This week, I’ve been revising my story and am coming near the end. How should I end it?
Novel Endings
I know the ending that I have planned, but I want to be sure it’s the strongest ending. I know that the ending should bring together the antagonist/villain in a scene of great emotional power. But what exactly should that confrontation entail?
It’s best when the main character has to face the exact thing s/he fears, and overcome that fear and move on. But there could also be unexpected surprises, events which take on a slightly different meaning.
Just because I know what to do, though, doesn’t make it easy to do! I always struggle and have to work slowly through my options and often I’m slightly off-target. That means I write a scene and have to go back and change some element. Or two or three elements. The process is the process. I can’t avoid it, any more than you can.
As Janni says about learning how to fence:
“I think I’m slowly beginning to know a little bit what I’m doing,” I say to the more experienced fencer I’ve just fenced–one of the few other students beyond college age there.
“And then you’ll find you don’t know anything all over again,” he tells me.
I think of the years I’ve been writing. “It’s the learning curve thing,” I say, understanding. “I’ve been there before.”
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