Stopping the rush
Filed under Tips & Tools on September 18, 2008
Tagged: fantasy fiction, outlines, pacing, rushed endings
A real American hero once said, “Knowing is half the battle.” We’ve talked about what causes writers to rush their endings. Now we need to identify some solutions for stopping the rush. You can’t–and shouldn’t–rely upon your editor or critique group to always hold up a “Slow Down” sign. Take steps to prevent rushing before it even gets to that point.
Outlines
An outline is a great tool for regulating the pace of your plot. Depending on the level of detail, you can get a pretty good idea of how much attention you’re giving to each scene. This information needs to be weighed against the significance of the particular plot point (the scene does have something to do with a plot point, right?). The ending is where you wrap everything up–or set up the cliffhanger for the next book in the series–and therefore requires at least as much detail in the outline as your other scenes.
Just looking at your outline can give you an idea of whether or not you might be in danger of a rushed ending. Do you start with half-a-page worth of points and subpoints, only to taper off to a couple lines per chapter? There’s a good chance you’ll overlook or forget important motivations or plot threads when it comes time to write that ending.
Set the right pace
Writing a novel requires some endurance, much like running long distances. Long distance runners know they have to pace themselves during the early stages of the race or they will have nothing left to get across the finish line. If they start too slow, however, they’ll fall so far behind that they can’t catch up. It’s a delicate balance, but a crucial one for success.
Your writing pace can have a similar effect upon the ending of your story, particularly if you’re working under a deadline. If you spend most of your time working on the first half of the book, you’ll be forced to rush through the end to make the deadline. If you’re a slow writer (as many first-time novelists are), you’ll need to push yourself from the start in order to be done on time.
Start at the end
Some writers can jump around the story, writing chapters out of order. Other writers, like me, find it difficult to write chapters and scenes out of sequence, even with an outline. That said, if you have a clear picture of the plot from hook to resolution (and an outline serves this function well), consider writing the ending first. Get it out of the way while your creative juices are fresh and before you reach the point where just the thought of opening that Word file one more time gives you a headache.
What are some tips and tricks you can think of that will help a fantasy fiction writer avoid a rushed ending? Leave your suggestions in the comments.
