Your Novel’s Goodbye

When you leave loved ones are you a clinger? Do you grip tightly, hanging on for dear life while bawling an ocean onto their shoulder?

Or are you an “I’m outta here, see ya” scooter, avoiding an overflow of gushy emotion?

Have you ever thought the way you handle your real life goodbyes might correlate with how you write your novel goodbyes—the way you choose to end your works?

Do you rush, resulting in a speedy, clipped ending? Is it important for you to tie up all your conflicts with a perfect bow? Or are you methodical as you carefully select your adieu? Are you intentional about your endings, working hard to leave a lasting impression?

Something to think about, isn’t it?

Something else to think about:

“Readers hate to be left hanging and, in the end, their natural impulse is to applaud, so make it easy for them to do that. In a story about love triumphing over adversity, for example, readers should be shown (not told) the triumph. Stories focusing on character are really focusing on personality, the psyche, the soul. Endings that work best for examinations of character often come right out of life: dialogue that gives the character pause to reflect: a repeated image that has assumed significance for the protagonist; a journey of escape—or better yet—a journey of challenge.” Michael Orlofsky (from The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing)

Here are a few questions your readers might be asking after they’ve read your last word:

Was that time well spent?
Did the novel conclude with a satisfying resolution?
Will I care about these characters or think about them again in the future?
Am I missing the book already?
Did I learn anything from reading this work?
Would I recommend this work to others?
Was I sufficiently entertained?
And I’m sure we all hope readers would think...When will I get to see them again (either the characters in a sequel or a new set of characters in a future novel)?
~
Are you demonstrating your ‘I love you’ to your readers on your last page?

*photo from Flickr