Endings

In life, endings can be messy. Endings can be complicated. When readers reach the end of a novel, however, they are not looking for messy. Readers look for happy endings, or at least some sense of resolution for all the problems and travails our characters have gone through. But what if the end of a story is both joyful and sad? What if things are resolved but new challenges still lie ahead? Does this mean it’s messy?

I am struggling right now with the very last few paragraphs of The Price of Secrets, satisfied that what happens is true, but not quite satisfied with how I have written it. Yet.

I did a brief search online for “Writing Endings” and came up mostly with ways stories end, checklists of things endings should include. I wasn’t searching for a formula; I was searching for advice and inspiration, or maybe inspirational advice.

After looking through my writing books, I pulled out one of my favorites, Hooked by Les Edgerton. It’s a wonderful book about beginnings, advice on engaging the reader from the very first sentence. I picked up the book, checked the index and found “Endings.” When I turned to page 14, I saw I had underlined this when I first purchased the book, more than ten years ago:

All good story endings and resolutions should involve both an element of a win and an element of a loss.

Yes. Exactly. My ending isn’t messy; it’s complicated. Like life. Now I just need to get my words as right and true as I can. I want to leave readers of The Price of Secrets still wanting to know how the characters are doing long after they finish the novel, but satisfied I have told their story.

If Only It Were This Easy

My five-year-old granddaughter wrote and published her first two books last week: Spring is Here and The Chick Finally Hatched. After some discussion, she dictated her story as I typed, and once it was printed her sisters helped her color and illustrate, and voilà! She is a published author, so proud of her work. Going through this process with her, I thought, boy, if only it were this easy!

After working on my second novel for more than three years, I have lost count of the number of drafts I have completed so far. There was a time about a year ago I thought I was close to finished, that the story was just about as complete and true as I could get it. How wrong I was.

Throughout this process, I have been fortunate to receive a great deal of feedback—from family, friends, and my weekly writers’ group. How enlightening it has been to see my writing through fresh eyes. I am so grateful for their insights, their perceptions of my characters and their actions, and their tough questions. This close analysis, of course, is something you can’t do with a five-year-old, especially with her first foray into writing.

While my granddaughter didn’t have the benefit of too much feedback and too many questions about her story, as her editor and publisher, I believe it was just enough. Her process seemed so simple and straightforward compared to my process, but I believe that will develop in time. For now, these are her stories, and they are the very best she could tell them.

My goal is to publish my novel this summer. The more I work on it, the closer I get to the truth and the heart of it. And there’s the polishing, the language, all the nuances of storytelling. So much. It’s not meant to be easy, but I am grateful for the joy and sense of accomplishment writing brings.

Almost There, With Gratitude

Before A Better Life was published, just over three years ago, I began work on my new manuscript, which I called A Thousand Secrets. When people ask how my writing is going, if I have another novel yet, “I’m working on it,” I respond. “Making progress,” I say. And I have. And now, after countless drafts and revisions, suggestions from early readers, and a professional developmental edit, I have a completed 91,000-word manuscript. And a new title: Some Kind of Justice.

As with my first novel, I am in the process of deciding whether to seek an agent or to self-publish again. I now know firsthand the hard of work self-publishing and marketing, but I also know the incredible sense of accomplishment it brings. There is also a lot to be said for having complete control over every aspect of the publishing process and the joy of having independent book stores accept my book and honor it with a place on their shelves.

Even after three years, people are still buying and talking about A Better Life. I had a friend reach out last week who noticed the similarities between the novel and the heartbreaking events in New Hampshire involving a missing little girl, Harmony. The next day, a reader reached out to tell me how much she enjoyed the novel and that her book club chose it for this month’s reading and discussion. She, too, noticed the parallels between A Better Life and the tragic story of Harmony. My heart goes out to this little girl and I pray for her safe return. Maybe being a writer, being open to endless possibilities, helps me envision a hopeful scenario in which Harmony is somehow safe and protected by someone who is caring for her and will eventually return her to her mother.

I will be forever grateful for readers taking the time to write to me, to the positive reviews I have received on Amazon, as well as to the people I meet who tell me how much they enjoyed A Better Life. My new novel, Some Kind of Justice will be published this year. Whether it is through a traditional publisher or self-published, it will be in the hands of readers, and hopefully find a place in their hearts and minds as well.