by Shannon Donnelly

I’ve been thinking a lot about story endings, probably because I’m getting close to one in the book I’m working on. But also we watched 2 Guns the other day and it has a fabulous mirror from the beginning to ending—that mirror technique where the last scene echoes the opening scene, but everything is now different, is a great technique. And to pull it off I think you really have to know where you’re going—it’s all about structure.

In 2 Guns, we open with the heroes coming into a diner opposite a bank. They seem to be planning a bank robbery. But nothing is as it seems—these guys are playing each other and aren’t really who you think they are. I won’t offer up spoilers (rent the movie—it’s a good one and Denzel Washington and Mark Walberg make it all work). But the end scene is our heroes going into a diner opposite a bank. They’re planning a bank robbery—but everything is different due to what you (the viewer) now know and due to what our good guys have gone through.

To make this work, the movie has to do a small jump back in time at the opening. But it does work. And so I’ve been thinking how any story works best when you can mirror the ending to the opening. But this means you need to know where you’re going (or you have to go back to the opening once you get to the ending to see how you make the story come full circle).

But this also leads me to thinking about what you really want in a great ending.

What to Write Toward:

1. Great endings always feel inevitable.

There’s a sense that the story HAS to come to this. This takes some work and thinking on the writer’s part because you have to build up to this point. Now, there is such a thing as writer’s instinct and some writers know how to structure without being able to tell you they do this. I’m not one of those writers. I have to work it out and think it over and revise—but I know I want this feeling of the story building to an inevitable point. This means I either need to know up front the scene that I want at the end or when I get to the end I want to look back and make sure I’ve set up this inevitable ending.

2. Great endings always surprise.

What I’ve learned is that surprise is not shock. I learned this early on when I had what I thought a great twist in a story—a real game changer. I took it to my readers and got back disappointment. I found out that a twist is just that—but if you make it into too tight a twist or turn, readers aren’t going to be happy. Shock comes from something too unexpected—it suddenly feels as if the writer is cheating the reader. And that’s not fun for the reader. So I’ve learned I don’t want to be too clever. I want a surprise at the end that seems inevitable—so one that gives the reader plenty of hints about what’s coming. Again, this comes from looking at the ending to make sure I foreshadow events.

I had this happen with both Burn Baby Burn and Riding in on a Burning Tire—both books are Urban Fantasy, and when I got to the end, I had one character make a major change and another one show up unexpectedly. The changes to the end scene were good ones—they added to the conflict and tension. But I couldn’t leave them hanging there. I had to go back to the earlier parts of the book and structure in enough scenes so that I could lead the reader up to the ending and make it a surprise, not a shock that comes from left field.

3. Great endings bring emotions full circle.

I think this is as important as the mirroring—in fact, it’s part of that mirroring. When any story opens, the main character’s life is out of balance and the main character is pushed into action. In the ending, the main character has to be shown to have come to some resolution that relates back to the opening—things have changed. The main character has changed. (Even in 2 Guns, a buddy film, you can easily see that Denzel Washington’s character is the main character—he’s at the emotional core of the film.)

What I’ve found is that books with an emotional resonance at the end provide a lot more satisfaction to the reader—these are the books that resonate. When an ending seems a little flat or just not right, I look to the emotion. What am I setting up as the main character’s arc? Does the main character go on an emotional journey? What does the main character learn in the dark moment? What does the main character demonstrate as being learned in the end of the book? Those are key questions for me to answer to make sure the book comes full circle.

4. Great endings give the reader enough but not too much.

There’s a story that Fred Astaire said he always got a dance routine perfect and then cut ten minutes. The idea is the old Vaudeville adage to leave ‘em wanting more. This is always a fine balancing act. If you end a story too abruptly the reader is left unhappy and the ending seems unsatisfying. If you linger too long the story can drift into being boring—meaning the reader is left wondering why this story is going on and on.

What I’ve learned is that you want enough end-story to balance what the character has emotionally endured. In other words, a very intense, emotional story needs a little bit of time to wind down and bring the reader some closer from all that emotion. That’s where an epilogue can be really useful to balance the story. Also, if a character makes a huge change, the reader needs to see the character has really changed—this needs to be demonstrated in a scene. This is why so many stories with bad-boy heroes have epilogues to show that he really has reformed. And this is a place where early readers can really help you to say if you’re lingering too long with your characters, or if you need a little bit more closure.

