The cliffhanger ending must not get in the way of the actual conclusion of your story. Yes, we wish to tell readers to stay tuned for more adventures to come but we need to tie up loose ends by the typing of our last paragraph.
TIP: A powerful ending sticks with your reader. We all remember our favorite movie endings. Your ending is where you conclude your contract with your reader. Go out on a high note. Think mic drop moment!
Know that the surprise twist, ending is how creative writers build enduring fanbases. We all love for our author to dazzle us on the last page of a long read. To pull this off, you have to invest time into making us sure that one thing is about to happen and then shock us when the opposite occurs.
Will your main characters really go on to live 'happily ever after? Think about when you leave the theater with that warm and fuzzy feeling that linger with you for days on end. Is that how you want your readers to feel when they close your book after reading your last sentence?
How do you feel about epilogues?
Are you going to jump a head into the future and actually show your main characters a few years from the ending of your tale? Did the lovers get married, stay together and now have a few children and a dog?
Does your protagonist, criminal, escape from prison to set up the start of your next book?
Does your beat cop, hero, get a promotion to Captain ten years from now? Is that too cliche and over done?
TIP: You don't have to tie up everything neatly in with a bow when ending your tale. But your reader should feel that their time reading 300+ pages was well spent.
Yes, your reader can be left with some unanswered questions. Readers are smart, they can speculate about what will happen next.
You created the believable characters and the wonderful setting in which the story took place. You brought a world to life. It is fun for readers to wonder about how their beloved characters' lives will go on.
Did you know that many creative writers begin writing their tales by first crafting their great ending. Since, they know how their story will end, in advance of figuring out the beginning and middle, writing the bulk of the story is much easier for them.
With your ending created, one can start the tale during an exciting moment and then just steer the story towards the finish line, which has already been determined.
Your main character can be interrupted during their story by roadblocks and problems that they must solve, before continuing on the trip. When the author already knows their ending, they can write the rest faster. They do not have to worry about writing themselves into a dead-end with no way back out.
Yes, your characters will make some poor decisions and take some unlucky, wrong turns on their way to their destination. They may meet some unsavory people during their trip. All this keeps the story interesting.
Having to figure out your ending after you are 275 pages into telling the story, can be frustrating for even the most creative writers.
Ending your story, while your character is still involved in the action is a means of not allowing your readers emotions to cool down. This assures your reader leaves during an exciting moment.
Memorable endings turn good stories into GREAT stories.
What are some of your favorite book endings? Share!
The happy ending is what readers wish for. Few want to close a book for the last time, that took them more than a month to read, while being in a melancholy mood. We want the main character to triumph and the bad, evil villains to feel pain.
IMPORTANT: The cliffhanger ending must not get in the way of the actual conclusion of your story. Yes, we wish to tell readers to stay tuned for more adventures to come but we need to tie up loose ends by the typing of our last paragraph.
TIP: A powerful ending sticks with your reader. We all remember our favorite movie endings. Your ending is where you conclude your contract with your reader. Go out on a high note. Think mic drop moment!
Know that the surprise twist, ending is how creative writers build enduring fanbases. We all love for our author to dazzle us on the last page of a long read. To pull this off, you have to invest time into making us sure that one thing is about to happen and then shock us when the opposite occurs.
Will your main characters really go on to live 'happily ever after? Think about when you leave the theater with that warm and fuzzy feeling that linger with you for days on end. Is that how you want your readers to feel when they close your book after reading your last sentence?
How do you feel about epilogues?
Are you going to jump a head into the future and actually show your main characters a few years from the ending of your tale? Did the lovers get married, stay together and now have a few children and a dog?
Does your protagonist, criminal, escape from prison to set up the start of your next book?
Does your beat cop, hero, get a promotion to Captain ten years from now? Is that too cliche and over done?
TIP: You don't have to tie up everything neatly in with a bow when ending your tale. But your reader should feel that their time reading 300+ pages was well spent.
Yes, your reader can be left with some unanswered questions. Readers are smart, they can speculate about what will happen next.
You created the believable characters and the wonderful setting in which the story took place. You brought a world to life. It is fun for readers to wonder about how their beloved characters' lives will go on.
Did you know that many creative writers begin writing their tales by first crafting their great ending. Since, they know how their story will end, in advance of figuring out the beginning and middle, writing the bulk of the story is much easier for them.
With your ending created, one can start the tale during an exciting moment and then just steer the story towards the finish line, which has already been determined.
Your main character can be interrupted during their story by roadblocks and problems that they must solve, before continuing on the trip. When the author already knows their ending, they can write the rest faster. They do not have to worry about writing themselves into a dead-end with no way back out.
Yes, your characters will make some poor decisions and take some unlucky, wrong turns on their way to their destination. They may meet some unsavory people during their trip. All this keeps the story interesting.
Having to figure out your ending after you are 275 pages into telling the story, can be frustrating for even the most creative writers.
Ending your story, while your character is still involved in the action is a means of not allowing your readers emotions to cool down. This assures your reader leaves during an exciting moment.
Memorable endings turn good stories into GREAT stories.
What are some of your favorite book endings? Share!
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