Writing Excuses

19.51: And That Was That

Dec 22, 2024

As the season wraps up, the hosts focus on the art of crafting satisfying endings. They emphasize the connection between beginnings and conclusions, using popular films like Toy Story as examples. The discussion covers the balance between climactic moments and emotional resolutions. Listeners also get homework to consider how their current projects will end. Plus, writing retreats and gaming insights introduce new ways to connect with fellow creatives. The powerful role of language and personalized writing support adds even more to inspire writers.

24:19

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Quick takeaways

Effective endings should mirror the beginning to emphasize character growth and create a cohesive resolution for readers.

Writers must focus on emotional impact in conclusions to ensure a lasting resonance that aligns with the story's themes.

Deep dives

Crafting Satisfying Endings

Successful endings should resonate with the beginning of the story, creating a sense of closure while highlighting character growth. By using techniques such as mirroring initial scenes, writers can show how characters have evolved throughout the narrative. For instance, referencing earlier moments can provide a fresh perspective that illustrates change, ensuring that readers recognize the journey taken. This approach emphasizes the importance of grounding readers in the characters’ transformations as they reach the conclusion of the story.

Intro

2min

The Art of Crafting Transformative Endings in Storytelling

2min

Crafting Resonant Endings

8min

Writing Retreats and Gaming Insights

4min

Mastering Cliffhangers and Emotional Resolutions

11min

Personalized Writing Help and Sponsorship Offers

4min

As the end of Season 19 approaches, we want to help you integrate what you’ve learned over the year. For December, we’ll be releasing episodes designed to help you make measurable progress on a writing project. So dust off your current work-in-progress, or pull out your brainstorming documents—we’re here to help you finish the year strong.

Today, we’re thinking about endings—specifically, what endings have in common with beginnings. When you’re coming to your conclusion, you can revisit the start of your work in order to get clues for how you should end it. You can also revisit your favorite works of fantasy fiction, which we’ve noticed often wraps things up with big climactic moments that don’t lose track of smaller moments of impact. Additionally, we talk about surprising versus inevitable endings, what Toy Story got right, and Howard’s rule for the last third of a story.

Thing of the Week: Chants of Sennaar

Homework: Think of how what you’ve been writing recently is going to end. What might be the next scene you need to write? Write that.

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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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