I had this with Proper Conduct. I ended the story where I thought it should end, but it really needed a touch more closure on the story. So I added a little bit more to make the ending more satisfying to the reader.

5. Great endings tie up all loose ends.

This is also a tough one. I’m sure we’ve all been swept away by a movie or a book, and then we’ve realized later that the story never did sort out what happened to character X. The worst ones for me are the ones that pull in a dog or a horse—and you never know what happened to that dog or horse. That, to me, is just careless laziness. If you put in a character and give that character a subplot arc, make sure you hit the end beat. And, in general, you want to do this before you wrap up the main story. For me, this means I need to know all my subplots so I can make sure I’ve given them twists and an ending.

Imagine if, in Casa Blanca, you didn’t find out what happened to Claude Rains’ character, Captain Renault. That would have left the movie a little annoying—you might not have known why you walked out unhappy, but you would be less than satisfied. The fact that the movie ties up all the subplots in a terrific ending is one of the things that makes that movie great. That’s what we want to make sure we do with our stories, too.

Look at all your characters. Did you give everyone a little “star turn” moment in the story? Does everyone have a resolution? If not, go back and put it in somewhere. Remember to check every character’s arc. I do this with an edit that just looks at each character—it really helps the entire story become more satisfying.

Now, if you’re writing a series you often have to set up stuff for the next book. That’s fine. The question to ask then is, did you resolve enough to leave the reader satisfied? I’ve actually bailed on some series books just because the book was a great setup—but didn’t satisfy. That meant I didn’t trust the writer not to give me a good read in the next book, and the next after that. Remember that a story is something of a promise between you and readers—you are taking some of their time in exchange for a good read. If you deliver on this, you’ll have readers coming back for more.

6. Great endings sell your next book.

This is a saying that’s been around forever, and there’s more than a little truth in it. The sale comes because the reader does want more. If you give the reader a terrific read, with a satisfying ending that has an inevitable ending and just enough twist to keep the reader surprised but not shocked, you’ll have a reader who wants your next book, too. This means you don’t have to resort to tricks of cliff-hanging a book, or using obvious manipulation. In fact, you don’t want to use tricks at all—look to craft strong characters that have strong goals, clear reasons for those goals and put it all together with an end that mirrors your opening.

Don’t be satisfied when you finish a book—your work is just starting there. Go back and check every character arc. Look to see if you really mirror the opening and ending. Look to see if your character really did face a terrible dilemma at the dark moment—yes, even a comedy needs that.

Once you finish a story, that’s the time you can go back and make sure you have all the pieces in place to really give readers a great read. And use a few early readers to get their feedback. They’ll help you know if you really did pull off the feat of a story that hooks the reader and keeps them hooked from page one until the very end.

So what do you think? Have you ever used these techniques to craft a satisfying ending? Any other tips for us?

Shannon Donnelly’s writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, RWA's Golden Heart, and others. Her writing has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb"..."wonderfully uplifting"....and "beautifully written." She is also the author of the Mackenzie Solomon, Demon/Warders Urban Fantasy series, Burn Baby Burn and Riding in on a Burning Tire. She is currently working on her next Regency romance, Lady Chance.

 

Today I'm shaking my Cowbell about social media, with an emphasis on your profiles. Those header graphics and text are one of the biggest tools in your arsenal to catch people's eyes.

[I just heard some of you writers groan: More social media?! Didn't Fae give us permission yesterday to just write?]

I know, I know. I’ve got writing pals who are worried their heads might explode. I’m already on Facebook, they whine. I just want to stay home and write in my pajamas. Why do I have to talk to people?

Because you do.

We all need to build a writing team to survive in this crazy business. The process of getting a book published requires a massive amount of teamwork.

The easiest place to find those team members is online. Programs like LinkedIn can be a big part of your team-building success once you understand how it works and how to navigate it like a rockstar.

The most important thing to remember?

You get two inches, or six seconds, to make your first impression.

(Get your mind out of the gutter! You’ve gotta hang out at More Cowbell for thoughts like that.)

Seriously, it’s a common saying in the business world. Get your most important point into the subject line and the first paragraph of an email because that’s all most people will read. Even as an author, we’re aware that we have anywhere from two paragraphs to two pages to engage an editor, agent or reader.

Hook people quick, or they’re moving on.

The average resume or LinkedIn profile gets no more than 6 seconds to engage someone. The same goes for a tweet or a Facebook author page header. To be fair, the average person is looking for different things than the recruiters I mention in the link above, but 6 seconds is still the average browse time.

