Writters, is it difficult to write an adequate ending to a story?
- Thread starter krazykidd
- Start date
Recommended Videos
My own experience, as an amateur that enjoys writing but lacks practice:
It depends on my planning. Sometimes I have a general idea, start writing, then end up not being sure how to conclude. It's also problematic if you just have a cool end/beginning idea, start writing, then realise you dont know what would be best for the rest.
Which is why I tend to try to plan my writing, giving a clear talking points (beginning, middle end, vague progression) then "color in".
I've also started GM-ing recently, and that present the issue of evolutive story. It seem quite simple to "write" yourself into a corner. I need to end a game in 2 weeks, and I have NO friggin clue how in a way that might feel significant to the players.
As for HYMIM, despite the dislike many had for the ending, I think it's the ending that makes the most sense. And they clearly planned it that way; the actors that play the kids are much older today and do not look too similar, and I would hardly be surprised they filmed it years ago (at least the kid's reactions. Let's say I'm not surprised the story is about Robin.
It depends on my planning. Sometimes I have a general idea, start writing, then end up not being sure how to conclude. It's also problematic if you just have a cool end/beginning idea, start writing, then realise you dont know what would be best for the rest.
Which is why I tend to try to plan my writing, giving a clear talking points (beginning, middle end, vague progression) then "color in".
I've also started GM-ing recently, and that present the issue of evolutive story. It seem quite simple to "write" yourself into a corner. I need to end a game in 2 weeks, and I have NO friggin clue how in a way that might feel significant to the players.
As for HYMIM, despite the dislike many had for the ending, I think it's the ending that makes the most sense. And they clearly planned it that way; the actors that play the kids are much older today and do not look too similar, and I would hardly be surprised they filmed it years ago (at least the kid's reactions. Let's say I'm not surprised the story is about Robin.
If you make up a story as you go, and don't have a planned ending, then yes, it is incredibly difficult to create a good ending for a series. A story should always build up to its conclusion. You can't do that if you don't know what your conclusion is. This is my entire problem with television as a medium, since they're designed as self perpetuating franchises (that's literally the official terminology used in script creation). Frankly, that's bad writing.
But, in theory, no. You just have to ask yourself what the story is about thematically, then create an ending that encapsulates or epitomizes what you want to say. You then go back and constantly rewrite everything so that it reinforces the conclusion. People say it's about the journey, not the destination, but that's stupid. The conclusion should basically deliver the "thesis" of your work. That's why the ending to Watchmen was perfect, while all of LOST was an incoherent mess. The best writer in history couldn't dig J.J. Abrams out of the plot hole he dug for himself in LOST.
A good example is the ending of SEVEN. The whole movie was about human nature, and whether or not people, and the world, were good or bad. It was a debate. In the end the officer points a gun at the criminal, and has to decide if he wants to shoot. His decision is essentially going to decide which side of the debate the film falls on. If he pulls the trigger than the movie is a cynical critique at the frailty and wickedness of humanity. If he doesn't then the film is about the goodness of human nature in the face of hopeless evil and suffering. As Morgan Freeman says "If you shoot him... he will win." Morgans Freemans last lines after this then go onto conclude the theme of the film. "It's been said that the world is a beautiful place, and worth defending. I agree with the second part." That's a great ending.
But, in theory, no. You just have to ask yourself what the story is about thematically, then create an ending that encapsulates or epitomizes what you want to say. You then go back and constantly rewrite everything so that it reinforces the conclusion. People say it's about the journey, not the destination, but that's stupid. The conclusion should basically deliver the "thesis" of your work. That's why the ending to Watchmen was perfect, while all of LOST was an incoherent mess. The best writer in history couldn't dig J.J. Abrams out of the plot hole he dug for himself in LOST.
A good example is the ending of SEVEN. The whole movie was about human nature, and whether or not people, and the world, were good or bad. It was a debate. In the end the officer points a gun at the criminal, and has to decide if he wants to shoot. His decision is essentially going to decide which side of the debate the film falls on. If he pulls the trigger than the movie is a cynical critique at the frailty and wickedness of humanity. If he doesn't then the film is about the goodness of human nature in the face of hopeless evil and suffering. As Morgan Freeman says "If you shoot him... he will win." Morgans Freemans last lines after this then go onto conclude the theme of the film. "It's been said that the world is a beautiful place, and worth defending. I agree with the second part." That's a great ending.
