by Beth K. Vogt, @bethvogt

In a recent author Q&A, I was asked what part of the writing process challenged me the most. The actual question was: What part of the writing process do you find the trickiest to accomplish?

Potato.Po-tah-to.

I’m a “plot-ser”, which means I plot out my story before I start writing and yes, I work through the oh-so valuable Story Equation – Dark Moment Story, Wound, Lie, Fear, Flaw – for my main characters. But I have enough of a pantser in me to let the story breathe as I write – to let my characters have the freedom to surprise me.

Even with all my prep work, I know I’ll slog through the middle of the book and end up calling my craft partner to rework some scenes. 

But where does writing my story get tricksy? 

Landing my ending. 

“But Beth,” you say, “you’ve plotted your book out. You know how it’s going to end.”

True. All true. But knowing how a novel is going to end and writing the ending so it pings in a way that satisfies you, the author, and hopefully satisfies your readers? That gets tricksy.

Here are a few tips to land your novel’s ending well:

1. Let go of your original idea for the book’s ending. Sometimes your original idea worked as you plotted your book. But as you wrote your manuscript, your story changed. Your characters changed. Is there a better ending to the book that fits the story now that you’ve come to the actual ending – not the ending you imagined weeks or months ago?
2. Brainstorm with a craft partner. Meet face to face or get on FaceTime and talk through the overall big picture plot of your book. Then, discuss your ending and ask, “Does it work?” Here comes the tricksy part: Sit back and listen. Don’t argue. Don’t insist on why you love the ending or how you can still make it work. Just listen. Taking notes is a good idea too.
3.  Look for bookends. Consider what happened at the beginning of your book. Is there some event that you can recreate at the end of your book so the story has literal and/or emotional bookends? The blockbuster film “Top Gun: Maverick” does this. In the opening of the film Maverick (Tom Cruise) is working on his plane in a hangar by himself. At the end of the movie, he’s working on the plane with Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his old friend and weapons system officer (WSO), Goose. This scene symbolizes healing in the formerly adversarial relationship between Maverick and Rooster. 

Have you landed at the end of your novel? Consider working through these three tips to make your ending stronger. 

 

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Dedicated to the One I Love

Beloved romance novelist Kylie Franklin walked away from her pen-name career as bestselling and award-winning Veronica Hollins the day her husband died. Her loyal readers are eager for the final book in her sensational series. But Kylie’s given up on love, both fictional and in real life. Behind her back, Kylie’s agent contrives a way to get her writing again.

Joe Edwards has made a name for himself with his popular military suspense novels under the pen name Tate Merrick. Yet he can’t quite break onto the bestseller list. What his books need, his publisher suggests, is some romance. Joe flat refuses. However, his publisher is determined and hires Veronica Hollins to save the day—and his career.

Veronica and Tate quickly realize they’re Kylie and Joe, good friends who connected online via a popular word game and their mutual love of trivia. Surely they can wrangle their alter egos into this literary collaboration. But as the deadline looms, their differences threaten the romance developing off the page.

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She’s authored 15 novels and novellas, both contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Beth is a Christy Award winner, an ACFW Carol Award winner, and a  RITA® finalist. Her newest contemporary romance novel, Dedicated to the One I Love, releases June 20, 2023. Her novel Things I Never Told You, book one in her Thatcher Sisters Series by Tyndale House Publishers, won the 2019 AWSA Golden Scroll Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.