What makes people scroll past your "top two inches?"

1. Your pictures and graphics.

Whether it's a profile, a blog header, or a newsletter, the very top needs to capture the essence of your brand.

• On Facebook, this might include a photo of you and your book cover.
• Any photos should be a clear, close, front-facing shot.
• If you're included, it's best for you to look friendly and attentive.
• Unless you work with kids or animals, there shouldn't be anyone else in the picture with you. No spouses, no kids, and on LinkedIn no hats and sunglasses in that profile picture.

Note: If you've ever wondered what the dimensions are for all the different platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc), The Complete Social Media Cover Photo Guide.

Here is an example of a great header graphic. Below is the blog header for August McLaughlin's blog. She is a thriller writer, a health writer and is building an amazing platform on sexuality called GirlBoner. August has been doing some really smart branding.

Before you read a single word, you can see what August looks like, that she's written a book, and that you can find her online using the #GirlBoner hashtag. You can also see from that flirty heart on the left that she equates GirlBoner with love and sexuality.

2. Professional Summary

What are you doing now? What have you done in the past? Many authors build a profile in a program like LinkedIn and then let it moulder. They don't update it as their career develops, even though these updates are usually quick. By adding current and past positions to your profiles, space allowing, you get a quick summary of this in your top profile block on LinkedIn (I'll show this below) or at least a more updated profile in a program like Twitter.

For example, my pal, Marcy Kennedy, is a Twitter expert, but she is also an amazing freelance editor. By adding those two little words to her Twitter profile, she gives a much more comprehensive 140 character portrait.

Thriller writer and pet expert, Amy Shojai, joined LinkedIn about a year ago and she has been rocking the platform. Below you can see how important it is that she keeps up her work experience. It's a mini-resume in a two-inch space.

3. An easy-to-remember address

Not enough people remember to customize their addresses on social media. Kristen Lamb, author and social media jedi knows that http://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenlamb will be easier to remember than http://www.linkedin.com/pub/writername/11/442/b42/.

One I can type from memory and share easily. And the other...I can't, and won't.

When we started the Writers In The Storm Facebook page, one of the first things we did was customize our URL. It started as some ridiculous sequence of numbers that no one was going to remember. The same thing was true for my Jenny Hansen personal profile. All you have to do is go to your Settings and edit your "username" under General Account Settings.

4. Multiple points of contact

If you don't want to be called, you don't need to put out your phone number. But you should have an email, blog, website or a social media account like Twitter listed in your About page on your website/blog or in your contact info on LinkedIn.

An added bonus: Changing your profile picture on Facebook or updating your contact settings sends out an update, which puts you at the top of your connections' feeds. That is always a win.

Here's Amy Shojai's contact page on LinkedIn, a platform where you can have LOTS of data showing:

What about a program like Twitter where you don't get a lot of space? 

Note how Marcy's in-page Twitter profile to the right shows only her website. You only get room to list a single site on Twitter, unless you want to take space from your 140 characters.

This is why it's so important to have an updated website, or if you live at your blog, to have an updated About page that allows people to find you.

Facebook expert, Lisa Hall-Wilson, recommends that your header graphic include your website for this exact reason. You don't want to make people scroll down for your information, because they won't.

We have become a skimming society of quick readers, a point that is well illustrated by our own Sharla Rae in a recent post about the benefits of slow reading.

I chose the graphics above as great examples because:

• They give a complete impression of the person, including picture, blog, and other social media info.
• They clearly list what that person is up to.
• They’re friendly and engaging, yet professional.
• Where possible, they include contact information.
• Most give a very clear sense of the person's brand.

Remember, if you don't put "the good stuff" at the beginning, there is a fine chance people will miss it.

 

Do you think of these issues when setting up your social media? Do you have any how-to questions? What elements do you think are missing from your own profiles? Feel free to list your social media links in the comments so we can all follow you!

About Jenny Hansen

By day, Jenny provides training and social media marketing for an accounting firm. By night she writes news articles, humor, memoir, women’s fiction and short stories. After 18+ years as a corporate software trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

When she’s not at her personal blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Twitter at JennyHansenCA or at Writers In The Storm.

Writing is the Best Job Ever!

Where else can you show up to your desk for work in your comfortable robe and slippers? No commute, no bossy co-workers, no meetings.

