Sunday, October 24, 2010

Endings

So, i'm getting there. not as fast as I'd like but nearly.

I'm wondering what makes a good ending. I think there needs to be some kind of symmetry with the beginning. i'm not sure if that's by setting or characters present or mood.

All, or maybe most, of the questions raised need to be tied up satisfactorily. this is the tricky bit. i've known some parts of the ending since I first had the idea. Does that mean it will be WAY too obvious for the reader? Or maybe I won't foreshadow enough and it will come out of the blue.

I hate decisions (It's the Libran in me).

How do you decide how to end a story?

=)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Requests

Thanks to the wonderful San Francisco Heart to Heart competition I now have an opportunity to submit my manuscript to an interested editor. Cue paralysing nerves.... must get the finishing touches done.

I've been reading Maria V. Snyder's Storm Glass and am very impressed. Something she's done well that i need to keep in mind is to create questions in my mind, ones i turn the page to find out. THAT's what I want to do for my reader.

But how to strike the right balance between keeping the reader wanting answers but not having them throw the book at the wall cos it doesn't make any sense?