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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Finishing off - discussing endings

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Katana_Geldar, Oct 12, 2004.

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  1. Katana_Geldar

    Katana_Geldar Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2003
    endings IMHO are one of the hardest things to write as if you don't end on a bang in your story it'd not worth writing.

    sometimes you can hit on an ending and it is really good, but one story i've written and re-written I can't seem to settle on an ending that satisfies me.

    also, i try to keep to the tradition of a no-dialogue montage at the end of the story with a few inspriational phrases

     
  2. AERYN_SUN

    AERYN_SUN Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 1, 2001
    I had an idea for the ending of Defining Us, about halfway through. I think one of the main reasons why some of my fics go unfinished, is because I don't have an ending worked out. Most of the time, the writing is a plot bunny and there's no real ending.

    ~aeryn
     
  3. VaderLVR64

    VaderLVR64 Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2004
    I always know my ending before I start posting. I may not know exactly how I'm getting there, but I do know where I'm going. I've got one now that is unfinished and driving me crazy. I know the ending, but getting there is difficult right now. So, I've stopped posting on it for now. :(
     
  4. flowerbee

    flowerbee Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2004
    I always have a vague idea of what's going to happen in the end, but I kind of just go where the fic takes me.
     
  5. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    The endings for me are usually what I have developed most because there is a combination of foreshadowing and unpredictability that I have to mix up for dear life. Like in one story, Anakin would die in his sleep and I had to have hints that he was suffering heart failure throughout the story.
     
  6. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    As long as I let the characters dictate what's going on, my endings seem to go just fine. In my first successful fanfic I had never planned on ending where I did, but the characters called for it and it worked out quite well, all things considered.

    Like some of you, I often know where I'm going but not how I'm going to get there, and that can actually be a lot of fun. I enjoy discovering my characters lives only a step ahead of my characters themselves.

    Foreshadowing is hard to work in properly when you're winging it, however. New characters showing up at the last minute is another common problem.
     
  7. CodeName_Targeter

    CodeName_Targeter Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2003
    I know that I want to get from point A to point B, but I never really have an idea how to get there, so usually, the ending's a pain because I have to get there and fight DWB.

    :Targeter:
     
  8. AERYN_SUN

    AERYN_SUN Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 1, 2001
    What I used to when I started writing is make out a whole outline, step-by-step summary of what was gonna happen in each chapter. The thing I didn't like about that is that you're forced to stick to that specific idea, and there was practially no room for anything new.

    That's why I really don't plan anymore because if something happens, it happens. But it'll feel natural.

    I mean, there are still some things I plan but now a whole story. The story writes itself.

    ~aeryn
     
  9. Predator150

    Predator150 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2004
    I always think of the plot of my story before actually going to write it, so when I do write it the ending is already there.

     
  10. Briman

    Briman Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 2004
    Well for any ending, you have give the readers a sense of finality with the characters even more so then the actual story at times, the characters are what makes the wheel go round.
     
  11. Katana_Geldar

    Katana_Geldar Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2003
    normally I have some idea where i want to go in the end, but the actual ending scene should be explosive. That's bthe hard part, getting it good as I hate people who write bad SW stories, I love SW and it cheapens it for me.
     
  12. Lt_Jaina_Solo

    Lt_Jaina_Solo Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 2002
    For me, I have a pretty detailed and involved outline that reminds of certain ideas that I want to work in the story, plot points I want to cover, and how I want the ending to work. Of course, these outlines are pretty elastic, and I've been known to write a completely different beginning/middle/end than what I originally had planned.

    The reason for the detailed outlines is that I hate writing out scenes before I get to them, even if I have a really good idea, because they'll invariably be changed by the time I get to it. Jotting down notes helps me remember what really cool ideas I had, and it especially helps when I come to the end. Maybe I have a surprise that I've been hinting at the entire story that I want to reveal. In addition, making sure that loose ends are tied up are a biggy for me (otherwise, I got convinced to write a sequel, and I end up going insane :p ).

    And that was me just rambling for a couple minutes. Just ignore it ;)

    ~LtJS @};-

     
  13. darththunderbird

    darththunderbird Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2003
    I usually have an idea of how the story will end, but it often gets changed as i just go where the story takes me.

    Sometimes if i have a really throbbing plot bunny i'll write down key phrases to the plot, such as:

    1)Bob finds magical computer mouse

    2) magical computer mouse turns evil

    3) Bob is saved by Fernando who he finds out is really a woman and falls in love with

    4) Bob wakes up from his dream

    then i have a rough outline, and I know roughly where i'm going, but i have room for change.


    A bad habit i have is posting a story before it's done. I dont have a beta reader either...i really need to 'reform' my writing habits...

    TO DO LIST: 1. find beta 2. resolve to finish story (or at least remain 3 chapters ahead of latest post) before posting
     
  14. padawan lunetta

    padawan lunetta Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 15, 1999
    The ending usually comes to me in the middle of the story and I like the ending line to be a title-tie in. Then, should their be a sequel, I'll do an epilogue after it.
     
  15. Katana_Geldar

    Katana_Geldar Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2003
    endings are almost has hard to write as beginnings

    BTW i'm talking about when the story actually ends, the last scene not how to get there as we talked about that in "Do your fics change"

    Idea: Lets have a crtical focus group of some sort, posting about how stories are written and the nuances of certain plots and genres
     
  16. flowerbee

    flowerbee Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2004
    Ah, the last scene...I generally don't have dialoge, maybe end it ESB style.
     
  17. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    I usually have the exact opposite problem the people here are describing. I get these great ideas for endings or at least the climax, but have no idea where to start.

    What i've been doing lately, to break myself out of this situation, is writing opening paragraphs. Just the opening. That's it. And then moving on to a new one, unrelated to the last. It's been a really helpful writing exercise.

    I'm willing to bet this idea could be reversed and used for people who have trouble with endings.

     
  18. Lt_Jaina_Solo

    Lt_Jaina_Solo Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 27, 2002
    [face_blush] Whoops. For me, I try to make sure that any plot points, and character development is tied up. Often times, the last chapter will be more of an epilogue, saying, "This happened, and this happened, and Frank married Jeanie and they had four kids and lived happily ever after", etc. I try not to make it to dramatic, just a nice, good finale :p

    ~LtJS @};-

     
  19. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    For shorter stories, I write the beginning and the ending first and then fill in the middle. That way, I make sure that the story is going to go the way I want it. For longer fics, I have a detailed outline of what I want to happen in each chapter. Some things change as I write but, since I like to put a lot of foreshadowing into my fics, an outline works wonders. But I always write the ending before getting into the meat of any of my fics.

     
  20. Daughter_of_Yubyub

    Daughter_of_Yubyub Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2002
    My big problem is that I usually know how the fic is going to end. It's the in between part that causes me trouble. This gets really bad the closer I get to the ending, because I know exactly how it ends and things end up feeling rushed in my hurry to get to it. Now that I'm aware of this, I get a weird sort of paralysis when I'm within a few posts of the end. (Which, for anyone who remembers that Switched Destiny exists, is what's taking so bloody long for the next post :p)
     
  21. Katana_Geldar

    Katana_Geldar Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2003
    if you don't end with a bang you can't really end at all.

    That's why I liked ESB

    *points to icon* ;)
     
  22. 1Yodimus_Prime

    1Yodimus_Prime Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2004
    D_YubYub -
    I'm having the same problem right now. I know exactly what i want to do to finish "On Yodimus", but I'm so afraid to rush it, i haven't been able to post a thing.
    :\
     
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