When I started my A to Z challenge, I never guessed I'd still be writing on it over a year later. However, I've turned over a new leaf in my blogging. My goal is to blog once a week, so stop by often. In the near future I'll have guest blogs from other editors and writers. 

Of course exit for X is a cheat. However, if wrote a blog about X-ray I'd have to talk about Point of View again, and I've talked about it often already. If you want to know about POV I suggest you look up previous posts. So EXIT becomes my X word. 

I've talked a bit about beginnings and hooks—another word for beginning—but haven't written very much about endings.

 When do you know you've come to the end of the story-besides typing THE END?

 It goes to plot. Has the main character achieved his goal? If so,  it's probably a good time to end the story. What about the story where the main  character decides to not continue pursuing the goal? In that case, the character must make a determination that her journey has completed at this point.

 The ending must satisfy the story. Sometimes it  won't be happy, and that's okay, as long as it is logical. Who doesn't want Rick to end up with Ilsa at the end of Casablanca? However, that ending wouldn't have satisfied the story.

What do I do if I don't know how to end my story?

Plotters who plan will say you have to know the end of the story when you begin writing. I'm not one of those people. If you are a pantster—writing where the characters and the story take you—you may be meandering along and not know the end until you get there. It's part of the process of drafting.

 If you are having trouble finding your ending, look to the beginning. Where did your main character's journey begin? Has he reached the end of that journey? 

Some things to watch for in endings:

 1. Cliffhanger endings are risky. Even if you're planning a sequel, make sure the first story ends. 
 
2. You don't have to wrap up every loose end. Some of the most satisfying endings leave some things dangling, remember, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," followed by, "I'll think about it tomorrow."?

 3. Beware of deus ex machina endings. This is where you introduce a new character or plot
device you haven't mentioned earlier in the book. This leads to an artificially contrived solution to the problem and can be dissatisfying to the reader. I don't mean you can't surprise your reader just make sure to introduce those elements earlier in the story.

 4. Pay as much attention to your last scene as your first. Writers are told to hook the reader in the beginning, so they polish the beginning to an incredible shiny gem. Your reader deserves to be rewarded at the end as well. After all, they stuck with you throughout the story, didn't
they?

 5. Epilogues can be effective, but be aware not all readers will read an epilogue. (This goes for prologues, too.) The reader may be left with the impression the writer didn't know where the story ended. If you write an epilogue make it an addendum, not the true ending to your story-the real ending should be the last chapter. 

Ending Thoughts:

Take time to craft your ending. Don't fall into the trap of getting tired of your story or reaching your predetermined word count and typing THE END. When you take time to make the ending special, you leave your reader with a lasting impression, and they'll be begging for
more.

 I'd love to hear from you. Comment here or email me at authorsassistant@hotmail.com  .

 Are endings easy or difficult for you? What are some of your favorite endings and why?



Happy Writing!

Antagonist: The villain of the story or the person who blocks the protagonist.

Author Intrusion: The author is suddenly "telling the story" rather than the narrator.

Cliché: Hackneyed expressions which we've all heard. It beats me, why we can't let sleeping dogs lie are two examples of trite clichés. While some clichés carefully placed can give us a regional or historical flavor, most times it's best to avoid them—especially in narration.

Cut: Take out or remove the  line/words/paragraph/scene.

Dialogue tags, or speech tags: He said, she said or She said as twirling her hair, or  Action tag: She twirled her hair. Tags identify your speaker so your reader can follow  along. Don't overdo dialogue tags, but have enough to distinguish between your speakers.

Genre: The category in which a story  is placed. Your editor might point out something you've written which isn't appropriate or doesn't belong in the genre you've written.

Infodump: This can be backstory or technical explanations regarding your space ship's engine, but whatever it is, you've stopped the story's forward motion. 

Point of  View: An editor might say something changes point of view or breaks POV.  She is referring to the POV character. Most beginning writers can't write effectively in omniscient POV without head-hopping so sticking with one character at a time is best. Even if you are sticking with one character you can slip out of POV if you write: His eyes twinkled. If your hero is the POV character, he can't see his eyes unless looking at a mirror.

Protagonist: The hero/heroine of your story.

Purpose: An editor might question the purpose of a scene. Purpose is the reason for the scene, what you are trying to convey.

Slush: unsolicited manuscripts--the pile a publisher/editor/agent reads through.  

Some acronyms: WIP=Work in Progress, MC=Main character, MS=Manuscript, YA=Young
adult, MG=Middle Grade 

Telling: Usually accompanied with the words too much. The editor means you probably need to revise and get more into the character's head and the action. See other posts regarding showing vs. telling.

In no way is this intended to be a comprehensive list. In fact, if you have come across something that isn't included, let me know and we'll add it to the list.

Happy Writing!