Getting to “The End”
Pete of Seattle recently said he was working on his final chapters but couldn’t seem to get it done. It wasn’t writer’s block, he said, but he blamed procrastination. Robin of Maine recently found herself floundering to write her book’s ending, even though she’d sped through the rest.
The fault is probably neither procrastination nor lack of planning. There is a niggling part of any writer’s brain that really doesn’t want a book to end. It enjoys the writing process and a looming “The End” can make it set the brakes and derail the writing altogether. We aren’t consciously aware of this roadblock. It just seems the ending, even if you’ve planned it neatly, doesn’t want to get itself written! Here are some tricks to get you back on track:
1. Plan a Sequel. Start your creative juices flowing towards the NEXT book, seeing how those same characters react to the ending of the current book, what happens after they recover or sail off into the sunset. Ask yourself: What happens next? And plan—mentally only, no writing yet—what the sequel will involve. (Now, shhh, don’t tell this to that brakeman part of your brain, but I’m not actually saying you must write a sequel. Just that if you set your “The End” further down the track, at the conclusion of the sequel, it will free up your mind to get this current final chapter finished without fear that the journey of writing is over.) A side benefit: You might find you WANT to write a sequel. And the ending to the current book might slightly change to accommodate a second book.
2. Plan an Epilogue. You probably already have in mind the basics of what the final chapter will include regarding all the major characters. Now consider the ramifications of on the minor characters and how they might react. Mentally plan an epilogue, one that follows the final numbered chapter, where you can explore these results. (Again, shhh … you don’t actually have to write this epilogue. But it sets “The End” at a later spot, allowing you to write directly through the final chapter in anticipation that another will follow.) Side benefit: You may find tidbits of fun in the planned Epilogue that you will want to add to the real ending.
3. Dangle a Carrot. I’ll just bet you have another idea of a different book altogether, right? Something fun or intriguing that you’d like to tackle. Mentally start thinking of the scenes and people and settings that intrigue you on this new book–but don’t write a word of it! Let the new book build in your brain until it is ready to burst out. Then promise yourself you can start it the same day you finish the last chapter of this current book.
We writers write because we enjoy it–even if we do all complain (at least a bit!) about the hours and agony of it all. So let your subconscious know that the process of writing will NOT end with this final chapter. With the incentive of more wordplay to come, you’ll barely get to “The End” on this book before you can plunge back in to the fun of writing all over again!