Rewarding Readers

Most writers know to write an interesting beginning because they need to hook readers quickly if that person chooses to continue with the book. However, other parts of the book are just as important if the author wants to maintain their readership. Certainly, the whole book needs to be well written, but that's a vague observation, and such a shotgun statement holds very little meaning when it comes to application.

The conclusion is every bit as important as the opening, if not more so, in the long run. A good, emotional, satisfying ending is an author's way of rewarding the reader for choosing and sticking with the book. The more struggles and upheavals the main characters have experienced, the more important it is to knock the ending out of the park. I don't know how many novels I've read that didn't do this, and, as it turned out, the book just wasn't worth my time.

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Endings, even epilogues, shouldn't be just told or recounted. In fact, use epilogues with caution. Readers need the story to end at the highlight of the relationship or epiphany. They need to experience something special. This is why cliffhangers are not the best way to go. They turn a reader off more often than make them want to grab the next book, especially if readers must wait for it to be released. You can end this section in the character's life and begin the next book with a new set of problems. If you properly reward your readers, they'll become fans forever.

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