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Q. How Do I Finish My Novel?

Q. I’ve started a novel, (more than one, actually), but I can’t seem to get to the end. How do I finish my novel?

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Badwater Basin

A. I find myself in this situation more often than I’d like to admit. Starting a novel is hard. So is writing the middle. It makes sense that the ending would be equally difficult to write, if not more so. We know that an ending is supposed to wrap up everything, or almost everything, and that it’s supposed to leave the reader both satisfied and dazzled. A good ending should resolve the conflict and bring the main character to a point of epiphany. Our expectations and standards are high, especially since we read books that end well all the time.

What we often forget is that published books have gone through lots of revisions, and that includes revisions to the endings. When I wrote Birthmarked, my editor gently suggested that the ending didn’t work, so I scrapped the last 60 pages and wrote a completely new one. I changed the end of Promised so many times I lost count. For me, that’s normal. It’s part of the process, but revision isn’t where I start. I have to have a complete draft first.

So here’s what I do. When I need an ending, I just keep writing. I don’t have the story all figured out like some classy writers I admire. Instead, I allow the ending to be bad. I set the building on fire (first bad ending of Prized) or send in a helicopter (first bad ending of Rule of Mirrors) or roll an earthquake (first bad ending of Vault 3). It kind of doesn’t matter what I write, because by writing my first ending, I’ll start to discover what works and what doesn’t. The same will be true for you. Later, once you have a complete draft and you begin to have a deeper understanding of your whole book, you’ll be able to gain some clarity about the shoddy ending, too. Then you’ll be able to scrap it and try another one. And another, if need be.

Here’s the secret. Writing isn’t about getting it done and checking off the box. It’s about starting a rich, complex experience and taking it deeper. It’s about discovering more ideas as you go. The right ending will emerge in its own way. You’ll know when it does.

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Caragh's Latest Favorite Reads

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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Book Trailer for Promised