Writing Tip Tuesday

Once your story has reached its climax, the party is over.


It's time to go home.


But you need to tidy things up before you go.


That's where the resolution comes in.


The resolution is another word for the ending of the story.


The resolution is the part of the story that comes after the climax.


Don't, I repeat - DON'T - drag the resolution on too long or you risk losing the reader. And what a pity it would be to lose the reader at this point in the story!!


Ask yourself the following questions about the resolution of your story:

1. Is everything that was foreshadowed paid off? Any dangling threads? Anything left unresolved?
2. Is everything that's paid off foreshadowed?
3. Is the central question answered or the problem solved?
4. Has the main character grown or changed?

It's critical to nail the ending and to make it satisfying.


Does your ending do justice to the story?


Next week, I'm going to tell you a story about how my editor saved an ending.

Recycled from 12/11/07