Comments on: Novels & The "Knockout" Ending

By: Diving In: Publication, Here I Come | Wing's World

Diving In: Publication, Here I Come | Wing's World — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 21:38:56 +0000

[…] up. I’m in. I’ve done my research. I have a terrific support system: my writing group; Kristen Lamb the WANA Mama and my WANA-peeps at WANA.com (shout-out to my WANA113 fellow Hotel […]

By: The Author Chronicles

The Author Chronicles — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:03:19 +0000

[…] Jami Gold shows us how to avoid a sagging middle in our stories, and Kristen Lamb explains how to deliver that knockout ending. […]

By: terencekuch

terencekuch — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:50:51 +0000

If the reader’s jaw doesn’t drop, then the ending wasn’t strong enough. Too bad, leads to some forced and phony plotting, but it seems to be true. A chase, if nothing else.

Different fiction-writing topic: This is a quandary that seems to come up only for longer works such as novels. Does the narrative voice (i.e., not dialog) refer to people by their first names, or their last? Does it matter if you’re consistent about it (e.g., always “Charley” Smith but always Doug “Desmond”, or even sometimes “Charley” Smith and sometimes Charley “Smith.” The reader knows who’s referred to, so this is a matter of style, not clarity. Thoughts?

— http://www.terencekuch.net

By: Author Kristen Lamb

Author Kristen Lamb — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:46:55 +0000

In reply to Beth Camp. I read ALL comments and ALL are deeply appreciated. THANK YOU!

By: Beth Camp

Beth Camp — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 22:47:35 +0000

Well, 37 comments. I have a snowball’s chance. But I do have this post, already signed up for your newsletter, and James Bell’s Plot & Structure is next on my ‘to read’ craft pile. I just got feedback from a beta reader that the first two chapters of my historical fiction are “slow”. But these two chapters introduce the people I want the reader to care about most, not the BBT who, thankfully, dies by the end.

By: Raani York

Raani York — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:24:22 +0000

I always tried to avoid “explaining the obvious” at the end. I figured the ending I’m writing was sufficient for the reader, considering myself reading the book instead of writing it. I really hope my future readers share my opinion.

By: » The OutRamp Guide to Writing: Episode #5 - The OutRamp

» The OutRamp Guide to Writing: Episode #5 - The OutRamp — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:21:06 +0000

[…] Novels & The “Knockout” Ending […]

By: Eli@coachdaddy

Eli@coachdaddy — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:13:23 +0000

There seems to be a lot of risk in a book’s ending – you’re tossing the dice, going for it on fourth-and-long, etc. I wonder what value keeping a journal on endings would be: To jot down the great and the disappointing in the ends of stories we’ve read, and explain what makes or breaks it.

I know not all work can be tossed in the same category, but are there elements in there that consistently swing us one way or another?

By: Novels & The "Knockout" Ending | ...

Novels & The "Knockout" Ending | ... — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:28:19 +0000

[…] I am sure many of you’ve had this same experience with either a book or a movie. The characters are great, the story riveting, tense, and you can’t wait until the…..eh? WTH? Was that the ENDING? Really? I invested TWELVE HOURS of reading for THAT? And then you toss the book across the room or tell every friend you know not to watch Such-and-Such movie. I think it’s worse with novels because readers have a lot of time (they don’t really have to spare) invested. […]

By: Josey Gist

Josey Gist — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 08:13:21 +0000

Thank you for such a great article Kristen! I’m writing my third YA novel at the moment, and this time I’m making sure I have an outline first, to prevent my book from becoming a big mess I struggle to edit, like the first two novels did. My biggest problem has been failing to plan the ending, and never being satisfied with the structure of the books I write. I’m fixing that with this book. No more writing without any clue where my book will end, and messing it up as a result. This is the first time I’m commenting on a blog post of yours, but I’ve been reading your blog for some time now, and your posts are always helpful, inspirational and fun!