In June, D. Z. and Janet wrote about how we start our books. Now we’re at the other end of the equation. How do we end them? What’s the best way to finish telling a tale? And when? What’s involved in that decision? Does the narrative come to a natural end? Sometimes. But other times, that’s not so clear cut. Do we wrap up all the loose ends? Or let a few of them dangle? As D. Z. points out, the plot and characters may have changed during the writing of the book. And Janet posits that the beginning and the end of the book should have some connection.
How the heck did it all come down to this? A question I’ve asked myself more than once. Yes, I know how the book will end before I start it. Mostly. But endings are hard. The main problem is that as the book progresses, things change, characters surprise you, stuff happens just like in life. So, the planned ending may be separated by degrees from the ending reached. As with a triangle, the distance apart may be acute, or it might be obtuse. Yet the plot hasn’t changed, only the trajectory.
Two characters expected to remain at odds don’t because a mutual interest or need causes them to unite to solve the murder, fight off the bad guy, etc. The conflict is resolved as expected, except now it is mutual. That’s a different ending than planned. I have countless examples of how action and characters have diverged from my initial plots as the story unfolds.
I’ve removed one sentence from the end of a book, and the whole story changed. Twice. It is that hard to get the last words just right. At least for me. Hitting the right note isn’t easy.
In the Wanee Mysteries, Cora Countryman is wooed by two men who vie with each other, sometimes openly, sometimes subtly. Which one she will accept, if either, wanders through the books. I wanted the ending of each to keep the contest open
It takes a lot of balance to keep that mystery going. I think I manage, but it takes deft attention to tone and detail. Especially since I hoped readers would favor one suitor, while I worried they would be disappointed if Cora chose the other. And I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for either man. So, the two men admire each other. Try juggling that as the story progresses from book to book and reveal to reveal. Each book needs to end on just the right note while hinting at the ultimate outcome so that attentive readers won’t be surprised.
But, of course, all this happens while the mystery/thriller is solved or resolved. The ending should tie up the central tale, leave us with rich characters, and satisfy us. The Wanee Mysteries tend to have soft or bittersweet endings, as they are set in a bucolic prairie town in the late 1870s, despite the characters having fought through train robberies, a near hanging, and a flood. As opposed to the very non-bucolic endings of my thrillers, one ends with a wild storm and fire, one with the mayhem of pirate booty and caves, and one with a wild chase through the backcountry of the High Sierra. Or The Cooper Quartet, whose endings unfold against the emotional backdrop of the Vietnam War era.
Yet, what all have in common are very human, character-driven finales, if you will. And, hopefully, satisfying ones, the kind where you take a deep breath because the tone is just right. One of my very favorite endings is this one from “One Horse Too Many,” book 4 of the Wanee Mysteries:
“You did not believe I would allow Doc this honor,” Kanady whispered, tickling Cora’s left ear. “Someday I—”
The waltz ended; applause rang through the hall, followed by a few huzzahs. Cora blushed from her chest to her ears. Kanady sat in the first chair he reached, sweat breaking out on his brow.
“Fool,” Doc said, rushing across the room. “You’ve opened your wound.”
“Ah, but I would lose the leg for the look on her face.”
Doc turned to Cora. Warmth suffused her at the fondness in Doc’s eyes, even as she felt Kanady’s hand in hers, his other on her shoulder and the rush of her heart as they whirled.
Cora fingered the white silk rose on her wrist. Someday — what?
Endings are hard.
In June, when I wrote my piece on how I begin my books, I said, “When writing a mystery featuring a ghost, it makes sense to start with the ghost.”
It also makes sense to end with the ghost. How so? The beginning and end of a book are like parentheses, enclosing the work. So, it makes sense that a book takes the reader on a journey in between those two signposts. Hence the ghost. Well, more about that later.
When I’m writing a book, I usually wind up at what I call the climax chapter, or chapters. I write mysteries. So, this is where the protagonist finds out who done it and why. This is followed by what I call the wrap-up chapter. As in, wrap up some or all of the loose ends. Closure, as we call it, for the protagonist and the other characters in the book. Good to wrap it all up and explain things. Well, that depends on the book. Some ambiguity might be in order, leaving a few of those loose ends dangling, perhaps leading the reader to the next book in a series.
The most recent book in the Jeri Howard series, The Things We Keep, begins when Jeri finds two skulls and assorted bones in a footlocker hidden in an Alameda house. As the book progresses, she learns that the bones could belong to two people who disappeared decades ago. But wait. There are two more people who disappeared around the same time. So, four missing persons. If the bones in the footlocker belong to two of them, what happened to the other two? Jeri answers most of those questions. But the loose ends and ambiguities? What happens to those responsible for the disappearances and murders of the victims? That’s in the hands of the authorities, not a private investigator.
The Sacrificial Daughter features Kay Dexter, a geriatric care manager. Kay is entangled in a plot involving two sisters at odds over Kay’s client, their elderly mother. Someone winds up murdered and in the climax chapter(s), Kay is thrown into a life-threatening situation that unmasks the killer. The last scene of the book takes place at the murder victim’s memorial service. The book is done and the characters are moving on. At the end of the service, Kay takes her leave of various characters. Then she moves on, to another appointment, another client, and perhaps some time in the future, another plot in another book.
Now, about that ghost. The third book in the Jill McLeod series is The Ghost in Roomette Four. Jill is a Zephyrette, a train hostess, riding the rails on the California Zephyr in the 1950s. Several of the books are set on a moving train, so there’s a progression from the beginning until Jill and the train reach a destination. This book begins late at night, on the train, when Jill sees shimmering lights outside roomette four. It also ends in roomette four. In between, Jill doubts the evidence of her own eyes, but as the book progresses, her disbelief ebbs. Of course, I had to have a séance! What happens at the end? Read the book! But here’s a teaser.
Jill stood for a bit longer, taking one last look around roomette four. She could smell the strong scent of the rose on the seat. Then she shivered. Now that the sun was going down, it was chilly in here.
Or was it something else?