Forum: Author Hangout

How to End a Story

awnlee jawking 🚫

I'm planning a story.

The first part, quite sizeable, deals with the 'inciting incident' and its immediate aftermath.

From there on, the story consists of a sequence of discrete events in which the protagonist utilises the changes he experienced for the benefit of others. In that respect it's a bit like a superhero story without the superpower.

Theoretically it should be possible to invent new situations for the protagonist to tackle virtually ad infinitum, but I don't have the staying power to continue for too long.

I don't think a 'happily ever after' ending would work and the alternatives, killing off the protagonist or his losing his 'superpower' are not attractive.

I'm rather tempted to just stop writing when I run out of inspiration, but leave the story incomplete and inactive in case I'm hit by a second wind. However, I accept that many readers would hate that (if it attracts many readers!)

Does anyone know of stories with that kind of structure they consider to have been handled well? How did they end, if at all?

AJ

Replies: Switch Blayde Soronel happytechguy15 warlogae Pixy Argon

Switch Blayde 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

deals with the 'inciting incident' and its immediate aftermath.

Some pure literary concepts:

Plot = conflict.
Inciting incident sets the story (plot) in motion (the conflict).
Plot's climax is when the conflict is resolved (story ends - conflict resolution).
So whatever happens in the inciting incident must be linked to the climax.

So that's when your story ends. When the conflict is resolved.

Conflict, in literary terms, doesn't have to mean a physical confrontation. I guess it's basically a major problem the protagonist has to deal with.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Conflict, in literary terms, doesn't have to mean a physical confrontation. I guess it's basically a major problem the protagonist has to deal with.

The difficulty I have with that is that the problem(s) my protagonist has to deal with following the inciting incident never get solved but the protagonist learns to live with them. As such, there isn't a point where I could say, 'Problem solved. The end.'

AJ

Replies: Switch Blayde Paladin_HGWT

Switch Blayde 🚫

@awnlee jawking

As such, there isn't a point where I could say, 'Problem solved. The end.'

Actually, in the Greek Comedy/Tragedy, if the conflict is resolved satisfactorily, it's Comedy; if not, it's Tragedy. But that's way to academia for this discussion.

I found this from Delta State University:

Every story has a conflict to solve. The plot is centered on this conflict and the ways in which the characters attempt to resolve the problem. When the story's action becomes most exciting, right before the resolution, it is called the climax. The solution to the problem is the way the action is resolved.

and this from Oregon State University:

In fiction, those problems are called conflict. More precisely, conflict means thwarted, endangered, or opposing desire. It's basically when a character wants something but something else gets in the way. Maybe the character wants a thing but can't get it.

So I don't see your protagonist getting those powers being the conflict, unless he doesn't want them but is forced to use them. Then there's an internal struggle (conflict = man vs self). In that case, if he comes to terms with his powers you have conflict resolution and an ending.

But if his newfound powers are not the conflict, each story in the series would have a conflict that the protagonist would use his powers to solve. So each story would have an ending.

Paladin_HGWT 🚫

@awnlee jawking

The difficulty I have with that is that the problem(s) my protagonist has to deal with following the inciting incident never get solved but the protagonist learns to live with them. As such, there isn't a point where I could say, 'Problem solved. The end.'

A "Hero's Journey" might be learning to accept the results of the inciting incident.

Even if your protagonist soon learns to use the situation for some benefit, doesn't necessarily indicate acceptance.

A soldier who has a leg amputated is unlikely to ever get another leg. Receiving a prosthetic is not a solution, but it can be part of a solution. Just because you learn to walk with a prosthetic is not likely a solution; nor is the person likely to accept the situation.

So too, your character may do good things with their situation, but not fully accept their situation. The story could end (for now) if the individual has learned something about themselves, and has not reached the end, but rather reached a significant waypoint. From there you have the option of writing further stories, or not.

Soronel 🚫

@awnlee jawking

I would say you could easily use SOL's section system, just post the story in parts, the opening as one, the other bits broken up as appropriate, mark it done at the time but if you come up with another arc then add it.