For the OP, Watch Memento.
First let's fix the terminology. You say "ending", what you mean is climax. Watch Memento.
What is the climax in a movie, game or basically any cohesive narrative? The end product or resolution of a series of related events that continually built tension within your reader as they unfolded. Watch Memento
Tension building is a skill that a good writing course should include. It's an essential skill for any writer whose goal is to capture and hold his audience's attention. Watch Memento.
How I Met Your Mother is kind of a wonderful example of failure in this case. Usually you just want to keep your audience caring about what's happening while it's happening and when you fail to do that then... you've lost your audience's attention and you've failed at writing. How I Met Your Mother failed under the title premise. Watch Memento.
The entire premise of How I Met Your Mother fell flat under the weight of the story's content. Each week you tune in to hear this story and each week you find the same old familiar setup; and as the seasons (pun intended) creep on by, you inevitably LOSE INTEREST in the premise! And BAM! the TV people see the ratings drop to anticipated levels. Watch Memento
If you've read Stephen King's Dark Tower series then there would be another good example of an unavoidable and slightly disappointing "ending". There's a lot of books in the series and they were written over decades, so their tone changed as Stephen King developed his writing over time. Watch Memento.
This was a mystery that Stephen King was dangling in front of his readers for decades, all the while admitting that he wasn't sure exactly what the mystery was. But what it actually was became kind of a moot point in the end. Watch Memento.
Basically the hero is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. What exactly is in the tower is the big mystery of the series. Our hero goes through hell but eventually reaches the tower and without spoiling anything, you had already, probably guessed what was in the tower half-way through reading the series. I read it all in one long stretch but other readers who were reading the series as it was slowly written and released, all complain in a tongue in cheek manner about all the build up while they waited. You cannot remain excited over one fiction mystery for decades, eventually it will be a familiar idea in your mind and the familiar is not usually exciting. Watch Memento.
I can go on and on but the answer to your question comes down to how successfully tension was built and addressed in the climax. Watch Memento.
WARNING (In the following paragraph a penis is a metaphor for your attention) Half an orgasm never pleased anyone. Any active boner has a shelf-life and will eventually expire; if you cannot relate you aren't male, or in serious need of a doctor. Repeated viewing of the same porn has a decreasing excitement potential. Think basic human nature. Watch Memento.
Want satisfying climaxes? You will find them in shows that end, from good authors and actual artists whatever their medium. Quality from Hollywood? Mostly incidental, the majority is mind numbing shite. You cannot find a comparable experience in sitcoms or the TV "industry". Watch Memento.
A billion episodes of Naruto where everything happens all at once but nothing ever really happens right now is like taking a cable tie to my balls; only worthwhile if I were into that sorta thing. Watch Memento.
Have you seen Memento?
First let's fix the terminology. You say "ending", what you mean is climax. Watch Memento.
What is the climax in a movie, game or basically any cohesive narrative? The end product or resolution of a series of related events that continually built tension within your reader as they unfolded. Watch Memento
Tension building is a skill that a good writing course should include. It's an essential skill for any writer whose goal is to capture and hold his audience's attention. Watch Memento.
How I Met Your Mother is kind of a wonderful example of failure in this case. Usually you just want to keep your audience caring about what's happening while it's happening and when you fail to do that then... you've lost your audience's attention and you've failed at writing. How I Met Your Mother failed under the title premise. Watch Memento.
The entire premise of How I Met Your Mother fell flat under the weight of the story's content. Each week you tune in to hear this story and each week you find the same old familiar setup; and as the seasons (pun intended) creep on by, you inevitably LOSE INTEREST in the premise! And BAM! the TV people see the ratings drop to anticipated levels. Watch Memento
If you've read Stephen King's Dark Tower series then there would be another good example of an unavoidable and slightly disappointing "ending". There's a lot of books in the series and they were written over decades, so their tone changed as Stephen King developed his writing over time. Watch Memento.
This was a mystery that Stephen King was dangling in front of his readers for decades, all the while admitting that he wasn't sure exactly what the mystery was. But what it actually was became kind of a moot point in the end. Watch Memento.
