How do You Find an Ending?
Jun 26, 2021 5:23:45 GMT -6
Post by Nessa Arandur on Jun 26, 2021 5:23:45 GMT -6
I have a terrible tendency to create create create in terms of new plot ideas, new maps, new characters, but ENDING everything seems to be much harder. I have a large number of stories that I have started, some of them quite substantial (thanks 5 years of NaNoWriMo), but comparatively few that I've finished. As I try to get back into writing, I'm making it my goal to try and finish some of the wonderful stories I have already started, even if I only turn them into short stories. Trouble is, there seems to be far fewer resources around for helping writers FINISH their stories.
How do you find an ending?
My go-to for writing exercises is Holly Lisle, who happens to have a great article called How To Finish a Novel. Unfortunately, it seems to be more geared toward stories that haven't been started yet (e.g. figure out the ending and then write to that). A lot of my ideas are sparked by maps or characters or situations and I find they lack motivations that make endings clear-cut, or make the endings seem too tropeish to be palatable.
There is a content creator on YouTube who made some great points about defining character arcs for your story, and that has helped a little, but I'm still floundering at finishing something - anything.
For example, a few NaNoWriMos ago, I started a story about a protagonist who sets out to found a new mining town in the wilds of a newly colonised land. She has the money to finance it and the support of miners and tradespeople who can help set up the town. She is the main financier, but other than that brings no special skills to the town. She is eager for an adventure and is using the last of her minor noble family's money to set up this town for her future generations. However, once they arrive and start setting up the initial village, she learns that there are native fey creatures that do not want them there and are sabotaging the town. There will be some greater threat that will force her town and the natives to work together to overcome, and a shaky truce afterwards, but other than that, I'm not sure where the hell I'm going with this story. I feel like I should focus on the character arc (e.g. how my protagonist will internally change) and build the story around that, but I'm usually a pantser so trying to do that has possibly slowed my creativity.
My character will be betrayed by someone close to her and learn something about what we leave behind for those who follow us, but it's the bits in between that seem hard for me to write. It seems straight forward, right? Just come up with whatever the greater threat is and solve it and move on. But that seems so... simple? Is it supposed to be that simple? Is this my imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head? How do you finish your stories? Do you know how you're going to end it from the beginning or do you write a couple of different ones just to see which one you prefer? Can you recommend any resources for writing endings, like writing exercises?
How do you find an ending?
My go-to for writing exercises is Holly Lisle, who happens to have a great article called How To Finish a Novel. Unfortunately, it seems to be more geared toward stories that haven't been started yet (e.g. figure out the ending and then write to that). A lot of my ideas are sparked by maps or characters or situations and I find they lack motivations that make endings clear-cut, or make the endings seem too tropeish to be palatable.
There is a content creator on YouTube who made some great points about defining character arcs for your story, and that has helped a little, but I'm still floundering at finishing something - anything.
For example, a few NaNoWriMos ago, I started a story about a protagonist who sets out to found a new mining town in the wilds of a newly colonised land. She has the money to finance it and the support of miners and tradespeople who can help set up the town. She is the main financier, but other than that brings no special skills to the town. She is eager for an adventure and is using the last of her minor noble family's money to set up this town for her future generations. However, once they arrive and start setting up the initial village, she learns that there are native fey creatures that do not want them there and are sabotaging the town. There will be some greater threat that will force her town and the natives to work together to overcome, and a shaky truce afterwards, but other than that, I'm not sure where the hell I'm going with this story. I feel like I should focus on the character arc (e.g. how my protagonist will internally change) and build the story around that, but I'm usually a pantser so trying to do that has possibly slowed my creativity.
My character will be betrayed by someone close to her and learn something about what we leave behind for those who follow us, but it's the bits in between that seem hard for me to write. It seems straight forward, right? Just come up with whatever the greater threat is and solve it and move on. But that seems so... simple? Is it supposed to be that simple? Is this my imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head? How do you finish your stories? Do you know how you're going to end it from the beginning or do you write a couple of different ones just to see which one you prefer? Can you recommend any resources for writing endings, like writing exercises?
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