Chapter 23
Approaching the Grand Finale: The End’s in Sight!
In This Chapter
Beginning to understand ends
Composing your climax
Creating the perfect final scene and last line
As readers get near to finishing your story or novel, they need to be able to feel the tension mounting. (For loads more on creating tension and suspense, read Chapter 21.) At some point, the story can’t get any more dramatic and everything has to come to a head. This climax to your story is the most important part of all – except for the beginning!
In the climax you bring together all the threads that you set up throughout your narrative, and the story reaches the point of no return. You then follow the climax with the resolution and a final ending. How you complete a story matters, because that’s what readers take away with them. Many a potentially great book is spoilt by an inadequate end.
As with beginnings (see Chapter 17), take down some books from your shelves and study the climaxes, resolutions and endings to see which ones work for you and which ones don’t.
Preparing for the End
The ending of your ...
Get Creative Writing Exercises For Dummies now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