Basically the hero is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. What exactly is in the tower is the big mystery of the series. Our hero goes through hell but eventually reaches the tower and without spoiling anything, you had already, probably guessed what was in the tower half-way through reading the series. I read it all in one long stretch but other readers who were reading the series as it was slowly written and released, all complain in a tongue in cheek manner about all the build up while they waited. You cannot remain excited over one fiction mystery for decades, eventually it will be a familiar idea in your mind and the familiar is not usually exciting. Watch Memento.
I can go on and on but the answer to your question comes down to how successfully tension was built and addressed in the climax. Watch Memento.
WARNING (In the following paragraph a penis is a metaphor for your attention) Half an orgasm never pleased anyone. Any active boner has a shelf-life and will eventually expire; if you cannot relate you aren't male, or in serious need of a doctor. Repeated viewing of the same porn has a decreasing excitement potential. Think basic human nature. Watch Memento.
Want satisfying climaxes? You will find them in shows that end, from good authors and actual artists whatever their medium. Quality from Hollywood? Mostly incidental, the majority is mind numbing shite. You cannot find a comparable experience in sitcoms or the TV "industry". Watch Memento.
A billion episodes of Naruto where everything happens all at once but nothing ever really happens right now is like taking a cable tie to my balls; only worthwhile if I were into that sorta thing. Watch Memento.
Have you seen Memento?
I'm not sure if i understood all of that, but i think i got the gist of it. I am not a writter, and am not keen on the termanology , so maybe i meant climax ( though i couldn't tell you want the difference is). Now i have an uncontrollable urge to watch Memento. Because of you're well written post, i will follow your suggestion and watch it.Enamour said:
As a writer, I have to say YES. It is RIDICULOUSLY difficult to create an ending to a story. The only way around this is to know where you want to end, and have things build steadily toward it from the get go. In my novel forging exploits, I have to say that my only successes come from starting with an ending, and coming up with a beginning after.
And as others say, the beginning is difficult as hell too. Once people are realized, you can just play off of what their personalities would do. But actually starting that all, and at the same time doing something to bring people into the world and want to stay... Shit, man, it's balls tough.
On that thought, I'd have to say that the easiest writing would be to inherit a sitcom in season two, then bow out in season 4, allowing that the end is planned in season 5 or later. If it's ending in Season 4, get out in 3. To quote a black guy I remember who had some serious wisdom as to how to avoid conflict: "Don't START nothin', won't BE nothin'." In fact, now that I think of it, I think that was an episode of the Fresh Prince. Damn, I loved that show. Can't remember how it ended, though. Didn't Will get married? I don't know. I may have bowed out when they started changing who played the mom and cousin. But it doesn't matter. Because the middle seasons of that show were pretty sweet. God I'm tired.
And as others say, the beginning is difficult as hell too. Once people are realized, you can just play off of what their personalities would do. But actually starting that all, and at the same time doing something to bring people into the world and want to stay... Shit, man, it's balls tough.
On that thought, I'd have to say that the easiest writing would be to inherit a sitcom in season two, then bow out in season 4, allowing that the end is planned in season 5 or later. If it's ending in Season 4, get out in 3. To quote a black guy I remember who had some serious wisdom as to how to avoid conflict: "Don't START nothin', won't BE nothin'." In fact, now that I think of it, I think that was an episode of the Fresh Prince. Damn, I loved that show. Can't remember how it ended, though. Didn't Will get married? I don't know. I may have bowed out when they started changing who played the mom and cousin. But it doesn't matter. Because the middle seasons of that show were pretty sweet. God I'm tired.
Write the kind of ending you want first, then worry about the execution to help people receive it as best as they can. After that its out of your hands.
No element of a story will ever be universally loved, least of which an ending to something people have grown attached to and care about. Everyone will want something different. The story will mean something different to each of them, and without even realizing it they'll all want the final punctuation mark that cements the story as what they've always thought of it as.
"I think Harry and Hermione should get together because he's clearly a better fit for her then Ron! It's so romantic!"
"I think the Reapers should have won because it proves that the cycle is endless, and each civilization is in the end totally powerless to change their fate no matter how hard they try! It's so bleak!"
"I think the Ewoks should have been slaughtered by the Empire because there's no way sticks and rocks win against blasters! It's so realistic!"