Writing is a great excuse to get out of social obligations -"I'm working on deadline"- and the perfect write-off for visiting, uh-researching, areas of interest.

You are your own boss and you set your own schedule.

The problem is...

Well, there are a number of problems.

As with any job, you've got to show up. If you don't sit at the computer, the book doesn't get written. And it's easy to get distracted at home with all those pesky adult responsibilities. Particularly when the words are not flowing out of your fingertips. If you don't already know how many hours it takes to get ten pages of first draft work completed, time yourself. Multiply that by forty for a four-hundred-page book (it'll be edited down) to get an idea of just how much seat time is necessary to finish your manuscript, and maybe you'll see why it's taking so long to finish your novel.

You do have "bosses", even if you self-publish. Someone is giving you completion dates, critiquing your work, designing your cover, writing your blurb–even if that someone is you.

You have a whole new set of social obligations: setting up your platform and social media presence. That two-hour luncheon with your friends is nothing, compared with the time sump Facebook and Twitter can become, to say nothing of Pinterest and Instagram.

Research takes time. If you like to research before you start a book, you know how research can put off the start of your novel as you acquire more and more juicy details to reveal to your readers.

It's only you. You must be your own boss and you must stick to a writing schedule. The sad truth is your book is not going to write itself. Words will not magically appear in the computer file. (I know this--I've done the research!) If you cannot "be the boss" and show up for work every day, writing is not your job. And, particularly with this configuration of publishing and self-publishing, you need content to market. That content is how you will earn your paycheck.

So how can you make the Best Job Ever work for you?

• Make a schedule for your writing. Choose a reasonable amount of time to work, based on your other 'jobs'. Try your schedule out for a week. Stick with it, even when it's difficult or "life happens." Note difficulties, time crunches, places where you have "wiggle room." Refrain from cleaning the bathroom during your writing time. After that first week, adjust your schedule to fit your other needs. Set a goal for a certain number of words every week.

• Accountability. Share your writing schedule and word count goal with those closest to you. The people who will be most affected by your success as an author deserve a chance to support you. You may be pleasantly surprised when you enlist their aid, even if it's simply a remark at the dinner table or a quick e-mail note. Writers in particular do not work best in a vacuum.

• Marketability. Part of your job as a writer is your social media. Setting up and maintaining your accounts and website "count" as work hours. However, published authors agree that every hour on professional social media contacts should be balanced with three hours of writing. Games and Facebook videos of cute animals do not count in your work time. Save them for your "off hours."

• Feedback. When I'm writing, I make sure I have at least ten pages a week to send to my critique partners. I critique their pages. You will improve your craft by consistent writing, editing others work, and revising your own work based on critiques from trusted partners. Set aside time in your schedule for critiquing.

• Education. Include at least an hour a week to read blogs about writing, an online class, or books about specific areas you want to improve. A professional needs ongoing education and strives for excellence. As a professional writer, this is part of your job, too.

Even if you can only schedule five hours a week– three hours of writing with a goal of ten rough-draft pages, one hour for social media, and one hour for growing your craft– at the end of a year you'll have finished a book and have a platform. Yes, it boggles the mind. But what blows my mind even more is how much more I can accomplish with double that investment.

I know it's a little early for New Year's Resolutions. I'm no good with those anyway. But this is a workable plan for me. It's got accountability, motivation with goals for word count, new learning to keep me interested, time for my critiquing responsibilities here at Writers in the Storm, and space for that time sump called social media.

So, I'm sharing my new schedule with you, my writer friends. I'll check in periodically and let you know how it's going.

How many hours a week are you writing now? Do you have any other tips for showing up for this job of ours? How do you manage to stay on track to finish your book? 

About Fae

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak.  Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes  that she can live anywhere but the present.  As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

Punished, oh-no, that’s published as a co-author of a math textbook, she yearns to hear personal stories about finding love from those who read her books, rather than horrors of algebra lessons gone wrong.  She is grateful for good friends who remind her to do the practical things in life like grocery shop, show up at the airport for a flight and pay bills.

A “hard” scientist who avoided writing classes like the plague, she now enjoys sharing her brain with characters who demand that their stories be told.  Amazing, gifted critique partners keep her on the straight and narrow. Feedback from readers keeps her fingers on the keyboard.

When she’s not hanging out at Writers in the Storm, you can visit Fae at http://faerowen.com  or www.facebook.com/fae.rowen