Writing Excuses Writing Excuses 6.20: Endings
Oct 17, 2011
Delve into the intricacies of crafting powerful story endings. The hosts discuss how to ensure conclusions resonate with beginnings and highlight classic examples from film. They explore the impact of personal stakes, showing how character-driven conflicts can surpass grand narratives. Unique writing techniques are shared, encouraging listeners to rethink unsatisfying endings. The episode emphasizes delivering on storytelling promises and concludes with a playful exercise to ignite creative thinking!
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Endings Must Fulfill Early Promises
- Mary realized many weak endings come from mismatched beginnings and endings rather than the final scene itself.
- Fix the setup or align the ending with early promises rather than rewriting only the last pages.
Cluster The Final Beats
- In the Hollywood formula, make the protagonist overcome the antagonist, achieve their goal, and reconcile the relationship character close together for emotional impact.
- Compress these three beats into the same scene or chapter to increase payoff.
Inventory Promises Midway
- Mid-draft, list promised payoffs, running gags, and the story's lowest point to identify what must resolve in the ending.
- Use that list to write a focused final act that rewards reader expectations.