The best thing you can do is accept right off the bat that someone will always be disappointed, some of them will have reasons you can understand and sympathize with and some of them will make absolutely no goddamn sense to you. And then you write the kind of story you want to see, because chances are there'll be a bunch of other people out there who want to see it as well. A lot of people like Return of the Jedi and I can't stand it, I think its worse then the prequels. A lot of people had a problem with the end of Battlestar Galactica and I loved it, one of my favorite TV finales ever.
It's all pretty random. But if you write what you like someone else will too.
No element of a story will ever be universally loved, least of which an ending to something people have grown attached to and care about. Everyone will want something different. The story will mean something different to each of them, and without even realizing it they'll all want the final punctuation mark that cements the story as what they've always thought of it as.
"I think Harry and Hermione should get together because he's clearly a better fit for her then Ron! It's so romantic!"
"I think the Reapers should have won because it proves that the cycle is endless, and each civilization is in the end totally powerless to change their fate no matter how hard they try! It's so bleak!"
"I think the Ewoks should have been slaughtered by the Empire because there's no way sticks and rocks win against blasters! It's so realistic!"
The best thing you can do is accept right off the bat that someone will always be disappointed, some of them will have reasons you can understand and sympathize with and some of them will make absolutely no goddamn sense to you. And then you write the kind of story you want to see, because chances are there'll be a bunch of other people out there who want to see it as well. A lot of people like Return of the Jedi and I can't stand it, I think its worse then the prequels. A lot of people had a problem with the end of Battlestar Galactica and I loved it, one of my favorite TV finales ever.
It's all pretty random. But if you write what you like someone else will too.
I thought the climax was the moment the dramatic question is answered and everything after that answers the rest of the questions and reinforces the themes. Sure, you can have a climax at the same time as your resolution ends (see also: Inception and Worm), but those are secondary conflicts that were more subtle than the prominent "Complete the inception/kill the bad guy(s)" conflicts. Those secondary ending climaxes were far more memorable than the main conflict climaxes, though, which is interesting.Enamour said:
EDIT: Oh, and to respond to the OP: Remember the classic line: "Begin with the end in mind": Colon. Seriously, look at Worm [http://parahumans.wordpress.com/]. It was written serially over two years (and is about three times longer than the LotR Trilogy) and it has one of the best endings I've seen because even though the author didn't always know how to get there (he wrote by the seat of his pants to make things more fun for himself), he still knew where he wanted to go.
Nope it isn't hard
Overall regardless of how sad, happy or "twist" -y an ending is it has to fit in with the overal tone and theme of the work...or if it doesn't there has to be a reason
Good example: portal 2
Bad example: mass effect 3
Overall regardless of how sad, happy or "twist" -y an ending is it has to fit in with the overal tone and theme of the work...or if it doesn't there has to be a reason
Good example: portal 2
Bad example: mass effect 3
To be fair it was a failure so spectacular it has a lot if educational valueDr. McD said:
There's no easy or hard part of writing a story.
You can have the ending and have trouble thinking of a beginning, you can have both and not have a good way to tie them together.
Writing isn't really linear, though you usually have a general idea of how it will begin and end before you start writing.
You can have the ending and have trouble thinking of a beginning, you can have both and not have a good way to tie them together.
Writing isn't really linear, though you usually have a general idea of how it will begin and end before you start writing.
Yes it is rather difficult, as a writer the main thing you have to focus on is making sure that everything in your story is wrapped up in the end. No loose ends, unanswered mysteries or wasted plot points. Everything should be leading up to the conclusion if it isn't resolved right away. Another thing you should keep in mind is sticking with your themes and writing style for the entirety of the piece, if something is meant to be a lighter fantasy then don't try to make it dark and edgy at the end, if your story is about freedom don't let be be taken away at the end and if your story is about giant robots fighting and the unstoppable power of the human spirit then DON'T HAVE THE ENDING CONSIST OF
Warning Gurren Lagann spoiler
FIGHT THE POWA!...erm...sorry, that just kind of slipped.
Warning Gurren Lagann spoiler
GIVING UP AND LETTING AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER DIE!
Having recently completed a book, I feel somewhat qualified to answer this question.
