Endings

[fairlane]

I don't like the happily ever after endings where everything is all neatly wrapped up.

I like how the ending of the book is kind of open and the characters lives could still head in any direction, and maybe that's why fanfiction is popular.

It's good when stories end on a positive note of some sort - eg Ponyboy realises how much Darry cares about him, but it's not like everyone lives and Dally reforms and Johnny comes to live at the Curtis's.

[zevie]

I love happy endings. I really don't think you can beat a good happy ending - a GOOD one. Unfortunately, those are friggin hard to do. But, I also love the kind you both are talking about - happy/sad. "Light at the end of a tunnel" type endings, where life kinda sucks but there's hope. Sad endings...actually, if they're well done, I really love them, too. Heh, I like good endings. (Sorry, apparently I got hit with the dumb stick this morning.)

This is somewhat grassroots logic, lol, but, I really think that the right ending will present itself in a fic. In my experience, you can't force it, and you can't direct the fic away from it once it's appeared, because nothing will feel as right. There's a passage in "Taming the Star Runner" where Casey talks to Jenna about a jump, and she says something like: "Don't get antsy on that last single...It'll seem like you're not seeing the spot, but just wait for it. It'll be there." (I actually looked it up again, cause I'm a big, fat, time-wasting loser, lol.) That's totally how I feel about endings. I think you should have a wrap up in mind, but don't worry about the actual ending scene/dialogue/words/events even, if it's not obvious at the moment, leave it a bit open (this only works if you're not a planning wizard, lol). The right ending will come.

That was a little preachy, lol, sorry, and, per usual, rambly. I love this site - helps me procrastinate, lol, while still doing something writing related and valuable.

I have an add-on to this question, too (good question, by the way)...what type of endings do you like *writing*? Let's see if there's a correlation!

[Tensleep]

Good add on, Zevie. I like writing happy endings because they make me feel happy, as well. Hell, at this point any ending is a good one in my opinion.

But as for how I end things...it depends on the story. Some of them need happy endings, some need those tunnel endings, some need bitter sweet endings and some need silly endings. I don't really go for the sad endings because they leave me sad, too. I want to come away from the story with something to linger, you know? Not that I forget the story, but you know what I mean. I never really think I've ended a story, though. The characters go on and I just don't keep up with them anywhere outside my head.

John Steinbeck put it best when he said:
To finish is a sadness to a writer - a little death. He puts the last word down and it is done. But it isn't really done. The story goes on and leaves the writer behind, for no story is ever done.

So, hopefully there will be many more edings in my future, but it doesn't mean I have to like finally getting to them.

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[fairlane]

Great quote Tensleep I can totally relate. I think thats why I started writing a sequel to my fanfic To Live This Life the same day that I finished it. I still had more I wanted to do with the characters and couldn't just leave them.

To answer Zevie, this is where I have to admit that I've only once actually gotten to the point of writing an ending for a story, and it was for the above fanfic. Yes it was a happy ending (although happy may be a relative term with Tim Shepard lol) and yes I hate it. It literally makes me cringe and I really want to just remove that whole last chapter.

[zevie]

Agreed with all above, great quote Tens. A little death... lol, I know it's morbid humour but that takes on a whole nother meaning with the Outsiders.

fairlane said:

Yes it was a happy ending (although happy may be a relative term with Tim Shepard lol)...

Hahaha, totally! I love happy endings and happy stories, but everything I write ends in tragedy, and I think it must be because I tend to follow Tim or Dally. It's so hard to make 'em happy, lol. I think the most depressing ending I wrote was a Tim one-shot, like, five-years ago. I'd love to see a happy ending for these guys, but it must be a massive challenge, eh?

(Fairlane, I'm reading To Live, but real slowly, heh. June is crazy!!!)

[fairlane]

(Fairlane, I'm reading To Live, but real slowly, heh. June is crazy!!!)[/quote]

Do me a favour and don't read the last chapter aye? It's so cheesy I can't stand it lol.

[Tensleep]

So there are other people out there that start their sequels the same day...Good to know. I like that, though. You still have the characters in your head and you know them well enough to carry on without losing anything. It's a good way to be!

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[BlindedxxFalcon]

fairlane said:

I don't like the happily ever after endings where everything is all neatly wrapped up.

I don't either...any time I read a book, unless it's a childrens book, I feel a happily ever after ending is kind of a let down ending, with some exceptions.

[st.elmo-lover]

I like any endings. My story Send the Pain below I ended with Dallas in a coma, heh. No one liked that though....

Wonder why,

[st.elmo-lover]

I'm really embarassed to give this out. I'm redoing the whole thing right now actually. The original has soo many mistakes and is really choppy. So I guess if you want to read it now and then maybe read the one that will be better? It's up to you .

www.fanfiction.net/s/2574159/1/Send_the_Pain_Below

P.S- It's NOT a sister fic, lol. I'm sure you'll be happy to at least know that.

P.P.S- New, better version vv

www.fanfiction.net/s/3651025/1/