Thursday, April 22, 2010

In the end

All around the blogosphere the talk has been about balance and burnout, slowing down, pushing through, stepping up, stepping back, going dark and unplugging, and all the various points of passage on our journey through real life as well as writers. Not spoken of as much as these points of place, is that almost mythological point in the journey known affectionately as the end. So in the spirit of Lilah’s Last Lines Blogfest coming up, I thought I’d share a post by Joe Moore over at The Kill Zone about endings. Check it out and let me know how you feel about endings.

What are your favorite kind? What do you hate? As a reader? As a writer? How do you feel when you get to the end of the piece you’re writing? Elated? Sad? Scared? Thinking of revision or the next project?

23 comments:

  1. I hate inconclusive ones, always like the happy endings!

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  2. I like endings that leave a little bit up in the air, because that's how life really is. I want major plot points tied up, of course, but I don't like to read "they lived happily after" endings. I prefer something either ambiguous or sad. Maybe I'm strange, but I like to close a book and either cry or sigh. I like to feel a little torn about whether or not I am glad a book ended the way it did.

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  3. Thanks for the links. My favorite endings depend on the book. The ending has to feel right for me to like it. It doesn't have to be a 'happily ever after,' but I prefer those endings.

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  4. I love endings, they are sad to begin with because you've spent the better part of a few days putting your mind, heart and imagination into this story only to have it end.

    I enjoy reading endings that require thought, I like a little bit of a happy ending but not everything needs to be tied up in one tiny perfect little bow, that's not reality and sometimes I like to live in reality while reading it as well. Sad endings I would prefer to never encounter though. Half Sad/Half Happy is my limit, lol... too much to ask for?

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  5. I'm a happy ending person! I try to give it to all my characters, but alas, some of them cannot have it. The majority of them do, though.

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  6. I am one of those annoying readers who like all the loose ends tied up in a happy, perfect package.

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  7. I like an ending where the author leads me right up to what I know exactly what will happen, then stops. The author lets me see it through my own imaginings.

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  8. A book's ending is crucial to my enjoyment. I get really upset at bad endings! Plus, I can't write well if I don't know my story's ending in advance.

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  9. I agree with Stina--it depends on the book, show, movie as to what kind of ending I want. And the same holds true for things I write.

    I tend to like more of an up in the air ending.

    As for ending something myself? I'm not very good at it.

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  10. I just finished reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. The ending did not tie everything up, nor tell the reader what decision the protagonist was about to make. And I was fully satisfied. I believe that's because it fit the story, the journey through a man's mind as he sifts the past to understand the present, as he considers the ethics of his society, his friends, himself. Like other Atwood books, this isn't one I'm likely to forget.

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  11. I ditto what Joanne said. I like figuring the ending out on my own and not feeling like it's all spelled out for me.

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  12. Whew! For a second there, I was worried you were announcing the end of your blog!

    Overall, I ditto what Joanne said, but with exceptions. Meaning, that it depends on the author, the story, the genre exactly what type of ending is best. As Tricia said, sometimes left hanging a little is good too, if an author can pull it off well. Sometimes a satisfying ending does wrap up the major plot points (a mystery, for example).

    For the love of Godiva, just not an overly sappy ending, or overly sad. And I am not a fan of epilogues... the quick, lazy wrap-up.

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  13. I love happy endings, but only if they are believable!

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  14. I love an ending that leads me to believe something happened next, although what that event is could be more than one thing. If that makes any sense!

    Happy Earth Day!

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  15. In my own writing I feel elated and relieved. I know I'm not done, but just for a second I feel so DONE, though. You know?

    In reading, if the book is good, I both can't wait to see what happens and hate for it to end.

    Great thoughts, Sarah Jayne!

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  16. Mmmmm...good question. You have a knack for putting thought-provoking topics on the table!

    The kind of ending I like? The one that surprises me, for good or bad - I love it when an author manages to bowl me over and leave me breathless, with the room spinning madly around me.

    As for how I feel when I manage to bring something to its end: elated, certainly, to the point that the feeling acts as fuel for something new. Not that it always happens, of course... ;-)

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  17. I like all different kinds of endings. They just need to fit the story. That said, I'm a sucker for a happy ending, as long as it's not cheesy.

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  18. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a happy ending and others, completely open ended. I just love books and I love writing. All endings have their place and as long as they fit the story, it's all good in my world.

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  19. I like happy endings, and if not happy, open ended (I'll fill in the blanks, than you very much).

    When it comes to my own writing, and also to very good novels that have perfectly sucked me in, I'm sad to be leaving the world and characters I've visited. Endings feel bittersweet.

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  20. I think I'm always happy to finish a book, even if I loved it. Then I get to move on to the next one on the stack! I like happy endings - I want to know that this person or people that I've come to care about are going to be okay.

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  21. As a reader I like happy endings, otherwise I feel quite letdown.

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  22. Of course a good ending depends on the book. But I tend to like happy endings, or at least ones that make sense. I hate formulas more than anything.

    For instance in the early days of thriller movies, there was always a couple that survived. It got to be a laughable cliche. Then somewhere along the line someone decided that it would surprise everyone if no one survived. Then they made that into a cliche. And since you knew how it was going to end up, for me it got boring.

    Each story should be itself. With so much material around, it's best not to get caught up in formulas where your work can't possibly stand out. If I don't like the ending, someone else will.

    When I first wanted to be a writer I put my hand to mysteries. In order to study what other mystery writers wrote I would start the front of the book to get the premise and then skip to the back of the book to see the end. The idea was to see how the writer developed the story and how they might spread clues for the reader. Sort of like a new magician studying all the moves of the established ones.

    I found weak books might be ruined by knowing the ending. Strong ones never were. It's that way of course with any classic whose ending is well known.

    I got into the habit of looking at endings. I do it all the time now...except with ebooks, where it's more difficult. LOL I'll toss immediately a book with a formulaic ending. And I'll tend to read ones that have an ending that makes sense to me. And I'll come back to that author again too.

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  23. The too-tidy ending is annoying to me. How often is life tidy? Not often, that's how.

    I like a little bit of mess left on the floor when things are said and done. :)

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