Idk about How I Met Your Mother, but when it comes to ending a self contained story, endings simply aren't that hard. The story lets you know when it's time to end it. The job of the writer is to do it with flair. Most "writers" nowadays aren't writers. They are people who sit at a computer and type some drivel that barely makes sense or forms a coherent narrative (I'm looking at you, TWD).
Idk about How I Met Your Mother, but when it comes to ending a self contained story, endings simply aren't that hard. The story lets you know when it's time to end it. The job of the writer is to do it with flair. Most "writers" nowadays aren't writers. They are people who sit at a computer and type some drivel that barely makes sense or forms a coherent narrative (I'm looking at you, TWD).
I never could figure out endings. I wanted to do stories about various things - someone similar Faust who wants to acquire all of humanity's feelings rather than all of humanity's knowledge, a cursed boxer who can always beat the best boxers but never the worst boxers, a man who looks like a Chinese Abraham Lincoln working at a McDonald's who is pen pals with a convicted killer, etc. Never could come up with endings though. Maybe someone here can.
I personally find it rather hard to write endings. And beginnings. And middles. Plot... plot in general is not my strong suit. Yeah, I know that's not exactly a stellar point in my favor. It's something I'm trying to work on.
That being said... I feel the biggest problem when it comes to writing a good ending is that a lot of writer's don't entirely realize the expectation they set in the reader's mind. The ending's a sort of "goal point" for the reader, it's something that's always in their mind, something they always know is coming. And they know, more-or-less, what will herald it - the central conflict being resolved. So, with that in mind, they begin to develop their own idea of the ending, and what it should be. An idea that often conflicts with what the writer has in mind - this problem is considerably worse for long-running series. Even still, it's not impossible to write a good ending even with reader expectations, I think all it really needs is for the writer to remember that they shouldn't pull the ending out of their ass. Be conscious of the story you're writing, of what you're either explicitly telling the reader or implying through use of tropes and archetypes. Don't try to be clever, or atleast, don't go out of your way to be clever. An ending should be a natural conclusion to all the themes, concepts, and obstacles set out over the course of the story. It should bring closure to all the character arcs established throughout the series. What it should not be, is a joke pulled on the reader. In my experience, trying to pull the rug out from under them rarely works. It just leaves the reader feeling cheated.
Lemme give you an example - I write a story about, say, a farmboy who finds out he's the bastard son of a king and sets out to claim his throne from some evil usurper. Not exactly the pinnacle of originality, but bear with me here. Now this farmboy, he has no desire to be king. None at all. But he's the kingdom's only option. So while the physical conflict of the story would be between this farmboy and this usurper, there's a internal and thematic conflict of accepting responsibility and duty, something this farmboy learns over the course of his story. He doesn't learn it all in one arc, or from one character, but over the course of several adventures, as the result of several characters effecting him - this is what ties all the characters and arcs in the story together, how they effect this farmboy's view of the burden placed upon him.
Now, here comes the finale. The farmboy has accepted his duty, he's ready to be king - he's reluctant, but, well, he has to do what's right. And once he's slain the usurper, once he stands in the throne room of his father, ready to claim the throne - a side character comes and says "Hey, I'm the bastard son of the king, too! Turns out he really got around!" And the farmboy goes "Oh, okay, you take the throne then. I'll go be a baker or something."
The reader's gonna feel cheated. Sure, you may not have ever explicitly said that this boy is absolutely going to be king, or that he's the only bastard running around. Maybe you even did a decent job of hinting that there is another heir. But the reader is going to feel cheated. They've spent the entire course of the story getting invested int he struggle of this farmboy, in the conflict he has with himself, and you bring a twist out of the blue for a bit of cheap shock. Sure, some people will say they liked it. Some people will crawl out of the woodwork and crow about realism, how coincidences happen sometimes, how the themes in life don't get neatly wrapped up so why should a story be any different? But it doesn't change the fact that you completely betrayed your story. Because that twist? It may be clever. It may be "realistic." It may work on paper. But there's a whole lot more to stories than that. There's themes, character growth, consistency. This is something may writers today, I feel, simply do not understand. They're so concerned with plot, with the physical happenings, that they often forget thematic importance - which goes a long way to leaving your reader with a satisfactory ending.
So, that's what I recommend. Consider how well you handle themes and growth, and then see how you can tie that up with your ending. And your beginning, for that matter - they both should reflect the entirety of the story.
