What I’m Reading Now (Non-Fiction): The Last Fifty Pages by James Scott Bell
How to leave your reader with a powerful ending
As I approach the end of my first novel, I’ve been putting a lot of thought and worry into the ending. I’ve read some fiction that I’ve loved right up to the ending, and then was disappointed in the way the author wrapped things up. I’m definitely not going to name names here, but I’ve stopped reading all works by some authors because the ending of a single book was such a letdown.
I’m a huge fan of James Scott Bell. He’s given me some of the most valuable writing advice I’ve ever received. So naturally, I’m turning to him again for advice on finishing my novel well.
Bell says the number one thing an ending must do is be satisfying. He suggests that audiences want a satisfying ending because we so often don’t get satisfaction in life. Also, they paid money for the experience, and they want to feel like it was worth it.
He also suggests that you have an ending in mind before you start writing. It can always evolve with your story, but it helps to have a destination in mind. If you’re familiar with Bell, you’ll know that he suggests writing your story starting in the middle (Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell), from the point he calls the Mirror Moment. The Mirror Moment is when the main character must face themselves and decide if they will transform or not, or it’s the point where the character realizes the odds are too great and they’re probably going to die. Bell suggests brainstorming your character’s Mirror Moment. Once you have that, he says, you’ll know better how to play out the rest of the story beginning to end.
Bell offers us 5 different types of ending:
1. The main character wins (Pride and Prejudice)
2. The main character loses (The Postman Always Rings Twice)
3. The main character sacrifices (Casablanca)
4. The main character “wins” but really loses (The Godfather)
5. Open-ended (The Catcher in the Rye)
These are all discussed in greater depth in the book, but I’m betting you have a few examples in your head right now.
As we plan for endings, Bell encourages us to consider the meaning we want to leave with our reader, a kind of life lesson learned. I love how he puts it:
“Even if you’re one of those writers who doesn’t like ‘theme’ and just writes to entertain, understand that your ending will convey a meaning.”
The book outlines how Bell brainstorms endings. Essentially, he’ll spend some time working on it, then take a break where he does things that allow his brain to relax. Then he’ll sit down with a notepad and draw up diagrams and possibilities. He’ll review those notes for the best potential ending, then he’ll go full force to push through to the end of the book. I love this, because I often find that after working on a problem for a while, if I give my brain a rest, it will provide the answer later.
In the chapter regarding endings that resonate, Bell gives us some more options to help add depth and emotion, including options that complete the tale as well as options that leave us to believe there will be more trouble to come. He emphasizes that word choice is critical for a resonant ending. He also recommends the use of foreshadowing to add power to your ending. One way of doing this is to have the main character express early in the story an opinion or idea that is the opposite of how the story will turn out.
There’s a great chapter on avoiding common ending problems. He covers Deus Ex Machina, loose ends, only a dream, and talkative villains. Bell explains why these endings don’t work for most readers.
The book closes out by examining some endings in well-known fiction, like The Maltese Falcon and Huckleberry Finn. Bell adds some helpful writing exercises to help us dig deeper into our stories.
There are so many excellent pieces of advice in The Last Fifty Pages. I’ve only skimmed just a few here. I highly recommend it or any book by James Scott Bell.
Do you have a favorite author who gives writing advice?
