Everything that’s true for prologues goes for epilogues as well. ☐ Epilogue, if used, is necessary and engaging. It’s not enough that your epilogue be sweet and show how your characters live happily ever after. It has to wrap up the story in a way that, if it were omitted, …
Tag: Satisfying Endings
Don’t rush the ending of your novel
I’ve spent a lot longer on this matter of the satisfying ending than any other point on the Elements of Fiction Editing Checklist. That’s because it’s so critical. A bad ending can ruin an otherwise great book. But I’m nearly done with endings, and next time we’ll move on to …
Understand the difference between a twist and a trick
Your novel’s ending must be inevitable, but preferably not predictable. Yeah, that’s easier said than done. This is hard to plan for as you’re writing. Editing is the place to make it happen. Because once you’ve written the ending, it’s much easier to go back and layer in the plants …