This post should have been live on Friday. I had a doctor’s appointment and I faded out. Here it is a little late, but I will still call it Friday’s post even though the dates don’t match up..{Grin}
Lesson 14 Ending The Book James Patterson’s Masterclass
James Patterson’s opening lines:
“Your ending is ‘usually’ important. Because, and this is true in movies, and it’s true in books. Because that’s- they walk out of the theater clapping and cheering and feeling great, and spreading the word, about the movie, or out of their apartments, or whatever in terms of the book. And a lot has to do what you did at the ending. How you pulled it all together. The surprise at the end. The surprise that fits, that’s appropriate. So you really have to make sure that it is satisfying. Or you gonna disappoint people. And you won’t get that good word of mouth. You might not get published because there’s no ending.”
Good endings, well-written endings are what we strive for. Getting to those last few chapters. You clawed and scratched to find the perfect ending. And here is James Patterson telling you it isn’t as easy as saying, they all lived happily ever after- except it can be if you are writing that type of story. Could be a Fairytale, romance, or children’s book or a combination of genres.
When you are writing, write for the reader of your genre. Write for the best mystery reader, or the best reader of thrillers. James Patterson said:
“If you satisfy that person you will satisfy everyone else.”
What I got from this lesson was to write towards the ending you created in your plotline. Then, change it as you need to. Make your ending fit your story. Make it a great ending. The best you can write. Most of all make it the ending you want to write.
Remember, there are a lot of ways a person can walk into a house. And only you can do it ‘your’ way. Backwards, forward, sideways, through the window. {Smile}
What endings did you like? Why did you like them? Did they connect to the rest of the story? Did they feel right? Did you want the ending to be different? Why? Why was it good? Why was it bad?
I read a children’s book by Wendy Mass. The book was called ‘Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life’. The ending in that book felt right. It ended in a way that left the reader, well me, feeling good with the ending. If you read it, examine the story. See how the author took you from that first sentence, which for me started with the Preface.
“ My sweat smells like peanut butter.” To the last line, “The people on the train with me don’t know it, but in my head I’m dancing.”
This is an easy book to read and shows how the story progresses with an interesting set of pace, a bit of excitement and suspense. Stirring it all up with a great ending.
Examine how some of your favorite authors end their stories. Did you see it coming? If yes, how and where?
Back to James Patterson’s Masterclass. He makes some great points if you want to hear them all click on the link at the top-left-sidebar.