That being said... I feel the biggest problem when it comes to writing a good ending is that a lot of writer's don't entirely realize the expectation they set in the reader's mind. The ending's a sort of "goal point" for the reader, it's something that's always in their mind, something they always know is coming. And they know, more-or-less, what will herald it - the central conflict being resolved. So, with that in mind, they begin to develop their own idea of the ending, and what it should be. An idea that often conflicts with what the writer has in mind - this problem is considerably worse for long-running series. Even still, it's not impossible to write a good ending even with reader expectations, I think all it really needs is for the writer to remember that they shouldn't pull the ending out of their ass. Be conscious of the story you're writing, of what you're either explicitly telling the reader or implying through use of tropes and archetypes. Don't try to be clever, or atleast, don't go out of your way to be clever. An ending should be a natural conclusion to all the themes, concepts, and obstacles set out over the course of the story. It should bring closure to all the character arcs established throughout the series. What it should not be, is a joke pulled on the reader. In my experience, trying to pull the rug out from under them rarely works. It just leaves the reader feeling cheated.
Lemme give you an example - I write a story about, say, a farmboy who finds out he's the bastard son of a king and sets out to claim his throne from some evil usurper. Not exactly the pinnacle of originality, but bear with me here. Now this farmboy, he has no desire to be king. None at all. But he's the kingdom's only option. So while the physical conflict of the story would be between this farmboy and this usurper, there's a internal and thematic conflict of accepting responsibility and duty, something this farmboy learns over the course of his story. He doesn't learn it all in one arc, or from one character, but over the course of several adventures, as the result of several characters effecting him - this is what ties all the characters and arcs in the story together, how they effect this farmboy's view of the burden placed upon him.
Now, here comes the finale. The farmboy has accepted his duty, he's ready to be king - he's reluctant, but, well, he has to do what's right. And once he's slain the usurper, once he stands in the throne room of his father, ready to claim the throne - a side character comes and says "Hey, I'm the bastard son of the king, too! Turns out he really got around!" And the farmboy goes "Oh, okay, you take the throne then. I'll go be a baker or something."
The reader's gonna feel cheated. Sure, you may not have ever explicitly said that this boy is absolutely going to be king, or that he's the only bastard running around. Maybe you even did a decent job of hinting that there is another heir. But the reader is going to feel cheated. They've spent the entire course of the story getting invested int he struggle of this farmboy, in the conflict he has with himself, and you bring a twist out of the blue for a bit of cheap shock. Sure, some people will say they liked it. Some people will crawl out of the woodwork and crow about realism, how coincidences happen sometimes, how the themes in life don't get neatly wrapped up so why should a story be any different? But it doesn't change the fact that you completely betrayed your story. Because that twist? It may be clever. It may be "realistic." It may work on paper. But there's a whole lot more to stories than that. There's themes, character growth, consistency. This is something may writers today, I feel, simply do not understand. They're so concerned with plot, with the physical happenings, that they often forget thematic importance - which goes a long way to leaving your reader with a satisfactory ending.
So, that's what I recommend. Consider how well you handle themes and growth, and then see how you can tie that up with your ending. And your beginning, for that matter - they both should reflect the entirety of the story.
Eh, stick random letter together and throw apostrophes in. Works for lots of other published authors.RJ 17 said:At least you have actual, factual sources that you can go and research from. When writing a fantasy novel, I pretty much have to make up said naming conventions all on my own. Basically there's only two rules that I can stick to:shrekfan246 said:I've never been good at coming up with names.RJ 17 said:Seriously, I'm hoping to write the next great High Fantasy epic series of stories...and there's been days where I can't make any progression just because I can't come up with a good name for a newly introduced character. xPshrekfan246 said:You can say that again...RJ 17 said:I often find the most challenging thing about it is coming up with charater names.
And I'm making it even harder on myself by wanting to write fictional stories influenced by foreign cultures and mythologies, meaning it's time to research naming conventions in those countries! XD
1: Make sure the names don't sound too similar.
2: Make sure the names don't sound like they've been ripped from other works.
Well that throws Bearagorn out...
(Seriously, though, yeah, very painfully difficult)
I find endings easy and beginnings easy, middle is where all the work is. I guess it all depends on how an author thinks ultimately, I usually have thought out the ending far in advance.