Replies: solitude

solitude 🚫

@Soronel

I would say you could easily use SOL's section system

... or perhaps better, have it as a series.

happytechguy15 🚫

@awnlee jawking

As a reader, I would be OK with you taking the story as far as you want to, then mark it complete. Depending on who is telling the story (1st person, or omnicient, or?), have an ending of "thats all I have time for, but maybe if I get time..." Then do a book 2 if you feel up to it?

After all these years, I feel that Jay Cantrell's Unending Weeks, and Learning Curves fit the description. As in, I accept the story ended well, but obviously there is more to tell.

warlogae 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

I think that rather than keep writing the story until you run out of inspiration you could pick a path for the protagonist that leaves the door open to the next story in the series.

As you have said, there is no happy nor definitive ending to the protagonists potential challenges, if you have a series of challenges already planned, pull back to N-1 and keep the last one or two as the starter culture for the next story in a series. This means that you can end the original story at a planned 'to be continued' or ' this is not the end' note and leaves you with a starting place to for the next story if and when you get the inspiration.

I would prefer to be left wanting for the next book to wondering what the ending was to the first.

Pixy 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Having some experience in the matter (ahem!), I would say writers are their own worst enemy in this matter.

It's easy to say "Have a conflict, have a resolution, job done!"

The problem is, if the writer has a good day and writes some good characters that the reader emphasises with, then there is 'no ending' The reader will always want more. They want the next conflict, and the next, and the next...

The better you write a character, the more the reader will do a Dickens and bombard you with "Please Sir!Can I have some more?"

You have already answered your own question in your first post, in saying that you plan to take the story to it's natural conclusion (the end of that specific conflict) and then leave it there.

From a site specific point of view, you can leave the story with the reader dreaded yellow banner, or just 'finish' the story. A 'finished' story can be re-opened at a later date if you wish (I have done so a couple of times) so a story here is never 'finished', unable to be added to.

Readers don't like yellow banners and many will not read a story that's 'unfinished', so you have to take that into account.

The other elephant in the room, is where do you stop? It's tempting to keep going on, but some stories eventually outlive their existence because the author starts to re-hash existing plots in a desperate attempt to create more content. This has been discussed in the forums before.

I would say, stop where you feel comfortable and leave the story with an ending that facilitates further continuation should you desire. If you can, submit the story as 'complete' so as to avoid the yellow banner a couple of years down the line. If you do write more of the story, then just open up the story again and submit the new chapter and then close it again.

Replies: solitude Switch Blayde

solitude 🚫

@Pixy

If you do write more of the story, then just open up the story again and submit the new chapter and then close it again.

Some readers will usually only read completed stories, and will then give them a score. Thus, completed stories with a score will be ignored unless looking for something to re-read. Better, surely, to publish the extension as a new book in the series, even if it is just a vignette.

Replies: Pixy

Pixy 🚫

@solitude

Better, surely, to publish the extension as a new book in the series, even if it is just a vignette.

No idea, and I doubt there really is a 'definitive' answer to that, other than people's opinions on the matter.Which is a minefield in it's own right.

Some readers will usually only read completed stories, and will then give them a score. Thus, completed stories with a score will be ignored unless looking for something to re-read.

A previously 'finished' story will have the 'updated' tag if you open and update/add to it. Which I presume will be flagged to those with the story in their libraries?

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Pixy

I would say, stop where you feel comfortable and leave the story with an ending that facilitates further continuation should you desire.

The ending of the novel "First Blood" had both Rambo and the sheriff dead. That was critical to the theme of the story.

But when they made the movie, Hollywood did not kill Rambo (or the sheriff) at the end. This way they could continue the story if it was a success. It was. Look how many Rambo movies they made after that one.

Argon 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

Your plot would lend itself to a crime show-like structure. Discreet episodes describe discrete events, while there is no overall dramatic arch. TV shows don't plan for an ending in most cases, just to keep episodes coming as long as the ratings are good. Nothing wrong with that. It may defy conventional novel structure, but as long as people read the episodes, you are doing them a favour. If you run out of ideas, it'll be like any canceled TV show: some people will be sad, some will be relieved, others won't care. And, if the episodes are good, people will keep re-reading them.

Forum: Author Hangout

How to End a Story

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