The End Is Only The Beginning

I recently blogged about first lines and first pages - First Line Fear, First Page Panic. But let's not forget about The End. 

"Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle.

They read it to get to the end.

If it's a letdown, they won't buy any more.

The first page sells the book.

The last page sells your next book."

(Mickey Spillane)

I think this holds true for all stories, for all books, not just mysteries. As a reader, I don't need the ending tied up with a sparkly pink bow. I like a good wrap-up, with maybe a few loose ends so I can imagine the story continuing to unfold beyond the pages. I'm good with a vague ending, one that's open to some interpretation. I don't care for cliffhangers, though. I don't want to feel manipulated into buying the next book in order to see how this one ends. 

As readers, we put time and often money into a story or a book. We put our trust in the author, believing that he or she will deliver from start to finish. 

As writers, we're responsible for safeguarding that trust. We must bring our readers out the other side happier, more entertained, more satisfied than when they started. We need to leave them better off for reading our work. 

So, as readers, what's your favorite kind of ending? How do you feel about cliffhangers? As writers, how much time do you spend perfecting the ending versus the beginning? How do you leave your readers wanting, not needing, more?

First Line Fear, First Page Panic

Jeff Somers has a great article - The Chain of Awesomeness - in the June/July 2016 issue of Writer's Digest. He's talking about building a strong first chapter, but I think a lot of it applies to stories in general: 

"A major mistake a lot of writers make is thinking that all a first line has to do is be cool or shocking. That's effective, but what makes a first line truly great 

is that it makes readers want to read the next line." 

I love a good first line, one that wakes me up, shakes me up. But I also love a first page that pulls me in, whether by grabbing me by the throat or by gently taking my hand. If something in the beginning doesn't hold my attention, doesn't keep me in the story, I will rarely read past that first page. Knowing this about myself as a reader puts enormous pressure on me as a writer. I want my readers to have to keep reading, to need to turn the page. 

As readers, how long do you give a novel - one sentence, one page, one chapter - before giving up on it? How long do you give a short story? As writers, how do you handle the pressure to prove your story's worth in such a short amount of time?