The End

Those two innocuous words that, when put together, mean you are done with your novel. Whether it's the first draft or final there is a sense of satisfaction.

If it is a first draft of a first book, there's happy dancing, celebratory toasts, smugness and accomplisment; the 'wow, I finally did it'. For others, the sense of accomplishment and, perhaps, the toast is still there. I'd like to think that it's all there, even the dancing.

We've all ached, despaired or simply gritted our teeth to find the perfect opening to a novel, but what about the last sentence or paragraph? It's just as important as the first.

Is there satisfaction that everything has been solved or holds the perfect cliffhanger? Does it express finality? Or is it wishy-washy and vague? Has the promise given at the beginning be fulfilled at the end?

Endings, for me, are just as tough as beginnings; more so, because I can come up with a crackerjack opening sentence, but the last seems... inadequate.

Consider: from Holly Lisle's Sympathy for the Devil. "Heaven is for you," God said gently, "and for them," as he pointed to the Earth spinning lazily below. "For me, there can be no Heaven until the last of my children is safely home." It doesn't tell you what the story was about, but it does give an honest and thought-provoking finality.

On Basilisk Station by David Weber: "Well, Commodore Yerensky, I don't see how I could possibly turn your request down. It happens that I do have very strong feelings about the new armament -" her smile grew even broader "-and I'd be delighted to share them with Admiral Hemphill and her colleagues." Again, it gives nothing away but gives the reader absolute satisfaction given what has come before.

And Laurell K. Hamilton's A Kiss of Shadows: They say, be careful what you wish for. Well, be even more cautious with your prayers. Make sure, very sure, it's what you want. You never know whan a deity may give you exactly what you ask for. A warning of things to come? Or simply relief from what has happened?

All three endings are brilliant, well thought out, and perfect. There are many other examples I could give.

I won't give examples of my own work because they pale in comparison. They're okay, but need work if they're to be published and I don't want to give anything away.

My point, however, is that endings - in the hands of the masters - look easy, but probably aren't. Everything written before culminates in this one, final, moment and must live up to expectations. No matter what genre you write in, you must pay as much attention to the end as to the beginning. Everyone has read a book that ended with a curl of the lip or with thoughts for days, weeks, years.

In my keeper shelf, I have many books that I haven't been able to read again, yet, because I can pick them up and remember how the book started, what happened, and how it ended. Each one is a wonderful example to me - which is why I haven't thrown them out. They are there to teach me about writing; all of it: plotting, characterisation, beginnings, middles, endings, problem solving, everything I need to know is contained within those covers.

I think it wonderful that successful writers pen books on 'how to...', but I remain convinced that the way to learn is read the better books, and to try and emulate those books in my own style. Whether my dream of writing comes true or not, is up to me and how well I listen to my teachers and craft my own books. I have the beginnings and the middles; now the challenge is to write brilliant endings.

It could be the difference between a satisfied sigh with a vacant expression, and an angry huff followed by the book making an indentation in the far wall.