The End

Writers know to concentrate on the beginning of a book. If they don't interest their reader in the first paragraph or two, the reader is apt to put the book down or not even buy it to start with. I know authors who have spent months and months revising the opening of their novel to make sure it hooked the reader.

However, not nearly as much attention is usually given to the ending, and I think it is just as important. Unless one book is all you ever plan to write, and you don't care if your reader goes away satisfied or not, you need to leave the reader feeling good about the story and satisfied with the ending. Even if the ending is not the happiest one, it can still leave a feeling of rightness. An excellent ending is the best way to encourage a reader to pick up the next book.

About a fourth of the many books I read have a drab, uninspired, or unsatisfying ending. In fact, this is true of the last book I read. I found the plot intriguing, the characters complex, and the story interesting, but the ending was a letdown. Here is the last sentence: "The kiss he gave her wasn't as passionate as she would have liked, but her family was there and eager to congratulate them." I would not go looking for another book by this author and entreat writers to not lose their momentum in the last paragraph. Make it an ending that readers won't easily forget.

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